Prisoners Under Glass

Kristin Butcher writes novels for young adults. Her most recent works
are The Trouble with Liberty, Zee’s Way, and Chat Room.

This modern-day fantasy adventure begins in Venice, where 10-year-old
Rachel Windover is vacationing with her parents. Her father, an antique
dealer, notices a quaint souvenir shop and the family enters it. Not
only does Lilah, the shopkeeper, give Rachel the creeps, but her dad
suddenly starts acting very strangely, buying a ridiculously large
number of water globes, the shop’s feature item. Right after the
Windovers leave the shop they get swallowed up by a crowd and Rachel’s
mother goes missing.

Four years later, Mrs. Windover is still missing, and Rachel’s father
is marrying the lovely Lilah. Rachel is sure Lilah is evil, but her
father, who is under Lilah’s spell, is unable to see it.

The real action begins when Mr. Windover returns from a business trip
to Venice with a special water globe for Rachel. Lilah intentionally
breaks it. The little gondolier inside turns out to be human, and he
tells Rachel that Lilah is a sea witch who shrank him. All the other
water globes are filled with shrunken people too. So the race to free
them and destroy Lilah begins. It is a complicated quest requiring
friends, courage, and magic.

The motivation behind the plot is thin. Lilah is supposed to be wicked
and dangerous, but at times she seems more bizarre and silly than evil.
She had countless opportunities to destroy Rachel. The reader can’t
help wonder why she didn’t, except that the story would have been over
before it began. Despite these flaws, Prisoners Under Glass is a fun
read. Recommended.