Dust by Arthur Slade Date of Publication: 2001 ISBN: Number of Pages: 126

REQUIRED READING ABILITY: High
GENRES: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Horror
THEMES: Good versus Evil, Appearance versus Reality, Isolation, Life versus Death

SUMMARY:
Strange things are happening in Horshoe, Saskatchewan, and only Robert seems to be aware of them. He is plagued with guilt, because he believes that it is his fault that his seven-year-old brother has disappeared. Robert's mother had asked him to take his brother into town, but he procrastinated, and Matthew vanished en route.
Not only has Matthew disappeared, but the frightened hens suddenly lay bloody eggs, there are voices trapped in jars, and a strange new attitude seems to be controlling the adults of the town. It seems like they are all brainwashed.

Robert starts to believe that there is a connection between the strange happenings and the arrival of Abram Harsich. Abram is an ivory-skinned man who amazes people with his magic and seems to bewitch the children with butterflies. He has convinced the town that if they help him create a 'rainmaking' machine, he can stop the drought. As more and more children seem to be disappearing, Robert becomes determined to discover the link between Abram, the butterflies, and the missing children.

WHO WOULD LOVE THIS BOOK: A kid who...

• loves Stephen King books
• loves mysteries and strange happenings
• believes he or she can sense things other people miss
• is passionate about right and wrong
• is responsible
• is interested in the prairies and/or the Depression
• is into aliens and immortality

WHAT ELSE?
This is a spooky, atmospheric type of novel, with strong writing, interesting characters, and a surreal feel. The character of Abram Harsich is creepy and unusual. There is a scene at the end where the reader realizes that some of the children are dead, but the nature of the death is more in keeping with a science fiction plot (“missing souls” rather than some brutal murder scene.) Abram’s demise is reminiscent of the scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark where the Nazis are “melted” by the Ark of the Covenant, but again, there’s no blood or gore per se.

RELATED LINK:
Teacher's Guide @ Random House