The Riverman trilogy

Aaron Starmer’s dark, intriguing portal fantasy, The Riverman Trilogy, focuses on 12-year-old Alistair Cleary and his childhood friend Fiona Loomis. Beginning with The Riverman, Fiona shows up on Alistair’s doorstep and asks him to write her biography. As they work, she reveals knowledge of a portal in her basement to a world called Aquavania, where stories come to life. Fiona tells Alistair that there’s a creature called the Riverman who is stealing the souls of children who tell stories. Despite his doubts, Alistair finds that Fiona was telling the truth when he washes up on the shore of Aquavania. Now Alistair finds himself wrapped up in his own story in which he must travel through different worlds, try to uncover the mystery behind the Riverman, and confront his own past in order to find and help Fiona. “This magical tale is sure to please readers of urban fantasy, and with its theme of missing children and changing friendships, it will be perfect for fans of Neil Gaiman and Charles de Lint, too.” —Booklist for The Whisper