The Séance, by Iain Lawrence • Delacorte Books for Young Readers, 2008, 272 pages.

seance-iain-lawrence-paperback-cover-art_1I’ve always been fascinated with spiritualism, particularly that brief period in the early twentieth century where science and superstition collided, and many believed that the world was on the brink of proving, once and for all, the existence of things beyond our ken.

Set in the 1920’s, The  Séance takes place at the height of Spiritualism in North America, with rival mediums competing for spiritual followers and Houdini — yes that Houdini on the scene trying to expose their fakery. Scooter King, the 13-year old of a professional medium, is caught in the middle as he tries to protect his mother from Houdini’s scrutiny and solve a mystery that threatens not only the spiritualist community, the lives of everyone involved.

The book was engrossing, though I felt at times that some of the secondary characters felt a bit, well, secondary and two dimensional. My inner middle-schooler, however, was thrilled to have the inside scoop on some of the tricks of the trade employed by Scooter’s mother and other mediums, and Scooter was the perfect narrator, simultaneously seeing more than those around him and falling prey to his own need to believe in the mysterious. And I loved having Houdini as a character, especially one so well-fleshed-out and believable.

The book was a bit creepy at times, but I felt like it was entirely appropriate for fourth graders through sixth graders. Older readers might find Scooter’s adventures a bit childish (though the character himself reads as very mature), but the mystery was dense enough that older readers will still be intrigued. I could even see this book being a good fit for less advanced older readers. The copy I read (a hardcover from the library) had a very spooky and atmospheric cover  that even high schoolers wouldn’t be embarrassed to be seen holding.