The Haunting of Drang Island

Brenda Baltensperger is a playwright, a director of children’s
theatre, an editor of children’s fiction, and the author of Fractured
Fairy-tales.

Michael Asmundson can’t understand why his father picked Drang Island
for their camping trip. Following a perilous ferry ride through a wild
storm and the ominous words of Harbard the ferryman (“One of you will
not return”), Michael’s father informs him that the holiday would
give them the opportunity to spend more time together and at the same
time enable him to research the island (their Icelandic ancestors had
originally settled there) for a book he was writing.

As Michael encounters strange creatures in the night, he remembers the
Norse legends and stories of ancient gods and evil spirits that his
grandfather told to him. He meets a runaway, Fiona Gavin, and together
they explore the island. They become lost and soon encounter the
mythological and evil Fylgja. Having barely escaped with their lives,
they hurry to enlist the help of the park ranger, Morrison. They must
rescue Michael’s father, who has fallen into the grips of a malevolent
spectre named Bolverk. He intends to perform a human sacrifice to raise
the giant sea serpent, Jorgmungand. According to legend, when
Jorgmungand rises the world will be destroyed and a new, evil world will
emerge in its place.

Readers will learn a great deal about Icelandic myths in this
action-packed tale about two young people conquering their fears and
learning to accept responsibility. Slade’s characters are strongly
developed. Highly recommended.