(3) YA In this very British Isles fantasy, orphaned Tom Swinton receives a letter from a long-lost uncle asking him to spend the summer at Mundham Farm. The letter is delivered by a curiously out-of-place boy, and as Tom sets out, he’s attacked by an unearthly man who warns him not to come. Once at Mundham, Tom adjusts to his new, strange reality -- his uncle Jack is a magician under siege from some shadowy outside force, and Tom is required to “walk the bounds” daily, strengthening the protective spells using his own newfound powers. Following Womack’s plot as it twists and twines, readers will enjoy discovering this new scion grafted onto an old British folklore tradition.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam