The Twilight Gate

George, Leigh and Mindy think things can't get much worse after their father is killed in a car crash, but then their mother develops cancer. Too weak from chemotherapy to take care of them, she sends them to spend the summer in the woods with her ex-husband, a troubled Vietnam veteran. To comfort the youngest, Mindy, George writes and illustrates a book of stories about a unicorn named Rosebud. Somehow, through a magic he does not understand, George opens a cosmic gate through which he brings Rosebud--a bright creature of light and grace--in the hopes that she might heal his mother. The gate also lets in an army of weevils, malevolent creatures that threaten to kill him, his sisters and mother. George, Leigh and Mindy must discover how to close the gate, but the price will be high. Using elements from Buddhism, unicorn lore and archetypal nightmares, Salsitz creates a plausible enough explanation of the magic that flows through this gripping fantasy-thriller. Riveting fight scenes and wrenching depictions of the children's emotional struggles result in first-rate suspense. Illustrations not seen by PW. Ages 12-up. (Apr.)