A poorly characterized mystery.
The Roosevelt family is haunted by a treacherous spirit.
In an alternate 1898, ghosts are a common occurrence. Some are unaware of their own spectral status, most are harmless, but a few are a bit vengeful. When a peculiar spirit awakens in the old Roosevelt family house in New York City, cousins Eleanor and Alice must strive to overcome their differences and figure out just what this spirit wants. The ghost authorities claim the spirit is harmless, but the little tricks the presence pulls become more and more dangerous as time goes on. Meanwhile, another dark force has emerged in the house where Alice was born and her mother died. Are the two ghosts connected? The Roosevelt family secrets hold all the answers, and the two teen girls discover them one by one. This mix of history and fantasy creates a nifty setting for a middle-grade mystery, but there’s one big problem: The Roosevelts all sound the same. Alice and Eleanor are described as total opposites, but their spoken patterns are nearly identical, making the complex relationships all the harder to decipher, even with the aid of the family tree that is provided. The constant muttering of “Wait, which one is talking this time?” kills the narrative’s flow, destroying the pacing that’s so crucial to a mystery’s success.
A poorly characterized mystery. (author’s note) (Mystery. 10-14)Pub Date: Oct. 6, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-8234-4697-1
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2020
An outstanding new edition of this popular modern classic (Newbery Award, 1961), with an introduction by Zena Sutherland and...
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1990
ISBN: 0-395-53680-4
Page Count: -
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2000
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Navigating this stunning novel requires thought and concentration, but it’s well worth the effort.
Returning to themes she explored so affectingly in Moon Over Manifest (2011), Newbery Medalist Vanderpool delivers another winning picaresque about memories, personal journeys, interconnectedness—and the power of stories.
Thirteen-year-old Jack enters boarding school in Maine after his mother’s death at the end of World War II. He quickly befriends Early Auden, a savant whose extraordinary facility with numbers allows him to “read” a story about “Pi” from the infinite series of digits that follow 3.14. Jack accompanies Early in one of the school crew team’s rowing boats on what Jack believes is his friend’s fruitless quest to find a great bear allegedly roaming the wilderness—and Early’s brother, a legendary figure reportedly killed in battle. En route, Early spins out Pi’s evolving saga, and the boys encounter memorable individuals and adventures that uncannily parallel those in the stories. Vanderpool ties all these details, characters, and Jack’s growing maturity and self-awareness together masterfully and poignantly, though humor and excitement leaven the weighty issues the author and Jack frequently pose. Some exploits may strain credulity; Jack’s self-awareness often seems beyond his years, and there are coincidences that may seem too convenient. It’s all of a piece with Vanderpool’s craftsmanship. Her tapestry is woven and finished off seamlessly. The ending is very moving, and there’s a lovely, last-page surprise that Jack doesn’t know but that readers will have been tipped off about.
Navigating this stunning novel requires thought and concentration, but it’s well worth the effort. (author’s note, with questions and answers, list of resources) (Historical fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Jan. 8, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-385-74209-2
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: Oct. 30, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
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