STELLAR STORIES: Tangled in Time

The Portal
By Kathryn Lasky
Harper, 2019. Fiction.

After Rose's mom dies, she is sent to live with her aging grandmother in Indianapolis. Off to a rocky start at first, Rose is bullied at school, has a hard time making friends, and finds her grandmother distant and constantly disoriented. This begins to change when Rose realizes that her grandmother's greenhouse is a secret portal to the court of Henry VIII and she can time-travel back to the 16th century. As a chambermaid for Princess Elizabeth, Rose finds herself caught up in the Tudor court - and a hunt for her long-lost father - while her own middle school drama plays out back home.

Kathryn Lasky balances a contemporary realistic and historical fiction setting in this time-traveling adventure. The parallels between the modern world and the Hatfield Palace of Princess Elizabeth are mostly convincing and readers will be enticed by the frequent back-and-forths from the present to the past. This book ends with some pretty big unanswered questions and a cliffhanger that promises an exciting series to come. Fans of historical fiction should read this one eagerly.

Comments

Dude, That's Rude! (Get Some Manners) by Pamela Espeland & Elizabeth Verdick

If there's one book today's kids need to read, it is Dude, That's Rude! (Get Some Manners) . The authors provide a fun format for teaching etiquette to children. They discuss proper behavior at home, at school, at other people's homes and in public places. The information is completely up-to-date with cellphone manners and netiquette included. Fun, cartoony illustrations are on practically every page giving the book great visual appeal. This book is perfect for boys and girls in the fourth grade or older. WARNING: Bodily functions are discussed.

Faces of the Moon by Bob Crelin

Faces of the Moon by Bob Crelin Illustrated by Leslie Evans Charlesburg; 2009; unpaged Faces of the Moon is a short nonfiction book that describes the different phases of the moon and why the moon appears like it does on certain nights. This book is short and sweet so even the youngest of moon lovers will enjoy it. The layout is simplistic and easy to follow. I don’t know much about the moon so I found it very interesting.

The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester 2008

J Fiction 328 pages I almost didn't finish this book. I got to Chapter 4, and was just about ready to quit (a kind of slow story about a girl, name of Piper McCloud, who discovers she can fly, parents freak out, she becomes a social outcast, yadda, yadda) but suddenly, right there in Chapter 4, the story takes a sharp turn and becomes really interesting . Piper finds herself in the company of others like her, but not "fliers", and under the care and authority of Dr. Hellion. I won't even tell you any more. Read this book. Forester does a great job of keeping you wondering who's the good guy and who's the bad? Piper is a likeable, strong, endearing character that girl readers will enjoy. But don't NOT give it to boys! The main male character is an extremely intelligent young man who is one of the ones you wonder about . . . good or bad? This is a good one, well worth your time.

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