The Zalthagor Box by Terrie Schultz

The supernatural and the uncanny are at the heart of Terrie Schultz’s The Zalthagor Box, a fun and chilling middle-grade read that will appeal to adults as well as young readers.

Not yet 14, Evelyn discovers she has a rare power: she can see things before they happen. So far it has been more of a curse than a gift, as not only does her mother not believe her, but she’s bullied by everyone at school. When her great-aunt Lillian passes away unmarried and childless, Evelyn and her family travel down to Virginia to settle Lillian’s affairs. While learning to use her powers, Evelyn uncovers the dramatic story of her family’s past and must use all of her strength to protect her mother and brother from a great evil.

Carefully plotted and evocatively written, Schultz is unafraid to take some daunting issues head-on, deftly mixing the fears of childhood with the fears of her fantasy creation. The book is so effective in its storytelling that it could really be expanded – by developing the plot and digging more into Evelyn’s family history, the author could have also delved deeper into the nature of Evelyn’s power, which remains somewhat unexplored.

That said, concision and brevity are part of the novel’s charm, as Schultz says a lot about the nature of family, the struggle with being unique, while carving out a page-turning mystery in a relatively small space. Though the cover may be a little scary for some young readers – and its title a mouthful – the story itself mixes humor with darker undertones to great effect, for an entertaining and surprisingly meaningful work of paranormal fantasy.