Jonathan Kieran's THE WEDNESDAY BOX is a dark fantasy focused on an 11-year-old girl named May. On the bus ride home from school, May discovers that she is being followed by a “man” she calls “Grubface.” She fears that she's being stalked by a predator, which leads her mom to search for an after-school babysitter. In Ms. Stoylano’s home, May notices a chest with a symbol on it. When she’s tempted to look inside, she finds herself pushed in. Transported to an alternate universe, May is determined to stay alive and escape.
Kieran clearly describes May as a feisty and very imaginative young girl, thanks to her avid reading. But, as one can imagine from any child swept into the abyss, she is deeply frightened: “She screamed, and the sound that echoed back slid a dagger through her spirit, louder and more distressing than the cry that had left her mouth." Kieran delivers a vivid description of fear as May falls into the abyss and is discovered by a foul creature.
By allowing the reader to take a good hard look at The Grinder, Kieran captures the essence of this universe and what it does to its captives: “A gnarled hand as big as the grasping branches of a tree limb stripped of its leaves clutched taloned fingers around a pale and gruesome staff of mottled white, a walking stick pitted like a gigantic bone stripped of flesh and polished.” Kieran also exceptionally incorporates heavy human emotions and thrills. Sentences like “The hand, like an iron trap, held May’s jaw until she had no choice but to swallow the burning stuff" highlight the book's dark mood and clarify May’s desire to escape this cruel world.
Kieran also incorporates tidbits that reflect on morals and social issues that might be borderline sensitive, especially the few times The Grinder physically hurts May. Since the setting and tone of the book are dark, detrimental, and unfavorable, such behavior is to be expected; however, some younger readers may find the plot and atmosphere too unsettling. For kids who can handle it, though, Kieran delivers a riveting and eventful story.
Jonathan Kieran's novel THE WEDNESDAY BOX compellingly showcases the devious actions of evil, the perception of young minds, and the perseverance of a brave, imaginative girl who will do everything she can to escape the evil surrounding her.
~ Meghan Soderholm for IndieReader