Gwendy’s Button Box

Actor Siff adds dramatic flair to her reading of this supernatural coming-of-age novella set in the fictional town of Castle Rock, Maine. It’s summer of 1974 when 12-year-old Gwendy Peterson is approached by the mysterious man named Richard Farris. He presents her with a beautiful mahogany box that can magically dispense small but delectable chocolate candies as well as rare 1891 Morgan silver dollars, worth hundreds of dollars. Farris assures her that the box and all its treasures are hers to keep, but as the story progress she learns that stewardship of the box comes with a heavy, possibly cataclysmic, responsibility. Siff captures the innocence of the young girl met at the beginning of the story and the more mature and worldly young woman at the end. Secondary characters are diverse and well rendered, each given unique voices of their own. But Siff shines with her portrayal of the enigmatic Mr. Farris, whose croaky voice steals every scene he’s in. A Cemetery Dance hardcover. (May)