Skip to main content

Saving Lucas Biggs

By
Saving Lucas Biggs - Marisa de los Santos & David Teague



Saving Lucas Biggs
by Marisa de los Santos and David Teague
HarperCollins, 2014.  279 pgs. Fiction

     Margaret's father has just been sentenced to death for a murder he didn't commit, and his last words to her before he is taken to prison are a family mantra:  There is one Now: the spot where I stand, and one way the road goes:  onward, onward.  Perhaps her father shared these words because Margaret's family has the ability to travel through time, but have promised themselves and each other that they will never use it.  But when Margaret thinks that a trip to the past may save her father's life, she doesn't hesitate to go back to 1938 to try to change the life of the corrupt judge who gave her father the death penalty. What distinguishes this thoughtful, delightful, suspenseful book for middle graders is that it doesn't play out in the usual last minute blast from the past save. As it turns out, Margaret, her best friend Charlie, and Charlie's grandfather Josh find that what was broken in the past may have to be mended in the present.  Saving Lucas Biggs is unusual in including good parents and caregivers for the children, unapologetic expressions of religious belief, and a refreshing notion that a peaceful approach to solving problems is infinitely preferable to a violent reaction.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

If You Like...KPop Demon Hunters

By
KPop Demon Hunters has been one of the most talked-about movies of the summer. If you loved this movie as much as I did, you don't want the magic (or the music) to stop. Try reading these books that touch on some of the same topics and themes as the animated hit! Brick Dust and Bones By M. R. Fournet New York: Feiwel and Friends, 2023. Fiction. 247 pages. Orphaned Marius works in the family business--as their cemetery's ghost caretaker. However, Marius also moonlights as a monster hunter in order to earn the costly Mystic currency he needs to bring his mother back from the dead. As the window to bring his mother back begins to close, Marius's exploits get more and more dangerous, and he may have set his sights on a monster too big to handle on his own. Like Mira, Marius longs for familial connection, and his work as a monster hunter will satisfy the thrill of demon hunting for fans the movie. Where's Halmoni? By Julie J. Kim Seattle, WA: Little Bigfoot, 2017. Comics. W...
Post a Comment
Read more

Five Faves: New Dragon Chapter Books for Middle Grade

By
As a kid I was OBSESSED (all caps!) with dragons.  Dragons can be scary, majestic, loyal, greedy, but what they all have in common is how fun they are to read about!  Check out the dragon books below for some fun new reads! Dad Rock Dragon Quest Written by Joan Reardon New York : Aladdin, 2025. Fiction. 342 pgs. Dad Rock Dragon Quest follows 12-year-old aspiring rockstar Zadie Drake, whose summer plans to bond with her super cool, if sometimes absent, daredevil park ranger dad get complicated when her mom’s boring new boyfriend tags along. After they arrive at her dad’s cabin, a poacher kidnaps her dad’s ice-breathing dragon, revealing her dad's secret role protecting magical creatures and thrusting the family into a high-stakes rescue mission. Along the way, Zadie begins to rethink her relationships with both her father and her mom’s boyfriend.  Dragonborn Written by Struan Murrya New York, NY : Dutton Children's Books, 2025. Fiction. 320 pgs. Dragonborn  follows 1...
Post a Comment
Read more

Review: The Picasso Curse

By
  The Picasso Curse By Dan Gutman New York : Holiday House, 2025. Fiction. 183 pages. In this funny tale, Edwin Hodge visits the flea market with his parents all the time. Mostly he wanders around bored, but this week he decides to haggle his way into a "signed" Kobe Bryant poster (that the stall owner refuses to confirm is actually autographed) for $10. When he gets home and pulls it out of the frame he sees a random doodle in the frame behind the poster and rolls them both up to bring for show-and-tell. When his art teacher sees the doodle she speculates that it was created by Picasso, which Edwin's family later gets confirmed by art specialists. But when a string of terrible things begins happening to Edwin's family, he worries that he may be cursed.  Dan Gutman, who is known for his My Weird School series, focuses for much of the book on why Edwin is making the decisions he's making, and gives kids ample opportunities to think through what they would do if the...
Post a Comment
Read more