Fog Magic, by Julia Sauer

Even though the main character in the book does not take a sea voyage, I'm labeling it anyway.  Fog Magic takes place in the small village of Little Valley, on the coast of Maritime Canada.  The village, and larger community, is supported by the sea voyages of the men.  Life is difficult but predictable, but what makes Little Valley unique is its frequent, long-lasting, thick fog.  Burdensome to the sailors and housewives alike (how can you dry clothes without mildew if the air is always wet?), it's generally considered a nuisance.  But not to young Greta Addington.  Greta has always loved the fog, being in it, wandering in the woods, and exploring the stone foundations of the long-gone homes of the original settlers along the old Post Road.

Although her mother can't begin to understand Greta's fascination, she is resigned to it.  After chores are completed, Greta is packed a lunch and permitted to disappear into the fog for the afternoon, provided she agrees to return at a reasonable hour.  She enjoys this time alone in the fog, although she wonders if it causes her to hallucinate- she once saw a house standing where she was certain that only a foundation had existed when she had passed before.  But one day in the fog, she is certainly not hallucinating when a woman dressed in fine silks drives by in a carriage and offers Greta a ride to Blue Cove, just over the mountain.

The mysterious woman drops Greta off at a cottage, where she meets Retha, a girl her own age.  She spends the afternoon getting a tour of Blue Cove and meeting Retha's family.  Some things she sees and hears seem vaguely familiar, as if from an old memory.  She is told that she is always welcome to visit and that they'll look forward to seeing her again, and send her on her way with a slice of fresh pie.  But when Greta arrives home, the pie has disappeared!  Retha's parents seem to have a sense of where Greta is from, but say nothing about it.  Greta doesn't quite understand how the fog is transporting her between two worlds, or what her role is, but she knows that she must never talk about one side while on the other.  But Greta knows that she can't wait to disappear into the fog again and learn more about Blue Cove.

Fog Magic is exactly what I expected from reading the back cover, both in tone and content, and I think that's fantastic.  I like to read a book with proper expectations!  It's a short novel, at barely 107 pages, but feels like a much longer book- the author does a great job bringing you completely into Greta's world .  Unfortunately, the book doesn't have broad appeal.  The reprinted copy I borrowed has been cataloged for  two years, but I'm clearly the first to borrow it.

Rufus M., by Eleanor Estes

Rufus M. is the next book in Estes' Moffat series, following The Middle Moffat.  It follows a year in the life of Rufus, the youngest in the family.

Honestly, I just thought this book was kind of ok.  I didn't find it as interesting or endearing as its predecessor, and with the exception of just a few events I found it boring overall.  Apologies for the brief review; I just don't have much else to say!

Mountain Born, by Elizabeth Yates

The image shown to left is the one that was on my version of the book, but, since mine lacked a jacket, it was a somewhat disturbing mustard yellow-on-sky blue.  This one is much nicer!

As a young boy living in the mountains of an undisclosed country, Peter is given a small lamb from his parents' flock as a pet.  "Biddy," as his black ewe is later known, was stillborn but nursed back to life by Peter's mother.  The remainder of the book follows Peter (and, by extension, Biddy) through the remainder of Biddy's lifespan: the cycles of grazing and shearing, wandering the mountains and protecting the flock from harm.

It was a charming enough book, but not especially exceptional.  I also found it confusing at times- all adults are referred to by their first names, and there are several men around whose functions are not explicitly stated, so I often forgot which one was Peter's father.  Where did these men live?  Perhaps this information was implied but I was feeling too thick to understand it.  Also, I completely winced at the description of tail docking, using fire-heated tongs.  I know, I know, in some cases there are good reasons for it, but how awful.