When a ghost kidnaps her father, a budding young scientist must complete a daunting task to save him.Growing up in Riverfish, Massachusetts, Thelma Bee, an 11-year-old white girl with experimentation and exploration in her blood, dreams of the day she'll "adventure through the world." But when her father purchases a strange antique jewelry box, an angry ghost appears, trashing their house and screaming "RETURN" while Thelma's father vanishes into the box. Desperate to save her father and unaware of her own supernatural powers, Thelma opens the box and finds herself in a bleak place and meets her ancestor, Annabelle, imprisoned in the box for 200 years by a sinister demon named Zachariah Understone. Annabelle tells Thelma the women in their family possess powers strong enough to "bend worlds" and "break magic" and gives her a task to perform. In order to release her father and Annabelle, Thelma must draw upon her own powers and confront Understone. Black-and-white illustrations add visual dimension to Thelma's peculiar haunting, punctuated by secrets from the past, paranormal happenings, diverse and devoted friends, and a fiery finale. Such humorous details as a car named Gary Indiana and the bickering of Thelma's friends in the Riverfish Valley Paranormal Society keep the tone light. An inventive debut ghost story starring a contemporary girl with ancient powers. (Ghost story. 8-12)

Gr 4-6 Thelma Bee is a young scientist. She believes in experimentation and observationpure scientific method. However, she is also able to accept when events border on the weird, as they do the day that a strange old woman sells her father an antique keepsake box. Thelma immediately begins to experience scary, supernatural events that seem to be related to the box. When the box is responsible for the disappearance of someone she loves, she knows she must figure out how to defeat it and the witch controlling it. Fortunately she has friends who will help her. Petti steadily increases a sense of suspense and dread. The worlds she creates, especially the ones inside the box, are imaginative and fresh. It is rewarding to read about a scientifically minded female protagonist, and that should help attract an audience.