In his middle-grade debut, Buzbee (The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop
) pays eerie tribute to a great American author. A native of Salinas, Calif., Travis Williams is campaigning to save the public library (named after the town’s most famous citizen, John Steinbeck) when he’s unsettled by seeing a ghost in the attic window of Steinbeck’s childhood house, hearing a vagrant spouting dialogue from The Red Pony
and finding a cave that holds dark secrets about Steinbeck’s history. As he joins forces with a classmate and a Steinbeck expert, Travis finds himself drawn into a mystery at least as exciting as those he’s read about in books. Creating a brand of magical realism that is more thought provoking than scary, Buzbee resurrects Steinbeck characters and scenes to tell a story within a story. If events are strung together too tidily to allow for a happy ending, the story remains an intriguing introduction/companion to Steinbeck’s works and imaginatively conveys the power of literature to transport people to another time and place. Ages 10–14. (Sept.)
Details
Reviewed on: 08/11/2008
Genre: Children's
Compact Disc - 978-1-4233-6942-4
Compact Disc - 978-1-5012-7183-0
Compact Disc - 978-1-4558-9871-8
MP3 CD - 978-1-4558-9872-5
MP3 CD - 978-1-4233-6944-8
MP3 CD - 978-1-5012-8592-9
Other - 352 pages - 978-1-4299-1809-1
Paperback - 368 pages - 978-0-312-60211-6
Pre-Recorded Audio Player - 978-1-60640-892-6
Prebound-Glued - 342 pages - 978-1-61383-001-7
