Mercy's Mill

Sarah is unhappy about moving to an old house by a mill in rural Massachusetts. She feels bored and lonely even though she is surrounded by her boisterous family, and becomes interested in her new home only when she meets a strange boy named Jethro who cryptically describes the house as ``the same and not the same.'' He speaks about the dwelling and the mill as if they were in another place, but even more peculiar, in another time. Sarah is quickly caught up in a chilling mystery which defies everything she knows about the physical world. This gripping tale interweaves the lives of four characters from three different eras--Mercy, from colonial days; Jethro, from the early 1800s; and contemporary Sarah and her foster sister Janey--and an eerie parallel emerges as their histories are gradually revealed. Levin masterfully explores the concept of time, in an illuminating blend of history and fantasy. Ages 12-up. (Sept.)