Eddie: The Lost Youth of Edgar Allan Poe by Scott Gustafson

This book is a quick-read with many pictures, and I gave it a rating of three out of five. Eddie's parents die, and he moves in with some childless friends of his mom. One night, young Eddie dreams about being a brave knight and battles a bird and wild cat. The next morning, Eddie is accused of hanging the neighbor's rooster in a sack, atop the barn, along with his pet cat. Eddie is given twenty-four hours to prove his innocence before he'll receive a whipping. He follows some clues and discovers that there is a magician visiting nearby, and he may be talking to the devil. Eddie follows the magician one night and discovers the secret of his magic, and he also finds out that the magician knew his mother!

The first couple of chapters were confusing as Eddie drifted in and out of sleep. I wasn't sure what was real and what was a dream, because I also didn't know the book's genre. I didn't know if it was realistic fiction or some type of fantasy. The plot became easier to follow once Eddie woke up. The mystery isn't anything major or dramatic, so I didn't give it a higher rating. The book has nice interactions between a variety of unique characters.