Come See the Fair
by Gavriel Savit
Intermediate, Middle School    Knopf    336 pp.
4/23    9780593378663    $17.99
Library ed.  9780593378670    $20.99
e-book ed.  9780593378687    $10.99

Savit (The Way Back, rev. 9/20) skillfully blends historical fiction, fantasy, and murder mystery in his novel about Eva Root, billed by her traveling con-artist guardian as a medium. In the opening scene, Eva is interrupted mid-seance by a voice imploring her to “come see the fair.” Sharp-witted Eva realizes she needs to take her chance and run away, and she randomly gets on a train to Chicago—not knowing that it is where the magnificent Chicago World’s Fair is currently being held. On the train she meets Henry, who also feels he is being “called,” through his drawings. The two visit the fair, where Eva begins to have strange experiences and where she meets the mysterious Mr. Magister, who calls himself the “Baron of American Magic.” Savit conveys the wonders of the fair and the grittiness of post–Great Fire Chicago as he gradually adds more threatening elements to the story; occasional sketchlike ­black-and-white illustrations by Mildred Hankinson add atmosphere. Savit layers the fantasy ­elements onto ­real-world historical details, so that Eva moves between Mr. ­Magister’s ­fantastical world and the fair without leaving the pavilion; in a thrilling chase sequence the author conveys speed, action, and surprise through stacatto phrasing and a ­stream-of-consciousness style. Eva is a strong heroine, and the villain (with several child murders in his past) is genuinely menacing.

From the March/April 2023 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.