Slightly reminiscent of “A Wrinkle in Time,” both in writing style and the elements of science and space, comes this exciting Middle Grade fantasy tale about Frankie Russo and his journey to the planet Urth. Frankie is a daydreamer and often gets in trouble for it. Then one day he is sucked through a crack in his ceiling and ends up in another world. He feels oddly at home in this new place called Urth, even though his fingers have turned purple. As he’s wandering around, he meets Ideth, who becomes his caretaker while he is on Urth. Some crazy things happen to Frankie while he is on Urth, and he has to face some of his biggest fears. Frankie learns a lot about life and himself while he is away from home, and it will certainly affect his life once he returns. Ballard created a wonderfully strange planet in Urth, and her descriptions make you feel like you're right there with Frankie and Ideth. I think this is a great fantasy that would appeal to both boys and girls and I definitely will add this title to my classroom library. I am excited to read the next books in the series! This book is already available in e-book format and will be published in paperback on October 1, 2020. Thank you to NetGalley and Whipsmart Books for providing me with an ARC of this book to review. #NetGalley #Frankieandthegiftoffantasy
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This is a fantastically chilling ghost story for middle grade readers. Claire is a 12 year old seventh grader and budding scientist. She doesn’t just not like ghosts, she’s completely terrified of them. But her father’s livelihood depends on telling ghost stories about historically accurate tragedies around Chicago. Claire ends up having to work as her dad’s assistant one night for his tour aboard the Spirit bus. The trip is as horrible as she imagines, and then, as if she wasn't uncomfortable enough, she sees a real ghost and he follows her home! To make matters worse, Claire is on the outs with her best friend Casley, so she feels like she's going to have to face the ghost all alone. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. I can't wait to share this with my students once it is published in September 2020. |
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