Painted Devil

When Alice accepts a summer job helping to produce a Punch and Judy puppet show at the library, all she expects is a temporary respite from the tension generated by her mother's troubled pregnancy. But mysterious, frightening events occur as the puppet show draws nearer. Only Alice's odd Aunt Emily knows that these ominous doings are part of an ancient satanic spirit's unrelenting scheme--now turning its evil plot on Alice--and that the only way to avert disaster is to destroy the devil puppet. Bedard's ( Emily ) intensely dark, moody yet handsomely wrought prose lends itself well to this sophisticated thriller; describing Aunt Emily's encounter with the demonic puppet, he writes, ``A chill, reaming darkness spiraled up inside her.'' Vivid, realistic details are masterfully placed to snatch the reader back from the brink of terror as evil's threatening presence is allowed to slowly surround the characters. Ages 10-14. (Apr.)