Phil Hickes: The Vanishing of Aveline Jones (Usborne Publishing 2022)
A lot of weird and scary things have happened to Aveline Jones already. First, she encounters a supernatural force in an unfriendly coastal town, and the following summer, in a Neolithic sanctuary, she discovers that witches don’t always drive on broomsticks. However, it wasn’t the end of the creepy adventures: surprises await the little girl even during the winter break.
After years of hoping that Aveline’s uncle would return, her mother and aunt finally decided to sell his house. Sneaking into his office, Aveline and Harold discover that her uncle has been researching possible supernatural activity around an ancient burial mound near the town – linking it to the unexplained disappearances of local residents. There are dark, magical forces at work in the city, and they are doing everything they can to stay hidden…
The story draws a lot from Celtic, Scottish and Irish fairy tales, where the fairies are not similar to the lovely and magical creatures known from Walt Disney movies, but are much more naughty: they can cast magic, but they always (!) use it for evil. In addition to having nightmares due to her previous adventures, Aveline also gained a very good friend in the person of Harold. Although this book was scary, I still felt hopeful, because Aveline never gives up and I knew that the story would end well. I recommend it to everyone and I hope there will be a sequel!
