by Aaron Starmer
Flap Copy Description:
Alistair Cleary is the kid everyone trusts, the who wraps his fingers around secrets and never lets them go. Fiona Loomis is not the typical girl next door. One day she shows up at Alistair's house with a proposition: she wants him to write her biography. Fiona says she's been traveling to a magical world where a creature called the Riverman is stealing the souls of children. And Fiona's could be next. If Fiona really believes what she's saying, Alistair fears she may be crazy. But if it's true, her life could be at risk. It's up to Alistair to separate fact from fiction, fantasy from reality.
My Thoughts:
The Riverman by Aaron Starmer is a dark, imaginative, coming of age story that kept me turning its pages. I must admit, what first caught my attention was the book's cover design that strongly resembles the cover for Wildwood - written by Colin Meloy and illustrated by Carson Ellis. However, although both fantasy books are for upper middle grade readers, the stories are vastly different. Mr. Starmer's novel is set in a small, and somewhat isolated community in Upstate New York where Alistair Cleary and Fiona Loomis wrestle with poignant memories and the pain of young love. Aaron Starmer has skillfully shown that he is a master storyteller of mystery and intrigue. According to Amazon, The Riverman is the first book in a trilogy, which is good since the ending left me with several unanswered questions! I would highly recommend The Riverman to readers from the ages of ten to fourteen.
To learn more about the author, Aaron Starmer, click here: http://aaronstarmer.com/about.html
