Wayfarer

Anderson's second book to feature the faeries from the Oakenwyld pairs two characters that come from backgrounds that render them vulnerable in modern life: Linden, a faery girl from the Oak, and Timothy, the son of missionaries who has been sent from Uganda to England for schooling. After getting suspended for fighting, Timothy visits his cousin Paul and Paul's wife, Peri (both appeared in Spell Hunter; Peri was the faery, Knife). Timothy discovers that their property contains the gateway to Linden's world, which has been stripped of magic, and when Linden turns Timothy into a vehicle for her quest to restore her kingdom, the two find themselves adrift in London, the target of a ruthless enemy. Questions of faith and allegiance loom as large as physical dangers, and Anderson generally handles her material without preaching ("So you have to be able to see something to know it exists?" questions Linden when Timothy expresses doubt in God). In their own ways, Linden and Timothy are ordinary individuals facing challenges and expectations unique to their situations: readers will likely be swept up in the fantasy, yet believable characters offer verisimilitude. Ages 12–up. (July)