This author is able to create beautiful poetic imagery and evoke deep emotions through language. And her prose is flowing and easy to read. But the two strands of the story just didn't connect with each other, though at the end there is somewhat of a reconciling of the two. The story of Grandmother Moccasin, an ancient serpent trapped in an earthen jar for over a thousand years, her "friend" Alligator King, the trees that serve as witnesses to centuries of human and animal suffering, and the shape-changing hawks and serpents just didn't juxtapose well with the survival story of the two kittens and their hound dog caretaker. Still, much of the story held my interest and I was impressed by the expert use of language.

If you want to read a children's book about mysteries in the art world, pick up From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg. The author of Chasing Vermeer throws in an assortment of coincidences, a lot of her own observations on art and life, and tries to build a plot around these abstract ideas. Characters come and go with no development. It just doesn't have any appeal for the age level she's writing for. I could never "sell" this one to a group of sixth-graders. I think it received good notices and even won some awards, but I can't imagine why. Forced, unnatural dialogue and a plot to match.

There isn't a false note in this novel that combines humor with understated pathos. The author sustains the narrator's voice throughout - the voice of Elijah Freeman, soon to be 12 years old, whose "burden" of an overly sensitive temperament ends up being his (and others') salvation. Elijah is the first free child to be born in Buxton (a community of former slaves situated on the shores of Lake Erie in Ontario). Through his daily rounds in the village, his eavesdropping on adults' conversations, and his witnessing the small joys and heartaches of those who experienced slavery first-hand, Elijah comes to a deep understanding of the cruelty of the human soul and of the preciousness of freedom. The first three-quarters of the novel are a pretext to the heart-wrenching conclusion, when Elijah's so-called "fra-gile-ness" becomes his greatest resource. First-rate historical fiction for intermediate and middle school students.

This novel is very exciting. Chip and Jonah don't know where their investigations will lead them, and the truth becomes more terrifying for them every step of their quest. Jonah's younger sister Katherine is a well-developed character and a nice addition to the plot. The rules of time travel can get a little too detailed, but overall the suspense is sustained throughout and this is a real page-turner.

A fun read. Lucy and her family have moved to an Iowa farmhouse inherited by them from an eccentric aunt. Lucy starts investigating the disappearance in 1914 of her great-uncle Oscar, when he was a teenager. The plot involves mysterious notebooks, magic potions, time travel, and some interesting musings on the power of writing to transport one to a different world. I recommend it.