Author: Eden Unger Bowditch
To be published: March 15, 2011
Publisher: Bancroft Press
Pages: 320
Rating: 3/5 Stars
My Review:
In 1903 five very intelligent children come from around the world and are deposited at Sole Manor Farm, a school outside Dayton, Ohio. They have several things in common: all their parents are well known scientists, they were brought to the school by mysterious men dressed in odd black outfits and now all their parents are missing.
This is the setting of the book as the children try to make sense of their missing parents and the men in black. They fear their parents have been kidnapped and in their efforts to find and rescue them they create an exciting invention. The book explores their feelings of having been left alone and how they form a bond of friendship to find a way out of their situation. Despite being smart enough to invent things and solve scientific problems the children still want to be held, kissed and loved by their parents.
I found this book to be enjoyable. The characters were well developed and likable, and the story was told from each characters point of view during the novel. So many books now use the supernatural to insert magic into the story. Here the magic is found in the way the children see the world around them. I found myself wanting to solve the mystery of their parents disappearance long with the kids. The book kept me engaged throughout and held several surprises along the way. As the book ended some questions were answered, but many more remained, setting up the next book in a planned trilogy. While listed as young adult, I would say it is geared toward the younger end of this group, but is an enjoyable read for all ages.
Rating: An enjoyable read
note: I received this book via netGalley from the publisher for review, but do not get any compensation for my review
1 comments:
Those are the best kind of books, the ones that draw you in and make you feel like you're a part of the story!
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