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(2)
4-6
Seventh grader Ren runs away to nearby "ghost town" Fortune. She finds refuge in an abandoned school being renovated by quirky octogenarian Hildy, who is in search of treasure--a stash of pearls from Fortune's button-making heyday. The mystery is satisfying, filled with dead ends, scary moments, and surprising twists, but it's the relationships between the characters that make this story memorable.
Reviewer: Robin L. Smith
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
November, 2015
(2)
4-6
Twelve-year-old Lincoln has grown up next to Iowa's Oakland Cemetery with his "kind of unusual" mom, a professor specializing in burial customs. His first junior high assignment is to research one of the cemetery's graves. Ray's characters are quirky and relatable, with genuine emotions; Linc, in particular, is an earnest, self-effacing narrator trying to both fit in and do the right thing.
Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
September, 2011
216 pp.
| Clarion
| September, 2003
|
TradeISBN 0-618-33377-0$$15.00
(1)
4-6
Eleven-year-old April's isolated life in Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains changes when President and Mrs. Hoover start a school in her community. April hopes to learn to read and, above all, get to know the vibrant, sophisticated young teacher, Miss Vest. Ray's debut novel (based on the letters of the real Christine Vest) is poignant, realistic, and somber, and reflective of the strength April finds within.
Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
January, 2004
3 reviews
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