The Devil, the Banshee and Me.

Anne Hutchings is a public-school teacher and librarian in Ajax,
Ontario.

When Will Trenom is sent on a seemingly innocuous errand (to borrow three eggs from his neighbour, Mrs. MacGregor, who, by the way, lives in a cemetery) he is chased by a diaper- and earring-wearing sumo wrestler. He narrowly escapes with the somewhat questionable assistance of a 30-ish, blond stranger laughing uproariously at him from the top of a nearby tree. Later that night, Will is awakened by a woman’s crying—a banshee whose presence heralds the death of a family member. It turns out that it is Megan, Mrs. MacGregor’s daughter, who is to die on her thirteenth birthday, two days hence.

Will, Mrs. MacGregor, Megan herself, and the laughing stranger, who claims to be the Devil’s nephew, along with a supporting cast of equally weird characters, set out to find a way to trick the troublesome banshee and save Megan’s life.

Action-packed and humorous with a smattering of Irish folklore thrown in, The Devil, the Banshee and Me will appeal to junior and intermediate grade students looking for a light, fast-paced read. Recommended.