The Riddles of Epsilon

by Christine Morton-Shaw

Overview

Something dark has awoken on the remote island of Lume

Jess is not pleased when her parents drag her off to live on the weird little island of Lume. But then she encounters an eerie presence in an abandoned cottage, and her anger turns to fear when it begins to lead her through a series of creepy riddles. As she slowly unravels the mysteries of Lume, she finds the writings of Sebastian, a boy who lived one hundred years ago and whose life contains unsettling reflections of her own. To her horror, the dangers he unearthed in 1894 now begin to threaten Jess and her family . . . and if Jess does not unlock the riddles in time, she may lose her mother forever.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062003157
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	03/02/2010
Sold by:	HARPERCOLLINS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	384
Lexile:	570L (what's this?)
File size:	896 KB
Age Range:	13 - 17 Years

About the Author

Christine Morton-Shaw has felt "visited" all her life. She often has to sidestep people she then realizes others can't see at all. Sometimes these impressions or visions can take a sudden step closer: "It is as if the skin between this world and another world begins to get thinner. Things in that other place become clearer and louder. I'm quite happy with all this strangeness and charm, and can't imagine life without it."

She feels at home in ruined buildings or medieval houses and streets. Ancient scripts and old manuscripts and diaries seem alive to her. Some of the things in The Hunt for the Seventh have happened to her, particularly the gray glimpses and the whispers.

Christine Morton-Shaw lives with her family in Sheffield, England. She is the author of The Riddles of Epsilon and many picture books for children.

Read an Excerpt

The Riddles of Epsilon

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By Christine Morton-Shaw

HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.

Copyright © 2006 Christine Morton-Shaw
All right reserved.
ISBN: 0060728213

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Chapter One

There are two members in the chat room:

Jess and Avril

AVRIL: So have the Enemy calmed down yet?

JESS: Mom and Dad? Are you kidding? You'd think I'd had tattoos done. It was only a tiny nose ring, for crying out loud! And it was over a week ago, before we even moved here!

AVRIL: Hayley's mom grounded her, for a whole week!

JESS: Poor Hayley!

AVRIL: It ended yesterday. She'll be here any minute--we're off to a party.

JESS: Lucky things! Say hi to her from me. Tell them I miss them all.

AVRIL: So did they make you take the nose ring out?

JESS: No way! That's why Dad isn't talking to me.

AVRIL: So what's the new house like?

JESS: Gross. Falling apart. Old. Full of crummy old stuff. My room's okay though--it's the whole attic. Massive. Half carpeted, half bare boards--Dad's put a barre up, and a mirror.

AVRIL: Cool! Your own personal dance studio!

JESS: Well, there's not much else to do in this godforsaken dump. This will be my summer of hell. There are no kids here my age--just toddlers. If I didn't have Domino, I'd die of boredom.

AVRIL: I miss taking him for walks.Mom still won't let me get a dog. How's he settling down?

JESS: Oh, he loves it. Lots of rabbits and seagulls to chase. That's all he cares about.

AVRIL: By the way, you left your purple leotard in my room, and your Swat CD.

V HAS NOW ENTERED THE CHAT ROOM

JESS: I've been looking for that CD everywhere! Send it to me?

AVRIL: Oops--doorbell. Hayley's here, gotta go. Talk tomorrow? XXX

AVRIL HAS NOW LEFT THE CHAT ROOM

V: Greetings.

JESS: Hey! Didn't know you could just butt in like that. This is a private room!

V: So you think Lume is a godforsaken place, huh?

JESS: What?

V: For an island, it is a bit remote. But you are wrong. There's a lot going on here.

JESS: I never said I was on Lume. Who are you?

V: V

JESS: V? What does the V stand for?

V: V

V has now left the chat room

Continues...

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Excerpted from The Riddles of Epsilon by Christine Morton-Shaw Copyright © 2006 by Christine Morton-Shaw. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Editorial Reviews

Ciphers, codes and other puzzles abound in a British fantasy that uses the immense conflict between dark and light beings at the core of its magic. The twist here is the frequent chat room script that contrasts the ghostly presence of Epsilon with the girls' slang and more informal dialogue. Jessica's family has just moved to a remote island to try to sort out the marital difficulties of the parents. Determined at first to be uncooperative, Jessica is gradually intrigued by the mysterious and unexplained hints that Epsilon drops about the enormous stakes. Sebastian Wren and his parents lived in the Big House over a hundred years ago and the exchanges through time between Jess and her mother and their earlier counterparts add to the suspense. Those looking for Christian symbolism will be rewarded, but the excitement of the chase will be sufficient for most readers. In the tradition of Ellen Raskin's classic The Westing Game, but closer to Blue Balliett's Chasing Vermeer (2004) or Emily Rodda's Deltora Quest series. A clever conundrum. (Fiction. YA)

Kirkus Reviews

In the tradition of Ellen Raskin’s classic The Westing Game. A clever conundrum.” — Kirkus Reviews

“The plot…will sweep readers into the action.” — The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

“Fantasy fans will need no persuading to try this promising debut novel from a fresh new talent.” — KLIATT

From the Publisher

Fantasy fans will need no persuading to try this promising debut novel from a fresh new talent.

KLIATT

The plot…will sweep readers into the action.

The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

The plot…will sweep readers into the action.

The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books