The Vanishing Act

A charming book that warms your heart and bursts with creativity. 12 year old Minou, lives on a small wintery island with her father, a priest, and an ex-magician with a dog named no-name. Her spunky mother was once counted as one of the inhabitants but she vanished one night and all the adults on the island are positive that she is dead. Minou however is not convinced - a fan of the philosophers that her father loves - she makes a list containing all the reasons that support her theory. When they find a frozen dead boy on the beach and bring him to the house to await the next boat shipment - both Minou and her father start to reflect on her mother and the circumstances that led to her disappearing from the small island. Filled with fun, quirky characters - this adorable story told through a child's eyes is not one that readers will forget.

Once Upon a River

I don't know what I was expecting this novel to be, but it did not align to what I thought it should be about (based solely on the cover). That being said, this novel of storytelling, love, nature, and imagination was unique in every aspect. Like the flow of a river, I had no idea where the story was going to take me and I certainly didn't come close to predicting the end. The two central figures in this novel are the Swan (a nice little pub where storytelling is the highest form of currency) and the river. One ordinary night as the drinks were flowing, a man stumbled in and immediately passed out due to injuries, with him is a young girl of four; cold and dead. When Rita the local doctor is called for she patches up the injured man and sets the girl outside.... only to realize that the young dead girl is no longer dead. The tale of this miraculous girl grows and spreads. Where did she come from? How did she come back from the dead? What has the river done? Fascinating tale that ebbs and flows with multiple narrators and perspectives.

Ellen Foster

Raw and unflinching, this story told through a young girl's eyes will captivate readers. Born to a depressed mother and abusive alcoholic Ellen learns to fend for herself and to depend on the kindness of strangers, especially on the colored family down the road. When Ellen loses her mother she isn't shocked or surprised she just further goes into survival mode, bouncing from one household to the next, trying to find someone willing to care for and love a ten year old. Set in the south during the sixties, this book is sure to generate lively discussion. It's a quick read and Kaye Gibbons does a wonderful job viewing the world through a child's imagination. Witty, charming, and precious.