I love it when I discover a new author with multiple books. I started with reading The Humming of Numbers (Holt, 2008) by Joni Sensel. To Aidan, living creatures hum different numbers. He doesn’t think his gift is from the devil, but since he’s a novice in Celtic Abbey, he doesn’t dare mention it. A girl is brought to the monastery for punishment. She hums eleven. Aidan is fascinated as he’s never met someone who hums of more than ten. His fascination gets him in trouble and he’s put in charge of Lana, who some accuse of being a witch. The Viking raiders come. To rescue the captives, he and Lana get caught up in a scheme which uses both of their talents. I enjoyed Joni’s story very much, and found myself wondering what number I hum. (This is a YA title.)
Then I moved on to The Farwalker’s Quest also by Joni (Bloomsbury, 2009). In this believable fantasy world, 13-year-olds face a test to see which trade they belong to. Ariel believes she’ll become a healer liker her mother and Zeke, a Tree Singer like his father. But after she finds the telling dart and the Finders show up, Ariel fails the test and is labeled Fool. Both she and Zeke end up on an unwelcome adventure where Ariel discovers her true trade. I’m pleased to say Joni has written more in this world – The Timekeeper’s Moon comes out next March, and she’s at work on a third!
Joni (pronounced Johnny) Sensel lives near Mount Rainier in Washington state. She volunteers as Co-Regional Advisor for SCBWI Western Washington, does corporate writing, and was one of the members of the debut writers, Class of 2K7. Go to www.jonisensel.com for more info.