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Erin Fry

Author of Secrets of the Book

8 Works 121 Members 8 Reviews

Works by Erin Fry

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Spencer's mother insists he do volunteer work and that's how he meets Ed in the nursing home. One day Ed shows him a magical book full of photos of some of the most famous (and good) people in the world and makes some of those people step out of the book and talk to them. Then he drops a bomb on Spencer telling him the book is his now, and that he should take it home and get to know it. This is all well and good except for how Spencer and his best friend Gregor accidentally let out (and lose!) Socrates! Then they find out Ed has been kidnapped, so has Gregor's dog, and it's up to Spencer and Gregor (and Socrates, Teddy Roosevelt, and Al Capone) to save the day.

This was super-cute. I would have devoured this when I was a kid. Magical book! Best friends and a good dog! What's not to love?

I especially enjoyed Gregor and Spencer and their friendship. Gregor is on the autism spectrum (and to the best of my knowledge he's portrayed fairly and accurately) and he and Spencer know just how to get along with each other. There's no stigma here, not from Spencer nor from the new friends they meet, and theirs is really just a powerful friendship. I think this would be a good book for kids who want a little adventure to read.

(Provided by publisher)
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tldegray | 2 other reviews | Sep 21, 2018 |
Rating 4.5. I loved Spencer, Ed, Gregor, and Mel and the whole world that Erin Fry created for them -- much of it a real world and much of it a wonderful "what if" world. Each of the characters has challenges, each different, but each difficult to overcome or deal with nonetheless. Spencer is slowly going blind, Ed is aging rapidly, Gregor is autistic, and Mel is financially pampered by uncaring, distant parents. Ed is her great-grandfather and only he really cares for her, but they don't see each other because he's forbidden her to visit him in the senior's facility he's in. Spencer, whose mother is a 60s child saving the world one issue at a time, insists that Spencer volunteer at the center twice a week. Ed is Spencer's project.

All of the above, alone, would be fodder for a good book, but Fry introduces a twist in the form of two magical books -- both amazing, but with opposite effects. The books create the rollercoaster ride in this story. Fry has excellent control of her plot and characters, and everything has an authentic feel from the action to the interaction between all the characters. This book made me laugh out loud many times. Recommended.
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½
 
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whymaggiemay | 2 other reviews | Feb 25, 2018 |
Nowadays, every time I read a book with a beginning, a middle and an end, I love it. There is a trend among authors to write only series or trilogies and the old fashion way of writing a complete story in one volume is fading quickly.
This book was written with a young adult audience in mind. It is very entertaining and the plot is simple and will get you hooked on the development of the story, cheering for our young group of 6th graders. Spencer and Gregor are best friends. Gregor has a level of autism and Spencer has a degenerative eye disease that will ultimately make him blind. Spencer's mom makes him go with her on all community service/charity she goes. One of those places is the Everlasting Home for Seniors, where Spencer meets Ed, a senior guy that has a very special book, called Pandora's Book. It is a magical book, that brings to life some famous dead people it has on its pages. Spencer meets Babe Ruth, Albert Einstein and Marilyn Monroe in one of his visits to Ed. Ed gives Spencer the book, as he thinks Spencer is the new guardian of the book. But Spencer cannot keep the secret from his best friend Gregor and soon they summoned Socrates, but the problem is that Spencer still do not know how to use the book, so he does not know how to send Socrates back to his book's page. And things start to get really out of control, when they found out that Ed disappeared before teaching how to use the book and his granddaughter Mel appears from nowhere trying to help them to find Ed. Other characters like Al Capone, Theodore Roosevelt, President Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr. make the story very alive and the action will not let you put the book down till you turn the last page.
I recommend this book to all young adults that appreciate action books and are willing to be entertained for some hours. It took me around 5 hours to read the whole book.
Amazon.com was kind enough to send me this book through their Vine Program for reviewing and I was not requested to provide a positive review. Opinions expressed here are my own.
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rmattos | 2 other reviews | Jan 23, 2016 |
"They have fat umpires, don't they?"

Thirteen-year old Bennet Robinson is a big Dodgers fan - in more ways than one. He and his dad watch the games together on the sagging sofa while eating burgers and fries, and both have serious weight problems. But things change when Bennet's dad suffers a stroke. His mom died of cancer when he was 5 and until his dad gets out of rehab (IF he gets out) he's going to have to live with his pushy Aunt Laura and her family. Bennett doesn't want to end up like his dad, and when he sees a notice on the bulletin board at school about the cross country team he considers joining.

This was a surprisingly fun read, and told from Bennett's perspective makes him very easy to sympathize with and relate to. As if running a mile or two isn't hard enough for a "fat boy," he's also got to deal with the knowledge that there are serious limits to his father's insurance coverage. He's uncomfortable living at Aunt Laura's house, and his best friend, PG, isn't very supportive of his decision. Oh yeah - there's also Luis, who's picking on him at school, and he doesn't know how to stand up to a bully. But it's not all bad - a really cute girl seems to actually like him. It some ways it even reminded me of Gary Schmidt's outstanding The Wednesday Wars, although maybe not quite as cleverly-written. And it all adds up to an easy-to-read and inspiring story about not giving up - for kids of all sizes.
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J.Green | 4 other reviews | Aug 26, 2014 |

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Works
8
Members
121
Popularity
#164,307
Rating
3.8
Reviews
8
ISBNs
16

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