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The Riverman

Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available
Publisher Marketing: Alistair Cleary is the kid who everyone trusts. Fiona Loomis is "not" the typical girl next door. Alistair hasn't really thought of her since they were little kids until she shows up at his doorstep with a proposition: she wants him to write her biography. What begins as an odd vanity project gradually turns into a frightening glimpse into the mind of a potentially troubled girl. Fiona says that in her basement, there's a portal that leads to a magical world where a creature called the Riverman is stealing the souls of children. And Fiona's soul could be next. If Fiona really believes what she's saying, Alistair fears she may be crazy. But if it's true, her life could be at risk. It's up to Alistair to separate fact from fiction, fantasy from reality.
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  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      March 3, 2014
      Starmer (The Only Ones) explores the relationship between creation and theft, reality and fantasy in this haunting novel, narrated retrospectively by Alistair Cleary as he looks back at the autumn of 1989. It's then that a classmate, Fiona Loomis, invites him to write her biography. After 12-year-old Alistair tentatively agrees, Fiona tells him about her repeated trips to a land called Aquavania (via a cylinder of water in her house's boiler), where she and other children can shape reality as they choose. Alistair is understandably skeptical, believing that Fiona has invented this fantasy to cope with some kind of trauma, but the novel's strength is in the pervasive aura of unknowing that Starmer creates and sustains. Is Fiona's uncle a scarred veteran or a menace? Is the Riverman hunting down Aquavania's residents responsible for the disappearance of children in the real world? Starmer makes the possibilities presented by Fiona's stories feel no less improbable (or unsettling) than the scenarios Alistair constructs to explain them away, or the actions he takes in an attempt to protect her. Ages 10â14. Agent: Michael Bourret, Dystel & Goderich Literary Management.

    • School Library Journal

      August 1, 2014

      Gr 5-9-On his 12th birthday, Alistair receives a tape recording from his classmate, Fiona. In it, she talks about a world called Aquavania where stories are born and anything is possible. Curious, he talks to Fiona in person and learns that any kid can go to Aquavania, but many are being killed by a creature known as the Riverman. Ones who die there also disappear in the real world. It seems like fiction until Alistair digs deeper and discovers that the kids Fiona refers to have all disappeared. Making matters worse, Fiona also disappears without a trace. Could she be telling the truth? Does the Riverman really exist and if so, who is he? Can Alistair solve the mystery before it's too late? Narrator Graham Halstead is an excellent choice for Starmer's dark mix of fantasy and realistic fiction. The characters are well developed and are unique voiced by Halstead. Although more moderately paced, this book's intersection of real problems and fantasy mystery will not disappoint readers. Listeners who like authors such as Holly Black and Neil Gaiman will have a hard time putting this book down and will be glad there are expected sequels.-Kira Moody, Whitmore Public Library, Salt Lake City, UT

      Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • School Library Journal

      September 1, 2014

      Gr 5-9-On his 12th birthday, Alistair receives a recorded message from his classmate Fiona. In it, she talks about a world called Aquavania where stories are born and anything is possible. Curious, he talks to Fiona in person and learns that any kid can go to Aquavania, but many who do are killed by a creature known as the Riverman. Ones who die there also disappear in the real world. It seems like fiction until Alistair digs deeper and discovers that the kids Fiona's referring to have all disappeared. Making matters worse, Fiona also disappears without a trace. Narrator Graham Halstead is an excellent choice for Starmer's (The Only Ones) dark mix of fantasy and realistic fiction. The characters are well developed, with unique voices by Halstead. Although more moderately paced, this book's mix of real problems and fantasy mystery will not disappoint readers. Fans of such authors as Holly Black and Neil Gaiman will have a hard time putting this down and will be glad there are expected sequels.-Kira Moody, Whitmore Public Library, Salt Lake City

      Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • Lexile® Measure:730
  • Text Difficulty:3

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