Ghosts, magical plants and animals, and nefarious humans populate the lively pages of “Revenge of the Untamed Magic.” This pre-teen mystery is the second in the “Sooty Wick” series by Elizabeth Lindgren, of Orange.
In the first book, “The Secret of Sooty Wick Inn,” readers were introduced to young Beetle Beane and her inscrutable hostess at the Sooty Wick Inn, Murtha Bellwether. Beetle was sent to stay with Murtha, an old friend of her mother, while her parents traveled.
In the course of that book, Beetle learned that Murtha was a benevolent spirit, a guardian of magic — and that her apparently run-down inn was a nexus of ultimately kind spirits.
In Lindgren’s new book, Beetle returns to visit Murtha as a sort of apprentice. She learns to communicate with Murtha’s bossy cat. And she makes a new human friend, an awkward but nice boy named Noonan.
In their exploration of the woods and wildlife around the inn, Beetle and Noonan become increasingly suspicious of the activities of a chemical company that has recently established a presence in town.
The company is supposedly manufacturing fertilizer from lobster shells, but the youngsters discover that the fertilizer project is, in fact, a cover for something illegal and toxic.
Beetle and Noonan have another mystery to solve as well. A Colonial-era ghost in the inn leads Beetle to a set of antique false teeth in the inn’s attic. She and Noonan set out to figure out where the teeth came from — and to try to give the poor ghost some rest.
The story is fast paced and intriguing, a pleasing mixture of real-world and fantasy elements. The narrative is anchored and enhanced by the vivid characterization of the three protagonists — Beetle, Noonan, and Murtha — and by the sketches with which Elizabeth Lindgren illustrates the book.
According to the publisher, Haley’s, of Athol, Lindgren started the “Sooty Wick” series because she was interested in seeing more adventure books that featured young girls.
“I would like to encourage young adult readers to take interest in history and nature — to make it fun for them to get involved,” she said. “I undertook writing the ‘Sooty Wick’ series in the spirit of everything else I do. I like to do creative things and the novels keep me occupied.”
The author also enjoys gardening, including creating installations of plants and statuary.
Lindgren’s Colonial-era home in Orange shares features with Sooty Wick Inn, she said, and the surrounding landscape has inspired some of her outdoor fictional settings.
The “Sooty Wick” stories may be purchased at Third Thursday Street Fairs in Orange, Petersham Country Store and the Petersham Art Center, New Salem General Store, Wendell General Store, Mim’s Market in Northfield, and Haley’s in Athol. The books are also available online.
Tinky Weisblat is the award-winning author of “The Pudding Hollow Cookbook,” “Pulling Taffy,” and “Love, Laughter, and Rhubarb.” Visit her website, TinkyCooks.com.