THE SILVER PENNY

Jacob, called Deb, is an adventuresome boy who always wants to see what’s beyond his world of farm chores and family. His impulsiveness leads to an accident so severe that he is in danger of losing his ability to walk and possibly his life. His great-grandfather gives him a lucky silver penny that he credits with having saved his life during the Revolutionary War. It is here that Wright moves from a 19th-century coming-of-age story to a tale filled with portents, spirits, ghosts, alternate time and place and almost every supernatural conceit imaginable. Are these fantastic events occurring only in Deb’s fevered dreams, or are they the results of the silver penny’s magical powers? Because it’s often difficult to follow all the abrupt and ever-changing transitions, it takes patience and determination to keep track of it all. It may not be worth the effort. (Fiction. 10-12)