Hof, Marjolijn. Curse of Madame Petrova, The. Annette Fienieg, Illus. Translated from the Dutch by Bill Nagelkerke. Levine Querido, 10/2024. 265pp. Fiction. Trade $18.99. 978-1-64614-453-2. GRADES 4–8. ADDITIONAL.
A terrible prophecy predicted that twins Silke and Janis would cause each other’s death. So after first being separated by their parents for years, and then mistreated by their cousins, the twins fake their deaths and disappear into the wild countryside. In a preindustrial era country, the two struggle to survive, and are first taken advantage of by a traveling fortune teller, then helped by an innkeeper, and finally they find happiness with their mother’s relatives. Silke discovers that fortune telling is not what she believed, and that many things are not what they appear to be. Throughout the story, Hof’s descriptions of white European characters and places show how pre-technology times were difficult, through the lens of the twin’s trials and tribulations. An enjoyable tale that is very different from most children’s stories, focusing more on survival in a harsh setting than on the typical issues with school or friends.
Joshua Rees—Daly City Public Library