Voices After Midnight

A two-week family vacation in New York City becomes a trip across more than mere distance for Californian Chad. He discovers that he, his younger brother Luke and even his boy-crazy older sister Heidi have the ability to move backward in time. From the moment they arrive, Luke and Chad sense that a mysterious tragedy haunts the brownstone their parents have rented, and Luke is sure that it's up to the children to figure it out. Their quest takes them back to the Great Blizzard of 1888, where Heidi saves the lives of two people who, it turns out in the final chapter, were their great-grandfather and his sister. This last may present a question of logic to careful readers; nevertheless, Peck's superb characterization and careful historical background are in fine form. Particularly well-depicted is the West Coast/East Coast culture shock the children feel in present-day Manhattan. Fans of Peck's Blossom Culp books will enjoy reading about Chad's reluctant adventuring in time. Ages 10-14. (Sept.)