Many kids like mysteries. The Time of the Fireflies by Kimberley Griffiths Little is a perfect middle grade novel that incorporates mystery, friendship, and even a little time travel.
Larissa and her family have recently moved back to her mother’s hometown. Larissa was in an accident which left her with a big scar on her face. That hasn’t made it any easier for her to make friends. With her best friend Shelby Jayne out of town for the summer, she’s left to spend long days working in her family’s antique store (which doubles as their house), reading, and imaging.
When one of the antique phones rings one day and a young girl tells Larissa that her family needs her help, that she must find the fireflies, she wonders if she’s crazy. Who is calling her? And how is she making a connection through a phone that isn’t even hooked to an active line?
Larissa ends up transported back to the early 1900s, and through other time as well, connected through place. Seeing this world through her eyes is interesting. Trying to figure out the mysterious instructions that keep coming through odd phone calls is even more interesting.
The novel gets a bit scarier and more creepy (a doll, enough said) at the end, but it made it an even more exciting read. I think this is a great novel for kids who enjoy mysteries and/or fantasy, and even those who generally read realistic fiction will respond to the very real and present-day struggles of Larissa.
I love connecting with the folks who meet up every Monday at Shannon Messenger‘s blog for Marvelous Middle Grade Monday. Check out the other reviews for this magical age group each Monday.
Hi Jennifer!
I loved this one too–cursed, creepy dolls, what more can you say?!
Exactly! I just told a friend about it and said it gets pretty creepy at the end, and that was a selling point to her as well! I’m going to try to get my 10 year old to read it, but it looks pretty girly, so that can be a tough sell. Maybe I’ll rip the cover off…..
Very intriguing storyline. I came across this one a while back and promptly forgot about it. Your review has got in back in focus and I’ll be reading it soon.
I definitely have a tipping point myself. I’ll hear about a book several times and finally it sticks! Thanks for your comment.
Hmmm. This sounds so interesting. Don’t know about the creepy ending, but I like the time travel and mysterious phone calls.
I really, really want to read this book! It is getting a lot of buzz and it sounds so good. Thanks for telling me more about it.