I can't believe it's been a month since I posted, but I promise you I have been reading like crazy! I got caught up in this "Twilight-esqe" series called The Shade that has 27 books in all! I'm not kidding- 27 books!!!! I made it to book 8 and then I had to be done. A reader can only take so much angst between one couple and lets face it- no one will be Edward and Bella. After that I was reading a few books from my favorite adult authors (Karen White, Jane Green, and Diane Chamberlain) but now I am back to books for my library. Sorry boys- all girl books today!
Summerlost is by Ally Condie, the author of the acclaimed Matched series, but this book is NOTHING like that series. It would be like J.K. Rowling writing a romance novel as a follow upto Harry Potter- totally different. I liked Summerlost. Not loved, but liked. It is a tender story about a girl who just suffered a great loss in her family. After the tragedy, Cedar moves to a new house in Iron Creek and begins to work at the town's famous summer Shakespeare festival where she meets her soon to be best friend, Leo. Leo doesn't quite fit in with the other boys, but he's a perfect fit for Cedar. Soon, she and Leo embark on a mystery to discover what happened to a famous Hollywood actress that once graced their summer stage.
This is sweet story about grief and healing and the power of friendship. I also enjoyed the relationship between Cedar and her little brother Miles as they have to navigate a new path after the tragedy. It was refreshing to read about siblings who like each other, and I feel like all the characters are interesting and fresh. Additionally, the story kept my attention and I was happy to keep reading (but it wasn't one that I had to stop everything until it was finished). The mystery is a little slow moving, but I do think ages 9+ will really enjoy this book.
This is my kind of story! The Lost Twin by Sophie Cleverly is an excellent debut novel. One twin, Scarlett, dies under mysterious circumstances and the other twin, Ivy is forced to take her place in a creepy old boarding school called Rookwood- complete with an evil headmistress who favorite past time seems to be disciplining with her cane! Upon arriving at the school, Ivy finds a piece of Scarlett's diary that begs for her sister's help. Fearful of someone reading her words, Scarlett has hidden pages all over campus and Ivy has to solve the clues, find the pages, and discover the truth about her sister's final days at Rookwood. Of course the headmistress wants to keep the truth buried, so Ivy must watch every step she takes.
I enjoyed every minute of this book. The gothic setting, the spoiled boarding school classmates, and of course the twin mystery. I loved that shy Ivy begins to come out of her shell as she impersonates her feisty sister. There were a lot of twists and the ending was a complete surprise.
This is the first book in a trilogy. The other two have already been published in the U.K. so I might have to order them from there because I'm dying to know what happens next. I contacted the author and she's not sure when the other two will make it to the U.S.
I highly recommend this to students who like this kind of story. I promise it's not too scary at all!
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