In Dickinson's first-rate novel about second sight, Davy Price has inherited The Gift of clairvoyance from a legendary Welsh ancestor…. [The] gift becomes a terrifying burden when Davy's mind is flooded with the mad imaginings of a half-wit out to destroy the Prices. From Wolf's distorted visions which are masterfully described as Van Gogh-esque nightmares of swirling shapes and overly bright colors, Davy discovers and helps foil a robbery scheme involving his father. Ironically, through his special relation with Wolf, Davy's numbed emotions are awakened and he comes to a fuller understanding of his own family—the tangled relationships between his self-sufficient brother and sister; his parents (a pair of middle-aged adolescents who are Dickinson's weakest characters); and his Welsh grandparents who are accorded a passion and depth rarely seen in children's books. A consummate craftsman, Dickinson skillfully mixes folklore and modern suspense to create an affecting story about perception—both the extrasensory and everyday kinds. (p. 118)
Jane Abramson, in School Library Journal (reprinted from the October, 1974 issue of School Library Journal, published by R. R. Bowker Co. A Xerox Corporation; copyright © 1974), October, 1974.
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