The Curse of Eelgrass Bog | CM: Canadian Review of Materials

Volume XXX / Issue 23 - February 23/ 2024

The Curse of Eelgrass Bog

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The Curse of Eelgrass Bog

Author:

Mary Averling

New York, NY: Razorbill (Distributed in Canada by Penguin Random House Canada), 2024

247 pp., hardcover, $24.50

ISBN:

9780593624906

Grades:

Grades 4-9

Ages:

Ages 9-14

Review by:

Aileen Wortley

Excerpt:

“It’s unfortunate that I lost my body,” Shrunken Jim sighs. “Otherwise I could help.”

I shift upright. “Tell me that story again?”

“I’ve told you a thousand times, Kess.”

“Ages ago. I barely remember the details,” I say, blowing a stream of dust from the seaweed tank. It swirls like a galaxy. “Tell me again, please?”

Shrunken Jim sighs louder, though I reckon he loves talking about himself. His voice always goes wistful whenever he mentions Eelgrass Bog, no matter how he insists it’s full of danger and darkness. My favorite tales are about his adventures in the Drowned World, which is exactly where today’s tale takes place.

The Drowned World is a secret place beneath the bog so deep underground, it has its own impossible stars. It’s a place full of creatures so ancient there aren’t human words to describe them, with a river brimming with pure gold. Shrunken Jim says this is the source of all the natural magic on Eelgrass Bog. He also says he was kicked out and stuffed into a jar by a witch who was jealous of his beauty, so it’s tricky to know how much he’s telling the truth. But it doesn’t matter. Real or unreal, hearing about Eelgrass Bog is like settling into favorite armchair. Soon I feel wistful too even though I’ll probably never visit. But that’s what the best stories do. They let you see yourself perfectly, all your dreams and complicated parts you can’t otherwise put your finger on, as though the words know you better than you know yourself.

Kess, 12, and her older brother, Oliver, live alone in the dilapidated ‘Unnatural History Museum’, their parents having been away for an unspecified lengthy period. Kess is lonely, Oliver recently unapproachable. Her only friend, Shrunken Jim, is a talking pickled head. Despite her isolation, Kess is determined to make the museum viable again by finding new specimens near the mysterious and forbidden Eelgrass Bog. Into this curious and anachronistic lifestyle enters Lilou, a girl of Kess’s age, the first visitor to the museum for ages. Lilou has her own agenda, one assigned by her dying grandfather. She needs help. She and Kess become close, and together they face fearful situations, finding evidence that turns Kess’s life upside down.

Part fantasy, part mystery, The Curse of Eelgrass Bog is a compelling read. Kess’s innocent, first person narrative describes the daily life that she perceives as normal. However, the decaying state of the museum, the long absence of her parents and Kess’s ignorance of basic technology make the reader recognize that something is drastically awry in her world. Kess eventually stumbles on the terrible truth of her circumstances, but this can only be changed by entering the Drowned World at the risk of an even worse fate. The story contains many layers of intrigue and complexity, featuring enticing magic and unearthly and terrifying creatures, the full impact of which are revealed in the dramatic climax.

Each character is richly painted, including the courageous and ethical heroine and Oliver who cares for his sister, protecting her from awful truths at the cost of their previous closeness. Loveable Shrunken Jim is the voice of reason and logic while Ivy, whose youthful appearance is incompatible with her story, is an enigma. Lilou’s and Kess’s friendship transcends the strange circumstances, developing into something deeper, bringing love into Kess’s lonely life. And throughout the story, the mystery and ambience of the Drowned World and Eelgrass Bog pervades, coming alive almost as another character.

The Curse of Eelgrass Bog, a great read, is an inventive, atmospheric story involving magic and witchcraft featuring an authentic heroine and reflections on friendship and being your own person.

Highly Recommended

Reviewer:

Aileen Wortley is a retired Children’s Librarian from Toronto, Ontario.