Ali Standish

Ali Standish's The Sign of the Five is one of those excellent tween novels that can work equally well for adult readers. My experiences with Tween-lit have been rather hit or miss, but The Sign of the Five is definitely at the "hit" end of that spectrum. I've seen it recommended for ages 8 to 12, and I can imagine myself loving this title at that age—but I'm also enjoying now at age 63.

Part of what drew me to this title was the promise of another riff on the Holmes stories and novels. I show more love them and reread them regularly. I also appreciate writers who provide me with unexpected side doors into that realm. This novel is richly populated with both real-world and fictional characters. The central character here is Arthur Doyle (the Conan isn't used here), who attends Baskerville Hall, an unusual boarding school that prepares clever young people for lives in a variety of areas. The five of the novel's titles are Arthur; Jimmy, son of Holmes' nemesis James Moriarty; Irene, the daughter of a pair of opera singers/spies; Grover, a budding paranormal investigator; and Pocket, a young woman on her way to becoming a remarkable inventor. The teachers at Baskerville Hall include Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson—and others who are variations of characters in the original Holmes stories.

This is the second volume in the series, but the first I've read, so I had to keep an eye out for backstory. I'm glad to say that Standish provided an appropriate amount of that in non-awkward ways. (Entering a series anywhere other than volume one has its risks—of either lacking necessary information or of being subjected to the sort of mandatory asides too often used to fill in such gaps.) There's a lot at play here: echoes of Arthurian legends, strings of unsolved mysteries (poisonings, a suddenly timid pet wolf) that may or may not be connected, and all the wonderful kinds of science and logic one would expect at a school where Holmes teaches.

If you have or know youngsters in the 8 to 12 age range, this book would make a wonderful gift with its appeals to so many of the topics kids find fascinating. (Did I mention there's a baby pterosaur?) And if you're an adult who enjoys Holmes and realizes that good tween-lit can be every bit as engaging as adult-lit, you'll want to have a go at this title yourself.

I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley; the opinions are my own. show less

Narrated by Jesse Vilinsky. On the day of Emma's beloved Gram's funeral, she notices a white spot on her foot. Soon spots appear and grow on her face and extremities. Emma is diagnosed with vitiligo and shunned by classmates. Her best friend Fina stands by her but Emma feels adrift and alone without Gram. She escapes her pain through her favorite book and by writing a magical story in a hidden notebook. She soon discovers that someone else is writing and adding chapters to her story. I found show more the ending a tad overwrought as Emma finds self-acceptance. show less

Miranda feels like there is something wrong with her, and that is the reason her mom keeps taking photojournalist assignments all over the world for months at a time. Miranda is very sensitive to her mom's moods, and she wonders why she won’t talk to her. When her mom gets another big assignment and her dad has an important legal case, they tell her she’s going to spend the next month in August Isle, Florida with her mom’s childhood friend Clare and her family. Miranda wants to go see show more August Isle where her mom and Clare played together, and she once met Clare’s daughter Sammy and had fun with her, but she still feels abandoned. When she gets there, she finds a beautiful beach community with lots of mysteries and fun adventures if she can stop being afraid and worried about her mom. There are a lot of different themes in this story, and they touch on what children can experience as they reach their teenage years and begin to discover who they will become as adults. I like the way Ali Standish writes and her writing reminds me of some of the reasons I loved reading as a kid. show less

Ethan and Coralee are two characters I can’t stop thinking about. Their story is so sad and yet hopeful that I wanted them to make it beyond the hurts from their pasts. Ethan’s family has moved in with his grandfather in a small seaside town in Georgia so that Ethan can have a fresh start. Ethan is feeling guilty because of an accident that happened to his best friend. He meets outspoken fun Coralee at school and feels like this friendship is helping him, but Coralee has secrets and show more tells stories that people say aren’t true. I loved this story with its adventure, and struggles, big and small, that many kids have to deal with. Interwoven in this main story are side stories and characters that come alive too. I can recommend this to older kids and adults. show less