Publisher blurb: After being shipped off to stay with her aunt and uncle in Nowheresville, Pennsylvania, city girl Effie Starr Zook stumbles upon a mystery that leads her to an old family feud in this "accessible and exciting" (School Library Journal, starred review). A rich girl from New York City, Effie Starr Zook isn't afraid of much. When her parents go on a dangerous round-the-world adventure in a solar airplane, she's packed off to her aunt and uncle's farm for the summer. Expecting boredom, she runs smack dab into a family secret. Why does the neighbour kid want to avoid her? What are her aunt and uncle so worried about? And what does "bad blood" mean, anyway? Effie's got a brand-new bicycle, time on her hands, and an unlimited capacity for asking questions. With these, she sets out to uncover whatever it is the grownups are hiding. Along the way, she'll contend with crackpot politics, serve coffee in a bookstore café, and learn more than she bargained for about her famous great-grandfather, the inventor of the barf bag. Fast-paced and funny, this is a story about having the courage to find out who you really are. Look out, world--when Effie Starr Zook has questions, she won't take no for an answer!
I actually ran out of middle grade novels a couple of weeks ago so I charged up my old ipad and purchased a couple of ebooks (Kindle). I have no memory of how I found this one but I do think the title and cover are very appealing. I read this whole book in one sitting and the surprise at the end warmed my heart. Sadly this book is no longer available here in Australia in paperback and the hardcover is too expensive to consider for a school library purchase but perhaps you can access an ebook version of this book from a public library.
Opening sentences: "Effie Starr Zook looked out the bedroom window, and what she saw made her heart go thud. There in the pen with Alfred the Goat stood a little boy."
Here are a few text quotes to give you a flavour of the writing in this book:
Effie is a city girl "she knew a smoothie from a lassi, a cemita from a torta, and a latte from a cappuccino."
About Effie herself: "Effie was ordinary looking. Among the other eleven-year-old girls at her school, she was a little shorter than average and a little more square. Her hair was brown and opinionated. Her best feature, her eyes, were warm and brown besides being unusually large like her mother's and aunts."
Mr Yoder "He was big all over - tall and wide without being fat. He had abundant dark blonde hair on his head but the most striking thing about him was the hair on his face - the biggest beard Effie had ever seen in real life."
Pendleton Odbody "He was broad-shouldered with a mass of black braids that tumbled to his shoulders. He was dressed in khakis and a long-sleeved button-down shirt made from the puckery fabric called seersucker. He wore square glasses with wire frames."
Food at the country show: "The flyer says kettle corn, funnel cake, cheese on a stick, and cornhole. ... I don't even know what those things are. ... It will be a cultural experience."
I also love some of the vocab in this book: maudlin; emesis bags; scion; preposterous.
"How can you not ask questions? I always have questions."
Companion reads:
No comments:
Post a Comment