Haven's Secret

September 15, 2021
Eco-fantasy from an actor, her sister, and a noted author for young people. Parker and Ellie McFadden are twins, but they haven't been close since their mother's disappearance and presumed death while scuba diving during her work as an environmental activist five years ago. Awkward Ellie has few friends besides her pet goldfish, while outgoing Parker is a middle school sports star who spends most of her time with her best friend. But the day after the twins turn 12, they are whisked away by their mother's aunt and uncle to Haven, a combined farm, sanctuary, and animal rehab center with a house that is a surreal masterpiece of salvaged materials situated on land that seems unusually tied to the people living on it. Ellie and Parker gradually begin to understand that their mother's legacy is a power that's tied to balancing the world; greedy humans destroy the planet, and the girls' family helps fix that--and now the twins have their own powers and responsibilities. The messaging is heavy-handed, while the writing veers from overwritten and overly detailed to didactic, which detracts from the imaginative setting. Much of the early tension concerns the strained relationship between the sisters, which resolves easily, while greater mysteries are saved for the end, many of them introduced last minute to set up future volumes. All primary characters are coded White. Unspectacular but pleasant. (Fantasy. 8-12)

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October 11, 2021
Just after their 12th birthday, nonidentical twin sisters Parker and Ellie McFadden are abruptly sent to live with their maternal great-aunt Mabel and great-uncle George, whom they’ve never known, while their father travels overseas for work. Their new home is Haven, an animal sanctuary in Northern California constructed from salvaged goods and riddled with secrets. While struggling to adjust, the twins manifest strange powers—nature-loving, empathic Ellie discovers she can communicate with animals, while athletic realist Parker can generate lightning. The mystery deepens as they learn about their cued-white family’s long-standing role in protecting the environment and battling the Danger, an elemental force created by human greed and planet abuse, which led to their mother’s death five years ago. However, the longer they stay at Haven, the more the duo suspects something is wrong. The combination of ambitious worldbuilding, multiple plot threads, and leisurely pacing leads to a somewhat uneven reading experience; still, the Benoist sisters and Tamaki (I Am Not Starfire) establish an engaging fantasy series starter with a strong ecological message, a setting full of character, and tantalizing hints of a bigger, worldwide scale. Ages 8–12.

October 22, 2021
Grades 5-7 In this series opener, Californian twin sisters Ellie and Parker discover that they have inherited magical powers along with a mission, if they choose to accept it, to save the planet from ecological disaster. Abruptly taken to Haven, a rambling mansion constructed entirely of recycled bric-a-brac, by a pair of older relatives, the two slowly come to understand that their mother, who mysteriously disappeared five years ago, left them with special, potentially dangerous abilities. Calm Ellie soon finds herself feeling the pain of injured animals, while the more mercurial Parker inadvertently touches off earthquakes and blasts of lightning when she gets upset. Worse yet, there is a corrupting, ill-defined menace in the surrounding woods (dubbed "The Danger" in some passages, "The Darkness" in others) that is fueling Parker's rage and despair. Though the tale is largely a patchwork of contrivances and cliches, the protagonists' relationship is richly nuanced, and unresolved questions leave the door open to sequels. The lead author, Glee and Supergirl star Benoist, may have enough name recognition to swell readership.

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