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4.0 out of 5 stars
Rose Rita takes center stage, Jun 24 2004
Rose Rita Pottinger, introduced in THE FIGURE IN THE SHADOWS, takes center stage with the elderly witch Mrs. Zimmermann in this book.Mrs. Zimmermann, who lost her powers in the last book, takes Rose Rita with her on vacation after Rose Rita's best friend Lewis goes off to Boy Scout camp. They start off visiting a farm that Mrs. Z has inherited, but find that a ring that her cousin had believed to be magic is missing. Mrs. Z dismisses it but Rose Rita isn't so sure. As they continue on their trip, they find themselves stalked by supernatural events, and it comes to a head when they return to the old farm and confront their enemy, a person with a bitter grudge who will go to any length to get revenge. This book deals with the problems of growing up; Rose Rita isn't sure she wants to grow up, and as a tomboy is afraid of the whole dresses-and-dating thing, something a lot of girls deal with. The writing is full of evocative passages describing the small towns they go through on their vacation, reminding me of many of my own childhood vacations. The villain is evil, to be sure, but also fairly tragic when we get a flash that they're a victim of longtime domestic violence. This is good fun, moving at a leisurely pace at times, but also with genuinely chilling moments. The central message is to be at peace with who you are, and to make the best of yourself, rather than wanting to be something you're not. For a long time, this was the last in the Barnavelt series, until THE GHOST IN THE MIRROR was published after Bellairs' death, with additional material by Brad Strickland.
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