This Librarian's Quick Picks: The Key to Extraordinary

The Key to Extraordinary
by Natalie Lloyd
Scholastic (Feb. 23, 2016)
Fantasy Chapter Book

“Some books are so special that you never forget where you were the first time you read them.”

 Summary:

Twelve-year old orphan Emma Casey lives by a haunted graveyard in her Tennessee town, giving tours, and helping her brother and Granny Blue with the family bakery, and waiting for the destiny dream of her ancestors--but when it comes it shows her only a key, and she finds that she must solve a ghostly mystery that has haunted her town for generations.

Why You'll Love It:

• The book's evocative setting and cast of eccentric minor characters will draw readers into Emma's world-one warmed by friendship, love, and hope-to share in her discovery that the most valuable treasures lie within.
• Despite ghosts and graves, the story avoids the macabre and instead focuses on the relationships among memory, sadness, and joy, especially as Emma's still recovering from her mother's death.
• This novel will be appreciated by younger middle grade readers who enjoy mysteries with an ample dose of magic and whimsy.

Who Should Read It:

Great for 3rd-6th graders...and here's the book trailer from Scholastic.



What Else You Should Read:

• A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd
• A Tangle of Knots by Lisa Graff
• Savvy by Ingrid Law

Jane-Emily by Patricia Clapp

Jane-Emily
by Patricia Clapp
HarperCollins, 1969
139 pages
Children's/YA fantasy; ghost story
Personal Copy

Summary in a Sentence (or two): 

Eighteen-year-old Louisa Amory is off to spend the summer with her aunt and young niece, Jane, who has an invisible friend, Emily. Seems innocent enough, until Louisa learns that Emily was a real girl who died in the house years ago but maybe never quite left.

My Thoughts:

The first time I heard about this author or novel was when perusing Lizzie Skurnick's Shelf Discovery, which, if you haven't picked up yet, is a wonderful little gem of a book featuring teen classics from decades past. Many of you guys have joined the Shelf Discovery Challenge as well.

Anywho, I happened upon Jane-Emily and was at once drawn in with the synopsis of the story. I love ghost stories and anything with a Gothic feel. I couldn't find this one at any library nearby, so I ordered it and am so glad I did. This is a classic creepy, psychological ghost story with a side of romance for good measure. Something about children who are evil, possessed ghosts always seems extra malevolent, don't you think? Oh, and you will never look at those silver reflecting balls in peoples' front yards the same way again...

~For fans of Poe, Shirley Jackson, Du Maurier, all that good stuff. This book might also be a good way to get your kids to be fans of the aforementioned :)

Rating: 4/5

Also Recommended:

•  Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
• Turn of the Screw by Henry James

Other Reviews: 

• Surrounded By Words
• A Life in Books
• Reading the Past