by Summer Rachel Scott

Legend of Greyhallow, by Summer Rachel Short
Ainsley and Tobin have moved into a wonderful old house with their parents to make it into a bed & breakfast in the small town famous for its connection to a beloved fantasy film and filmmaker.  In fact, the house used to belong to the vanished director himself. When the siblings discover some magical movie making equipment in the attic, they quickly discover that they can enter the movie and become a part of its world – dangerous monsters, villains, and all! Unfortunately, some of the danger can also get out into the real world. What follows is a crazy magical adventure as they try to save the movie world and their own while attempting to not be killed. I liked that everything was not easy and that the children really had to be creative problem-solvers when the events became pretty dire. I also enjoyed the mixing of realities. It reminded me of  Inkdrinker, by Cornelia Funke, or Between the Lines, by Jodi Picoult, with the boundaries of the story breaking and allowing it to mix with our world – like breaking the 4th wall in theater. It’s a perfect book for anyone who wishes they could disappear into their favorite movie world – both a fun and cautionary tale. I’m not sure it needed the sub-plot of Ainsley’s crumbling friendship with Charlotte, but it did allow for another person to see & come to believe that magical crossover was real. I think upper elementary & middle school students will enjoy this fantasy novel as much as I did.