The fog that rolls into Little Valley is magic. When Greta learns that it can transport her back in time, she makes new friends and goes on adventures. But with her birthday approaching, Greta knows the magic will soon stop working, and she’ll have to say goodbye.
Greta Addington loves the fog. This is fortunate since fog often covers Little Valley, the fishing village where Greta lives.
But one day, she discovers a reason to particularly love the fog. As the 11-year-old goes out in the fog to find a lost cow, Greta looks toward a spot where she should see just an old, abandoned cellar, and she sees a house instead—one that had vanished long ago.
Greta soon realizes that the fog gives her the ability to travel back in time—and Greta makes the most of it.
When the fog rolls in one day, she goes to the once-prosperous town of Blue Cove and visits the home of Retha Morrill. Retha’s mother, Laura, isn’t surprised to hear that Greta is an Addington: One Addington in every generation loves the fog.
Greta enjoys stepping into the past and visiting the Morrills in Blue Cove whenever the fog rolls in and covers Little Valley. She and Retha explore, pick berries, and meet people who call Blue Cove home or are just passing through.
Not all the people who Greta meets are as optimistic as Greta herself. Some are enduring hardship. Widowed Ardis Stanton is fighting against those who want to claim the land her husband left her. Then there’s the captain’s wife, crazy with grief after her husband died at sea. But some of Greta’s favorite times are simply with her and Retha, like when they went through the treasures Retha’s father brought back from that ill-fated shipwreck.
But her time enjoying the magic of the fog is coming to a close. She’s about to turn 12, after all. And that’s about when her trips to the past will be a thing of the past.
The town of Blue Cove has a church. God, the Bible, and prayer are all talked about.
Magic and fairytales are mentioned.
Greta’s mom doesn’t understand her love for the fog, but she lets her enjoy it. Greta’s dad understands her connection with the fog and in the end, helps her process the magic she’s experienced.
The wife of a ship captain threatens to shoot the crew if they bury her husband at sea.
None.
If you could travel back in time, where would you want to go? Why?
Does growing up make you excited or sad? Why?
Has your faith in God grown as you’ve gotten older? What would help your faith grow even more?
Get free discussion questions for books at focusonthefamily.com/magazine/thriving-family-book-discussion-questions.
Fog Magic has a nostalgia and charm to it that many kids will love. As a novel driven by character far more than plot, however, some might find it boring and feel frustrated by the seeming lack of resolution of plotlines related to some of the people Greta meets on her adventures.
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Review by Rachel Pfeiffer
