Tag Archives: mystery

School of Phantoms

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This book is a solid addition to the current craze for scary books for younger children. Former elementary art teacher Kory Merritt does a great job of tapping into some of our deepest fears and weaving them into the plot and his illustrations. Let’s review. The fear of disappearing and no one noticing you are gone (not even your parents)? Check! Your fear of that creepy house on the edge of town that just doesn’t seem right? Check! The fear of scary looking snowmen getting closer whenever you aren’t watching? Check! Unidentifiable, weird creatures coming out of the walls? Check! A dark basement full of alienesque creatures? Check! 

The format is a true hybrid, seamlessly going back and forth between sections with a half page of text with one large picture to a graphic novel. In lesser hands this style can be distracting, but Merrit uses it to build energy and suspense as well as signal moves between different locations and plot lines. The main character Kat is using her phone to film a documentary on the strange goings on in their small town. The result has a Blair Witch Project meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer vibe.

The characters feel like real people and are relatable. From the distracted school principal to the cool science teacher to the janitor who seems a bit out there, each person adds a layer to the story. If you pay close attention to the janitor’s dialog, you will recognize nods to some films like The Princess Bride. 

The strongest part is the illustrations. From the students gathered in the cafeteria to an all out otherworldly invasion, the pictures are powerful. They are what keep you turning pages. The story however goes deeper than what you might expect. This could be a great way to engage reluctant readers of novels to dig deeper and learn about plot devices, character development, or satisfying endings,to name a few. Merritt cleverly builds his narrative across the entire story. While there is a resolution at the end, you also realize the story is not over yet. You are wondering about what will happen next.

This is the second of three books planned for the series. I hope Kory Merritt continues to offer kids great adventures.

Stage Door to Terror by Robert Quackenbush

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Miss Mallard is in Paris visiting her nephew, Inspector Willard Widgeon. They decide to go to the theater performance of Claudine, granddaughter of family friend (and retired performer) Lily Pilet. In her day, Lily was a famous dancer, who was even rumored to be courted by royalty and showered with jewels. They are especially excited to see Claudine’s recreation of Lily’s famous “Rain of Light” dance. Claudine enters the stage and is swept up and ducknapped! Fortunately, Miss Mallard and Willard quickly discover her tied up in the attic of the theater. Unfortunately, they also discover that her dressing room has been ransacked by the ducknappers.

Upon further discussion, Claudine tells them that her grandmother sent her her bejeweled costume for the show. This costume is studded with real gems. Lily has some later misgivings and sends her a reproduction of the costumer and asks Claudine to hide the real one. Claudine has a claim ticket for the suitcase with the costume, which is at the railroad station. The problem? The ticket is torn and only Claudine’s assistant, Marie, knows the station name. A rush through all the major Paris landmarks ensues and they find Marie in a cafe. They “hatch” a plan to catch the thieves with a fake suitcase and claim ticket before retrieving the real bejeweled costume and their plan works. The thieves/ducknappers are apprehended and the valuable costume is back with Claudine.

This book is intended for those students that are ready to move on from picture books to early chapter books. The font is large and there are numerous half page illustrations. There is also a glossary and question page in the back of the book. The only sticking point of this story is the unfamiliar setting (Notre Dame, Montmartre, Eiffel Tower, etc.) of Paris. Young readers might become bogged down a bit, instead of just enjoying the story. Otherwise, this is nice stepping stone to chapter books.

Throwaway Girls by Andrea Contos

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Caroline Lawson is three months away from freedom, otherwise known as graduation day. That’s when she’ll finally escape her rigid prep school and the parents who thought they could convert her to being straight.

Until then, Caroline is keeping her head down, pretending to be the perfect student even though she is crushed by her family and heartbroken over the girlfriend who left for California.

I wanted to like this book, the description sounded great and while I don’t hate it, I had to force myself to finish.

The writing style is choppy and hard to follow, numerous times I had to go back and re-read pages just to try to figure out who or what was being talked about. There was never enough to distinguish that the chapters had switched from one character to another.

While the book touches on lots of important topics it was just to scattered to really make you think too much about them.

The mystery part didn’t get interesting until the last 1/4 of the book but by then I had figured it out. Wouldn’t recommend.

Carmen Sandiego. The Fishy Treasure Caper: a graphic novel

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Wow! This book takes me back in time, from a 90’s PBS cartoon to now, a Netflix series and graphic novel! In The Fishy Treasure Caper, Ecuador is the country in the spotlight. Carmen and her crew (Ivy, Zack and Player) are attempting to locate a possible treasure trove of gold coins from a sunken ship before the evil folks at VILE locate them and use the proceeds for their dastardly deeds. Carmen finds the sunken ship and is holding a gold doubloon when VILE’s El Topo arrives and an underwater battle for the gold ensues. Unfortunately, the coin is swallowed by a tuna during the melee and caught by a fishing boat.

This leads Carmen, her crew as well as VILE’s El Topo and Le Chevre to the fish market to retrieve the doubloon. Along the way, the team meets Dr. Pilar Marquez, an archaeologist, who gives them some background on the doubloon and reveals that it is not worth much monetarily. But, it’s cultural value is immense. Carmen dons her signature red coat and hat and she, along with her crew, battle the bad guys for the doubloon. She then does the right thing and gives it to Dr. Marquez and heads off to her next adventure…in Amersterdam!

Information about Ecuador is sprinkled throughout the story and a final two-page spread gives a great deal of relevant facts. Readers learn some background details about Carmen and VILE and her cool James Bond-style spy tools interspersed with the story line.

The illustrations are crisp and the story flows well through the panels. Dialogue is easy to follow an parts of the story are detailed in boxes attached to various panels.

A new generation of kids can enjoy the (educational) adventures of Carmen in this format and its associated Netflix series. I, for one, can’t wait to see where Carmen goes next! Highly recommended.

Surfboard to Peril

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Miss Mallard, well-known “ducktective” has a big case to solve. She is vacationing in Hawaii and surfing with her instructors, Kai and Kawai when she hits a mysterious rock with her surfboard. It turns out that it is an ancient stone that proves the land is owned by both villages nearby. As the villagers are celebrating the stone and the answers it provides, it disappears! Miss Mallard is on the case. She dusts the area for featherprints and finds a suspicious keychain. She has three suspects, an archaeologist (Horace Shoveller), an old sailor (Joe Scaup) and a builder (Clyde Pochard) who is interested in developing the land. Through her quick wits and deductive reasoning, Miss Mallard captures the thief and restores the stone to its rightful place.

This story is a nice introduction to early chapter books, with a list of characters/descriptions in the front of the book and a glossary of potentially unfamiliar words in the back. Illustrations are black and white and the words are in larger font. Readers will enjoy this quick read and will enjoy the mystery that Miss Mallard solves for them.

Field Tripped

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Fifth graders Eddie, Aaron and their classmates from Liberty Falls Elementary School are on a field trip to the town’s famous inventor’s home – Minks’ Mansion. Eddie, a Minks descendant, has a plan and map. He wants to find hidden inventions that might help his family keep their home. The original Mr. Minks donated his mansion and inventions to the town of Liberty Falls when he died several generations ago. There is another mystery as well. Jessie overhears the tour guide and his helper talking about moving the inventions and believes they plan to steal everything. She just needs to convince her classmates that this is a real thing.

The students, their teacher and principal are touring the mansion and barn when a huge snowstorm hits and forces them to stay the night. Unfortunately, the group is split up and all the adults end up in the barn with a class, while the other class stays in the mansion without adult supervision. Not surprisingly, mayhem ensues. Students get lost, break inventions, scare each other, have a snowball fight and catch a couple of thieves…actually, an innocent tour guide and a principal.

In the end, there is a perfectly good explanation for everything, new friends are made and a mean girl gets her comeuppance. Along the way, the students discover their strengths and make some crazy discoveries of their own.

Each chapter is told in a student’s voice and switches between four different students: Eddie, Jessie, Chloie and Aaron. It takes some time to differentiate between the students. But, as the story unfolds, their voices are stronger and more easily determined. The adults are goofy and the terrible puns are somewhat painful. This is a light, humorous adventure, with a touch of mystery. Additional purchase

Agatha Parrot and the Thirteenth Chicken

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Agatha Parrott and her school mates are tasked with caring for thirteen chicks after their heated box at school breaks down. Unfortunately, one goes missing and Agatha is sure that it’s her fault. Mayhem ensues as she and her friends search high and low for chick #13. Do they find it at the end?

This book is fast paced and in Agatha’s voice, which makes it a fun read for those ready for chapter books. The language is accessible and the black and white illustrations are hilarious. Agatha and her friends manage to make even losing a chicken great fun. Recommended

Confusion is Nothing New

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Ellie’s mom is dead and Ellie is mad. She is mad that she never looked for the mother that left a few months after Ellie was born. She is mad that her dad never wanted to talk about her mom. And, she’s mad that her mom never really reached out to her.

But, she has a shoebox of mixed tapes, cd’s and odd items that her mom had apparently sent to her a year before. So, she and her band friends try to find out who this woman was that had been Ellie’s mom. She discovers so much along the way, most importantly that she is surrounded by loving friends and a dad that is her champion. Oh, and there are so many 1980’s songs mixed in that the reader will be compelled to turn up the stereo and sing along to some Cindy Lauper, et al.

This story is a fast -paced read with likeable characters who behave just like one would expect as they work together to put together who Ellie’s mom really was. Fortunately, there is believable closure for all as Ellie figures out who really matters to her. Recommended

The Spirit of Cattail County

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Sparrow has experienced the greatest loss of her life when her mother dies and leaves her in the care of her aunt, a seemingly hard-hearted woman intent on taking Sparrow away from everything she knows and loves. Sparrow is has never had friends…well, human friends…in her small southern town. Her best friend is Boy, a ghost that has always been with her. Sparrow can see spirits and she hopes that Boy can help her mama’s spirit come back, so that Sparrow will always have her nearby.

Sparrow had an unusual upbringing. She and her mama lived in the Dalton family home on the edge of the swamp. She never knew her father and she was really somewhat of a loner. Townspeople felt that there was something strange about this girl who looked nothing like the Daltons of generations past. So, most of her time was spent at home near the swamp, with her loving mama and Boy, along with the wispy spirits that only Sparrow could see.

In her quest to vanquish some of the abject sorrow and grief over her loss, Sparrow enlists the help of some of the other outcast kids in town, two Cast siblings from a family that has never been quite good enough for the rest of the townsfolk. Together with the Casto kids and a new friend from New York, Elena the Medium, Sparrow hopes to help the Boy with whatever problem is holding him back here in Beulah, Florida so that he can help her mama come back as a spirit. Along the way, she and her new friends hope to discover if the Casto kids’ uncle is Sparrow’s father and stop Sparrow’s aunt from selling the beloved Dalton family home.

Fans of mysteries, stories of loss, or slightly scary stories will enjoy this middle-grade novel. The characters are engaging and the setting is rich in detail (one almost feels the damp heat of the Florida swamp while reading!). The ending has a nice twist and the love and acceptance will warm the heart. Recommended

The Door

Aside

Hannah is a 12 year old girl whose life has been sheltered. She and her mother are care takers of a no longer used lighthouse. It has been her families job for generations. Not only are they care takers, but guardians as well. The lighthouse has a special door in it. One that leads to the underworld or City of the Dead as it is known in this tale. Continue reading →

Vampires on the Run

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Quinnie Boyd is once again faced with the possibility of solving a mystery. Her friend, Ella, has just welcomed her long-time family friends, to whom she refers as aunt and uncle, to her Maiden Rock, Maine home.  Aunt Ceil and Uncle Edgar Waterman are famous authors of the best seller Transylvanian Drip, the latest installment in their vampire novel series. This sleepy Maine town is excited to be hosting the famous vampire writers. Eccentric barely describes the looks and behaviors of the duo. Meanwhile another pair of odd individuals come to town for a fishing vacation and a new family with a teenage son relocates to Maiden Rock. Quinnie quickly makes friends with Dominic, the new kid, and the two of them become almost inseparable. They begin to notice mysterious occurrences that appear to be linked to Ella’s aunt and uncle.  In an attempt to prove Ceil and Edgar are real vampires, Quinnie and her friends discover another secret that threatens the safety of the citizens and visitors of Maiden Rock. A quirky story, this book will leave readers looking forward to the next Quinnie Boyd Mystery release.

Yours Truly

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Truly Lovejoy is back in this second installment of the Pumpkin Falls Mystery series. Readers do not need to have read book one, Absolutely Truly, in order to follow the storyline of this book.  The author references elements of book one, but provides context so book one details do not detract from this story. In the second book, Truly learns about her namesake and the history of the house she now calls home in Pumpkin Falls, New Hampshire. As the story develops, there are multiple mysteries that interconnect to reveal the rich history of the area and the founders of the town. Truly and her friends call themselves the Pumpkin Falls Private Eyes, and they work together to crack a maple syrup crime and settle a town feud. Along the way, Truly also investigates her family’s history, uncovering a local connection to the underground railroad and uses her quick wit to find her younger sister when she goes missing. With a complex mystery to solve, historically accurate details, and engaging and realistic family and friendship complications, this book will be a winner with mystery, historical, and realistic fiction readers.   

First Class Murder

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Journey back in time to Europe in the 1930’s and take a train ride on the Orient Express.  Our heroines, Hazel Wong and Daisy Wells, just finished school term and are taking a journey with Hazel’s father. They have been given strict instructions to avoid detecting. This is something they cannot do when a mystery lands in their laps. In order to find a murderer and a spy, they must employ their deductive reasoning skills once again even at the risk of upsetting Hazel’s father and placing themselves in danger. The title can stand alone or may be read in order with the other books in the Wells and Wong Mystery series. A recommended read for who-done-it enthusiasts.

Wax by Gina Damico

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Reviewed By: Shelley Walter, OHS Library Secretary

WAX by DamicoThis is the story of a teenage girl, Poppy, who is an aspiring actress. She has a nightmare performance and is ridiculed by her peers, namely a boy name Blake. Blake bullies her and she seeks revenge and finds a secret studio inside the town’s famous candle factory.

The old woman in the secret studio, who crafts wax figures of various people including townspeople, warns Poppy of a plot to take over the town by replacing the humans with wax substitutes.

The book took time to get going and at times seemed to drag. It is a good story and did get my interest as it went along.

Poppy’s family did not quite develop into interesting characters. The wax teenage boy “Dud” plays a part, I found myself wishing he had a bigger part (he did in the end).  Poppy has a somewhat sarcastic sense of life and I identified with that.

My first young adult novel to read in quite a while.

How To Disappear

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How to Disappear is a thrilling mystery told in the dual narration of the hunter (Jack) and the hunted (Nicholette). Nicholette, a popular HS cheerleader who has never been in trouble, witnesses the murder of a young woman in the woods near her house. Jack, a straight-A student athlete about to graduate from HS, is from a family of criminals. In fact, his father was a hit man and his older brother is in jail for armed assault. But once the murder occurs, Nicholette goes on the run to get away from the murderer, and Jack’s brother forces him to do what he can’t do himself: track down Nicholette and kill her. If he doesn’t, Jack’s mother’s life is in danger, as is his own.

The rest of the book is a cat and mouse game between Nicholette and Jack. There is mystery, adventure, and forbidden love.

The Edge of the Light (Whidbey Island Saga # 4)

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The Edge of the Light is the fourth and final (according to the jacket) book in the Whidbey Island Sage. If it is true that this is the last book in the series, then I encourage you NOT to read it, as it will leave you frustrated and feeling incomplete. The major plot threads are not resolved. The reader doesn’t have any inkling of what will happen to the main character, even though the author built intrigue with the storyline of an investigative journalist having tracked her down. The reader is left hanging, as if there were to be a fifth book.  IF there is a fifth book, then I would encourage the reader to start with book one and continue through to the conclusion. It’s just that book four does not conclude the story.

This series will appeal to those who are familiar with western Washington state and the Puget Sound area. Set on Whidbey Island, the story centers on a group of teenaged friends facing a number of issues:  A grandmother with nice real estate that is being exploited by her daughter while the grandson, Seth, tries to protect her; Seth’s girlfriend, Prynne, who he wants to stay with but is worried about her drug use; Derrick, a refugee from the war in Uganda who is trying to locate his sister, Rejoice; Jenn, who is experiencing romantic feelings towards her teammate Cynthia, but worrying how her Christian conservative mother will respond; and then there is a Becca. Becca can read people’s thoughts and tries to make sense of what they think and say. She tries to solve their problems without letting them know how much she actually knows.

The plot is full of the issues and challenges these teen friends experience: elder abuse,  Alzheimer’s disease, drug use, lesbian relationships, and, of course, the paranormal abilities of Becca and her quest to keep this secret.

If a satisfactory conclusion wasn’t absent, this would be a fun read for YA mystery fans.

Mind Games (Lock & Mori # 2)

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Mind Games is book two of the Lock & Mori series, and it is anticipated that a third book will soon be published. For those unfamiliar with Lock & Mori, this is a modern day adaptation of the characters of Sherlock Holmes and Professor James Moriarty, although in these stories, Mori is a teenaged girl.

In Lock & Mori we see Mori’s father tried and convicted as a serial killer, and Mori and her brothers rescued from a domestic violence situation. Mind Games picks up two weeks after the father’s arrest. But even though her father is in prison, Mori doesn’t feel safe. Letters of a threatening nature are arriving, and police are receiving anonymous tips that lead them to believe that it is Mori, not her father, who has committed the murders.  Lock sticks by Mori and together they search for who is framing her.

This is an action packed mystery that can be read as a stand alone, although the enjoyment is enhanced by having read the first book.

Three Truths and a Lie

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A game of Three Truths and a Lie, played by four teenagers on a weekend getaway to a cabin in a remote area of Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, reveals a terrible truth. This truth, where the sole female character, Mia, says she killed someone when she was 13, sets the reader on the path of suspense and horror.

The story is told in the first person perspective by Rob to an unknown person. Rob reflects on all that had happened. We know he survived, as he tells the story. Who else survived? Who was the killer? The reader may have many theories, but it isn’t until the final chapter, where there is a big and unexpected plot twist, that the real truth is revealed.

There is gore, sex, and a gay couple, so this book is best suited for high school aged readers.

The House of Months and Years

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house of monthsTen year old Amelia is forced to move to a new home with her parents.  She was an only child until now. Now she has to share her life and her parents with her two orphaned cousins, Owen and Matthew. The boys lost their parents as a result of a car crash and now they are part of Amelia’s immediate family. To save Owen and Matthew from further upheaval, Amelia’s parents decide it is best to move into the boys’ home to start their new life together.

From the moment Amelia sets foot on the property, she feels as if she is being watched. Actually, she feels as if it is the house watching her.  As fitful sleep and many days of adjustment drone on Amelia begins to discover secrets about and in her new home. She discovers that this house is a rare architectural design known as a calendar house. It is designed on the principal and numbers associated with time. Four floors represent the four seasons. Fifty-two windows represent the fifty-two weeks in a year. Most design items in the house represent some aspect of time.

Amelia soon discovers that her dreams are being stolen by a mysterious old man who can change into a shadow and simply disappear. He promises her magic, immortality and a chance to escape the life that she no longer wants. She longs for the change but feels reluctant. When she realizes that the change will come at a huge price to her family and herself she knows that she must figure out a way to stop the old man. To do this she will need help from her cousins. The same cousins that she can’t even stand to be with in the same room. If they don’t find a way to work together, life as they know it will be forever changed.

Many students will enjoy reading this book.  It is just a bit spooky and tense but not too much. I feel Amelia was a bit too defiant given her circumstances; however, much of the dialog was very real. I would recommend this book for high third grade and up.

 

Mischief at Midnight

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This is a story of mystery and friendship, old and new. Loyalties are tested when Edie Wilson returns to the boarding school, Knight’s Haddon, and has to bunk with new girl, Janet. Edie’s best friend, Anastasia Stolonov, is moved to a different room. Anastasia is jealous of Janet’s burgeoning friendship with Edie and the time Edie spends with Janet. Meanwhile, tension erupts at Knight’s Haddon and in the local town due to the sale of a piece of property that is adjacent to the school grounds. Locals are leading a political activism campaign to save the trees from being bulldozed. As Janet secretly becomes involved in the campaign, Edie and Anastasia spy on her to try and figure out why she is behaving so mysteriously.  Anastasia has a secret of her own and hopes to keep her family’s role in the sale of the land under wraps for fear of being treated badly  by the other students at Knight’s Hadden. Schoolgirl antics, jealousy, and mysterious behavior fill the pages as the girls’ lives intersect.

This book is a companion to The Girl with the Glass Bird.  It can stand alone, but reading the books in order would help frame the setting and provide background information on characters and relationships.  Additional purchase, especially if the library already contains the first book.

Tru & Nelle

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 The book “Tru & Nelle” written by G. Neri is interesting and great book.  This fiction book combines couple genres.  It’s mix of true story, mystery, adventure and historical facts.  That makes this book interesting for readers.

When you read this book you fall into real friendship that starts from the childhood, and ends in adulthood. The main characters of this story are Tru (Truman Capote) and Nelle (Harper Lee).  Tru is a seven year old boy, who came from New Orleans.  His unreliable parents sent him to live for a couple years in “tiny town” of Monroeville, Alabama with his more caring relatives.   Nelle is six, and she‘s always allowed to run by herself.  She was born and lived in this small town Monroeville.  In this story we can see how the friendship began between the city boy, Tru, who was out of place in this town, and a village girl, Nelle, who acts and looks like a tomboy.  It shows  us, that anyone could look and act very different, but also share a lot of interests, which bring them closer and results in real friendship.  The same happens with the book’s main characters, Tru and Nelle, or as author called them “the prince and the pauper.”  Even though they look different, they both share the same problems in their extraordinary families.  They both love to read, especially the book “Sherlock Holmes,” which inspired these friends to have fun by creating their own investigations in a simple and boring town.  When you are reading this book, you become a part of their mystery investigation team, trying to solve the robbery at the town’s drugstore.  Although it takes you, as a reader, on many different adventures throughout this mystery, leading to a lot of fun and dangers along the way, like the threatening encounter with the Ku Klux Klan, or planing a high tension Halloween party.  During this adventure, the children were daring and very funny the whole way through.

The author was very successful in demonstrating overall purpose of this book.  He did a great job in describing the details of the town, families and their relationships, as well, as the people’s life.  Especially in the short stories at the end of the book, that expend the overall story.  They give us additional information about the main characters’ life in future with some picture.

I would recommend this book  for children in elementary and middle school.   Although, it’s also a great book for everyone, who enjoys intriguing adventure which is easy to read.  I really enjoyed reading this book.  

-Marianna

Framed! A T.O.A.S.T. Mystery

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Florian Bates is not your typical 12 year old. True, he’s a seventh grader doing typical 7th grade activities: eating pizza and serving on the student council. His family recently relocated from Europe to Washington D.C. His mom works for an art museum and his dad’s in security. Florian meets and becomes friends with Margaret, a new neighbor who will be attending the same school as Florian in the fall, but this isn’t what sets him apart from other 12 year olds. Florian employs the power of observation to provide insight, explanation, and anticipation. Florian calls his observational skills T.O.A.S.T.  which means, Theory of All Small Things.  He teaches T.O.A.S.T. to Margaret and they practice this observational technique with friends and family and in numerous different locations. Florian and Margaret stumble upon clues that become important in solving a crime. Florian is secretly employed by the FBI to help solve the crime. This mystery is funny and suspenseful with enough twist and turns to keep the pages turning at a quick clip.  A recommended who-done-it for mystery readers!  

Invisible Fault Line

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Callie, a teenaged girl who plays in a rock band, has her life turned upside down when her father goes missing. In addition to school and band practice, her days are spent trying to comfort her distraught mother, enlisting her friends to hang up posters, and reliving past conversations she had with her dad. But no leads turn up until Callie sees a photo of the great San Francisco earthquake and recognizes a familiar face.

This young adult novel will appeal to readers who enjoy relationships (parent / child, friend / friend, and a tiny bit of romance), and mystery. It’s an engaging story that is hard to put down.

Rocks Fall Everyone Dies

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For those who enjoy the supernatural and magic, Rocks Fall Everyone Dies is a page turning, suspenseful mystery about a teenaged boy who can reach inside people and steal their memories, fears, sadness, and even their love.

The lead character, Aspen Quick, comes from a family who also has these powers, and who have used them for centuries to hold back the cliffs above their village from falling down into the valley. But as is often the case with power, it can be misused, and is in this story.

A coming of age novel that deals with addiction, handling power, and deciding what kind of a person one should be, complicated by the magical power his family welds, Rocks Fall Everyone Dies is best suited for high school aged readers, rather than middle school, due to swearing and sexual scenes (mostly making out).

The Mysterious Woods of Whistle Root

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The debut novel by Christopher Pennell,  The Mysterious Woods of Whistle Root,  is a perfect read-aloud or a read alone for the intended audience. It is a tale of magic and friendship that captivates from the very first sentence:
“In a small town called Whistle Root, rats play music in the moonlight.”   From that beginning, nothing that comes later can be too strange to be believed and really makes for a fun, refreshing fantasy.

The rats play music from the rooftops so the owls can dance. There are vegetables appearing on rooftops, of which one character comments: “ I notice that you have a squash on your roof, dear. How lovely. I only have broccoli”.  Rats talk and fly on breezes, mysterious messages appear inside a hat that is in a wooden crib in the middle of the woods, strange whispers can place people in a deep sleep and an unique beast appears who likes to adorn himself with owl feathers. It may have been difficult to pull off the sorts of unusual happenings found in this book, but Pennell does it with entertaining ease. He presents the activities and events so casually and deftly that it becomes very easy for the reader to accept them as a natural part of this odd, wonderful world.

The main character is Carly Bean Bitters, a young girl who can only sleep during the day and no one knows why. She is lonely as all children are awake when Carly is asleep. One magical night that all changes when Carly becomes friends with Lewis, a violin-playing rat.  Lewis has lost two members of his musical trio. When a member is missing from the band a vegetable stands in “for you must always have exactly three members.” Lewis already has a squash on Carly’s rooftop but Lewis proclaims that “ it would be too embarrassing to have two vegetables in the band and (the squash is a lousy drummer)”. So he asks Carly to join his group.

Soon after, Carly and Lewis become friends with Green. He is a boy who lives with his grandmother underneath the school.  Green has a hidden door to his house in a little used, dark area of the school library – the reference section. The three friends set out to uncover the reason for the strange change in behavior among the owls in Whistle Woods.  They had always danced to the rats’ music, but now they hunt them instead. Also, Green’s grandma has fallen into a sleep from which she cannot be awakened. Carly and Green are willing to do what is needed to get Grandma back and restore the once peaceful owl and rat relationship. Unraveling the mysteries will help restore everything to “normal”.

The illustrations by Rebecca Bond are charming pen and ink doodlings that complement the text.  My first response at seeing the illustrations was disappointment.  In our flashy, colorful world I expected the same for the illustrations.  However,  I realized as I became acquainted with the book that the media choice really was perfect.  Pennell provides a wonderful description and Bond provides a nice framework for readers to use their own creative imagination to fill in the color and detail. In the end I thought it was a wise choice.

Others have compared this novel to  The Dreamstealer by Sid Fleischman with its storyteller’s voice and the extravagance of its imagination, and Kenneth Grahme, C.S. Lewis, E.B. White and  Kate DiCamillo for its well-imagined talking animals… just to name a few.

It has just the right blend of mystery and scary with a fairy tale ending.
I’m a truly hoping that this will be a series, as I would love to get lost in the world of Whistle Root again and again.