The magical land of Incunabula, located "Just on the other side of Marietta's world, just left of the mirror that sat on her dresser," is desperately in need of help. Dependent upon the imaginative powers of Earthlings for their survival, and deprived of that life-giving force by an ever-more lethargic, ever-more apathetic human population that no longer believes in make-believe, Incunabula is dying. As smiles vanish, cheeses sour, and all candies turn to black licorice, the Tumble Down Wizard is dispatched to find an Earthling hero to save the land. He returns with Marietta...

Upon occasion, I come across a self-published or vanity-press title that looks interesting, and decide to take a chance on it. After all, being published by a major publishing house is no guarantee of quality, and I am sure that there are any number of talented writers out there who just can't seem to bring themselves to the attention of the right people. Unfortunately, I find that most of these books end up being a waste of time, either from want of good editing, good writing, or both. Marietta and the Creeping Nasties is a pleasant exception to that trend.

This light-hearted fantasy for middle-grade readers couldn't be any more tongue-in-cheek if it tried, and is by turns amusing and clever. With a cast of quirky characters, like Perfectly Frank, the biggest liar in all of Incunabula, or Shadowlark, a bird who must live in the space between dark and light, and who becomes Marietta's "best and most troublesome of friends," the stage is set for an engaging adventure. It doesn't hurt that Marietta is a sympathetic and well-written heroine, or that her nemesis is called the Dark Prince of Dullardry.

I just have one question: at the back of the book, a further adventure is promised. But five years have elapsed, and I see no sign of The Awful Truth About Max. Maybe, like Marietta, I will have to visit the "Office of Promises Made." ( )