As you all know from reading here, I love when my world and the world inside the books I’m reading overlaps. I love walking through the spaces that appear on the pages. It’s a special vortex where I can almost step into the book and the story jumps off the page and surrounds me.
I love local stories and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” is one of my favorites. Of course, autumn calls for a trip down to Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow to walk through the pages and visit that tiny space where the book comes to life and I’m standing in the story looking around. While I love this trip any time of year, autumn is extra special there because the location and season match. My previous reviews of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” and related stories can be found here: The Legend, The Hollow Trilogy, and The Horseman.
I saw the site of the Van Tassel house, visited the Old Dutch Church and wandered through the cemetery, of course stopping at Washington Irving’s headstone. I read each signpost that indicated the ties the legend has to that very spot. As I wandered through Tarrytown, I visited a wonderful bookshop and picked up a copy of Serena Valentino’s “Raising the Horseman.”
In “Raising the Horseman” we met the many times great granddaughter of Katrina Van Tassel, who continues her legacy by also being a Katrina (goes by Kat) whose family is preparing for the 200th anniversary of the Horseman’s legendary haunting of Sleepy Hollow. Kat doesn’t believe in ghosts and finds it frustrating that her entire town seems to be obsessed with them. She wants to explore the world and feels frustrated that her parents keep talking about her family obligation to continue the family’s legacy in Sleepy Hollow. Kat meets a new friend, Isabella Crowe, who unbeknown to Kat also has ties to the legend. Kat is given the 1st Katrina’s diary to read and as she does, the legend seems to come to life around her.
I wish I could tell you more, but I don’t want to give away any of the surprises in this book. The story involves surprises, ghosts, and even the Headless Horseman himself. I loved how a 200-year-old Legend could still be believable in a modern-day story. My only complaint is that this book wasn’t longer. Once I started reading, I couldn’t put it down. The story moves back and forth between Katrina’s diary and Kat’s story 200 years later. While this might sound confusing, it isn’t. Katrina’s story brings a new perspective to the Legend, and we see a new side of Katrina along with Kat (who previously knew the same Legend story as the reader).
This is an incredible YA book for both YA and adult readers. I highly recommend this story. I also highly recommend visiting Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow before/after (or even during) your read to walk through the book. While there, stop by Transom Books and get a coffee at Coffee Labs (I can provide restaurant recommendations too for anyone looking to make an entire day of it).
