Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales: One Dead Spy (Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales #1) by Nathan Hale

The first read aloud I did with a graphic novel left me baffled after a few pages. I sputtered in front of the class, "Huh? That text didn't make any sense." A few grade 4 students laughed and one said, "You don't read it like a book Mrs. Middleton." "How do I read it?" I asked. "The square and circle speech bubbles are two different people talking and the pink means Babymouse [the protagonist] is dreaming." "Ohhhhh! Brilliant! I get it now!" We laughed together and I started over noticing a few other enlightened nongraphic-novel-reading-students like me.

Graphic novels are a great way to bridge literacies in young readers by using pictures to help students understand text. I have many students who love checking out books on famous battles, weapons, and wars; however, many express frustration over high vocabulary and complex topics. "One Dead Spy" is a fantastic book for those young history buffs that mixes elements of narrative nonfiction and fiction in a graphic novel form. Its illustrations and words contain just the right dose of odd tales about famous people, battles in the Revolutionary war, and rapid-fire shots of humor, facts, and action.

Nathan Hale was a Revolutionary War soldier who was captured by the British and hanged. Nathan is waiting to be executed when a giganto history book appears on the hanging platform swallowing him whole. When the book spits Nathan back out, he explains that he time-traveled into the future and tells the hangman and British Provost overseeing his hanging stories of famous people and battles to come. Comic relief comes in the form of the goofy hangman who gets wrapped up in Nathan's stories like a child listening to storytime, while the Provost is cynical and questions Nathan's claims regarding future events.  Each character has a distinct voice that makes it easy to follow the text and pictures.

The author balances humor with text to create a fast-paced book. The main character is going to be hanged and it is clever how the author throws in occasional metafictional elements to diffuse the intensity of Nathan's grim fate. This age appropriate tactic shows up with the characters talking to the reader by being outside the paneled picture. At one point the Provost says, "Enjoy your pictures now! Captain Hale isn't going to be around much longer!"Other times the hangman is just being funny such as when he asks Nathan, "What about George Washy-toes?" referring to George Washington.

You'll laugh out loud as Nathan Hale weaves in weird true facts with famous historical people. Take Henry Knox. He's huddled behind a wooden barrier surrounded by men ducking as cannon fire bombards them. "Yikes!" says one of them. "Hmmm..." says Henry Knox sitting up with a half-smile, "sounds like a 12-pounder, firing hollow shot..." "BOOM" the next picture reads. "Isn't this great?" Knox says to the guy next to him who is holding his hat as debris rains on him. "Huh?" the guy says, to which Knox replies with a huge grin, "I LOVE guns and artillery. "BOOM" is the next graphic. "I thought you were a book-seller," comments the guy. "I was. I spent all day reading books about guns and artillery!" "AAAGH! What happened to your hand!?!" The guy yells. "AAAAAAGH! AAAAAGH!" They both scream as Knox holds up a hand missing two fingers. "Ha-Ha-Ha!" says Knox with a sly look on his face. "Sorry. That was mean. I lost these fingers back in '73" "How?" asks the guy. "Playin' with guns," says Knox. "Of course," responds the guy with a dry look. The facts are Knox did own a bookstore, was mostly self-educated, and lost two fingers on his 23rd birthday. The playful, funny dialogue is Hale's brilliant way of making history interesting.

The graphic novel pares down text to its most basic elements and while it appears simple it is far from that. It's a great way to engage students in a pre-reading stage where details are found in visuals and dialogue that comes in the form of speech bubbles. The clear beginning, middle, and end along with character development and humor make me want to read more graphic novels, especially by Nathan Hale. The end tells much of what is true and what the author made up. Toss in some corny research babies who are Hale's correction team and you have a scapegoat for incorrect facts. I like this spoof on newspapers and correction columns. Oh! I almost forgot. The babies also show Hale [cartoon dude] Hale's [author's] bibliography. I know it's confusing. He's got some more metafiction going on... just read it. 'Tis funny. A great read aloud and companion to nonfiction texts on American history.

Jazz Age Josephine by Jonah Winter; illustrated by Marjorie Priceman

Boh-doh-doh-dee-oh! Boh-doh-doh-dee-oh!

Okay, now sing those words.

And while you are at it make them sound like some musical instrument. This is called scat-singing made popular in the Jazz Age and a form that Jonah Winter doodles across the pages of his terrific picture book biography, Jazz Age Josephine. I made the mistake - or maybe not a mistake - of not reading this book beforehand and when I tried to sputter through the zee-buh-dop-zows and boh-doh-doh-dee-oh it did NOT sound like any musical instrument you'd find in any band. The kindergartners laughed so hard three grabbed their knees and rolled backwards like roly-poly eggs. And things got really interesting when we tried to do the Charleston dance. Let me tell you, I am NO Josephine. Josephine Baker to be exact.

African American Josephine Baker was singing the blues in St. Louis during the 1920s. She lived in a house with no heat, little food, and rats a-nibblin' at her feet. As a teenager she snuck into the dance tent and made people laugh with her funny faces and terrific dancing where she made some money entertaining people. One night in St. Louis, some white people burned down the homes of many black people and Josephine decided it was time to leave. She went to New York City where she got a job on the stage. She was in the chorus and played the Minstrel. While audiences loved her, she was disgusted with the degradation of her race in the Minstrel role. She left for France where she found different stage roles and became famous.

The writing style combines riffs and rhythms to reflect jazz songs. If you are wondering what is a riff, like I was, it is a sentence that is repeated usually at the same part and in the same pitch.  The first part of the book trumpets rhyming couplets and riffs, People, listen to my story, 'bout a girl named Josephine. / People, listen to this story, 'bout a poor girl name of Josephine. / She was the saddest little sweetheart this side of New Orleans, while the second part of the book shimmy and shakes the riffs with scat-sentences such as, Boodle-am Boodle-am Boodle-am SHAKE! Boodle-am Boodle-am Boodle-am SHAKE! When Josephine goes to Paris, not only does the tone of writing change as it picks up a new beat to reflect the excitement of the stage, but the illustrator signals a change in the story direction by forcing the reader to tip the page up and down and illustrating Josephine at the Eiffel Tower. The setting now only shows Josephine in or besides the Paris theater house.

Can you tell the students favorite part of the book? That's right... the last page where Josephine is sticking out her tongue. Josephine is funny. Not only does she stick out her tongue, she crosses her eyes and bugs them out making audiences laugh. The author's note on the last page says that Josephine was so good at clowning in the show that she got a job on the New York stage at the age of 15.  Kindergartners are not going to understand the complexity of this story but they do get the humor and enjoy the repetitive language patterns. Although  one boy clearly understood when the black folks homes were being destroyed by white people because he shouted "meanies!"  The kids also liked it when we danced the Charleston and they liked singing, Boodle-am Boodle-am Boodle-am SHAKE! 

Priceman's use of ink pen and gouache illustrations move Josephine across the pages like a gymnast on a springboard. Josephine is energetic, fun, and flexible with the flapper costumes and hairstyles so reflective of the roaring 1920s. Priceman adds some tidbits to the story such as the illustration of Josephine in her most famous banana peel skirt costume. The colorful Josephine also had a cheetah as a pet and would bring it on stage. If you want students to hear some Jazz music, listen to Louis Armstrong's Heebee Jeebies (the third audio clip) which made scat-singing famous. Make sure you read this book out loud or sing it.

Good luck!
Duh-duhnt-duhnt!

Reading Level 2.4
5 out of 5 Smileys

Dumpling Days by Grace Lin

Living overseas is difficult and wonderful. On the street, Chinese conversations flow around me like incense and the street signs look like mixed-up chopsticks. Communication oftentimes means charades, and buying what looks like milk, might be a carton of yogurt milk. At first, this new lifestyle for me was overwhelming, but now I have become used to the strangeness of it all, laughing at my mistakes and learning to find joy in each day. Pacy has similar experiences in Dumpling Days by Grace Lin, where she too, must adjust to her new surroundings in a foreign country for the summer and learn to find happiness in the adventure of each day.

Pacy is an artist. She visits Taiwan with her parents and two sisters to see relatives and take a painting class. She learns in class that Chinese painting is about sending a message, not painting a picture. Like brushstrokes on a canvas, Grace Lin paints many messages in this novel, one of them being do not compare yourself to others. Pacy compares her artwork with another girl in class and it makes her dissatisfied and unhappy. She wants to paint the best picture in class and win a blue ribbon at the exhibit, but realizes on the last day that she has been so focused on winning that she makes herself unhappy and misses out on making a friend with a girl named Eva. She learns in Chinese painting that you cannot go back and erase anything and thinks how that happens in life; how she cannot go back and make friends with Eva - art class is over and she'll never see her again.

Pacy finds that her painting talent is fickle, "The fortune-teller had said my special skill would be used all my life. Why did it keep disappearing? It made me hollow and fragile, like an empty eggshell." How true! A part of Pacy's growth as an artist, or any artist or athlete for that matter, is the ups and downs of acquiring new skills. Pacy also likes her paintings but hopes for "an even better one." She is not always content and it is how she deals with these internal struggles that adds tension and makes this story so enjoyable to read. Pacy learns that while winning is fun, it cannot be the only pursuit because it takes away her joy.

Pacy explores not only the artist within herself, but she is struggling to find her identity. Pacy is Taiwanese-American and some people expect her to speak Chinese because she looks Asian; however, she cannot speak it and is overwhelmed by being in a foreign country and not understanding the language. She's a Twinkie, Chinese on the outside and Americanized on the inside. She gets angry at times, feels ashamed at other times, but she learns to deal with it and change in a positive way. Even her relationship with her two sisters changes, as they too, deal with a different culture in their own way. When Lissy gets some glamorous photos done, Pacy decides that they are fake and that Pacy needs to be herself and real wherever she is in the world. She is examining who she is in the world and what is important to her as a person. Pacy also misses her friend Melody who has moved to California. She thinks about her often, especially when someone does something that reminds her of Melody, and she sends her a postcard from Taiwan. I think the strength of this book is that the action is grounded in every day life. There are no dramatic plot twists but everyday occurrences and the reader will be able to relate to much of what Pacy is going through during her vacation.  At times I felt like I was reading my journal when reading this book, making many connections from my experiences living overseas, and it added tremendously to my enjoyment of the story.

But unlike my random journal writing, Grace Lin constructs this story with rich imagery and repetition. The chapters are full of wonderful similes and metaphors found in Asian culture such as chopsticks, umbrellas, and soup: "His fingers reminded me of chopsticks picking the best pieces of meat from a dish," "Seeing him made all my grumpiness from being hungry fall away like rain being shaken from a wet umbrella," "A warm, happy feeling filled me like I had swallowed a bowl of delicious soup." The culture is explained and built upon through the internal struggles of Pacy. The ghost month and superstitions that are associated with it are woven throughout the plot and images and cultural explanations are built upon each other using repetition that creates a snowball effect. For instance, when Pacy is finding her identity as a Taiwanese-American, she thinks about the meaning of her name and her siblings names in Chinese. She learns about the use of name chops in Chinese culture and in paintings meanwhile relating and reflecting on this knowledge through incidents that happen to her and her sisters in Taiwan. When Pacy has insight into who she is as a person or artist she comments that it is a "beautiful thought" which is her sister Lissy's Chinese name. Folk tales and family stories from the past are also used to connect the culture to Pacy's internal changes. As Pacy learns about Taiwan culture so does the reader. The dumplings are used throughout the story. They give Pacy comfort, represent something she likes in Taiwan, and add humor to the plot (they also made me so hungry we ate at Din Tai Fung, a famous dumpling restaurant). The author uses the dumpling as a simile and also explains and illustrates how to make dumplings and the different kinds found in other countries. The author's message is stronger using this technique. Plus, the chapters are like small episodes in and of themselves which makes for a good read aloud.

Dumpling Days reads like a travel memoir dealing with everyday life in a foreign country with it's unique food smells, sounds, and sights and what it is like adjusting to all the changes, as well as, what it means to make new friends, lose friends, be a minority, be flexible, and have an identity. The illustrations are going to help readers visualize different cultural foods and items. Make sure to look at the page numbers! I love how the green man on the street lights walks through the pages.

Pacy's father says it is a good trip when "You take something with you, you leave something behind and you are forever changed." This can be said for living overseas as well. Taiwan has been a good life for me and I have learned to love it. Like Uncle Shin, I have two homes. I miss Taiwan when I'm in the U.S. and I miss the U.S. when I'm in Taiwan.  This is not a bad thing. This is a good thing and my life is richer for it.

I want to have a book club with this book next fall. With dumplings! Of course!

Reading Level 4.4
5 out of 5 Smileys

After Happily Ever After series

The book, Rapunzel Lets her Hair Down, by Tony Bradman from the After Happily Ever After series is a fun read. Rapunzel is sharing breakfast with her husband who talks about how much he loves Saturdays. He can play sports all day long and do whatever he wants.  Rapunzel, on the other hand, hates Saturdays because she has to wash her hair. It takes the help of 12 servants and lasts well past midnight. Rapunzel wants to cut her hair but her husband says, absolutely not! She also tells her husband she'd like to play sports and he tells her that girls are not good at sports. Ooooooh, now Rapunzel is mad at him. She concocts a plan to not only fix her hair problem but show her husband that girls can play sports. Funny and entertaining.

Reading Level 2-3

:-) :-) :-) :-) 4 out of 5 Smileys

Sparrow Girl by Sara Pennypacker; illustrated by Yoko Tanaka

Ming-Li likes birds and so does her brother who has a pet pigeon. When Chairman Mao orders war on the sparrows who are eating the wheat, Ming-Li is worried. She creeps to her brother's bed and asks him what if other birds get killed...like pigeon?

Mao tells the people to bang pots, pans, and set off firecrackers to scare the birds to death for three days. Not only is the campaign successful, other birds die as well, including the brother's pet pigeon. Saddened by what is happening Ming-Li and her brother search for birds who have not died. They find seven birds and put them in the pigeon's now-empty cage. Because it is so crowded, Ming-Li secretly moves the birds to the barn and feeds and cares for them. When the crops begin to fail because of too many locusts, the farmers realize that they should not have killed all the sparrows who ate those insects. Find out how Ming-Li becomes a hero for her village.

This book is based on a true story when in 1958 Mao ordered all the sparrows killed because they were eating the crops. A plague of locusts came and destroyed the crops for 3 years. Thirty to forty million Chinese dies from starvation because of the failed crops. There is much to talk about with this book such as the ecological disaster, the civil disobedience of Ming-Li, and wisdom. A great read aloud.

Reading Level 3.5

:-) :-) :-) :-) :-) 5 out of 5 Smileys

 

The Sandman by Ralph Fletcher

This tiny little man stumbles upon a magical dragon scale that puts people into a deep and refreshing sleep. Wanting to help others, the Sandman, who is the size of a thimble, goes around town sprinkling magic sand on the eyes of children who can't sleep. When the dragon scale runs out he goes on a quest to the dragon's lair to fetch another one. See if he succeeds on his dangerous journey.

The illustrations and writing in this book are fantastic! I can read it over and over and not get sick of it. The tension mounts as the Sandman waits for the dragon to return. I like how Fletcher uses repetition such as, He waited..." , at the climax to make the moment more dramatic and scary. The students really enjoy this book. Make sure you read the dedication page. It's funny.

Reading Level 2.6

:-) :-) :-) :-) :-) 5 out of 5 Smileys

Flying Solo by Ralph Fletcher

Imagine you are in 6th grade. Your teacher is gone and a sub is coming. The school bell rings and there is no sub. The class takes attendance and still no sub. What do you do? Karen, a natural leader in the class, goes down to the office and DOES NOTHING. Yahoo. Free day. Right? Well...not exactly. Told from the point of view of Fletcher (not the author-it's the main characters name), discover how a class handles the disappearance of their teacher and sub. Tension mounts as they try to hold class without adult supervision. From Rachel, the mute, to Bastian, the not-so-nice teaser, students get some homework done, goof around some, and fight some. Things reach a climax when they discuss the death of a student that happened in the fall learning that maybe they need to act differently toward each other.

This book has a good pace and some of the issues are resolved at the end of the novel. I like the image/metaphor of flying and how it was used throughout the story. The story reminded me of the Because of Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea where students learn to be responsible for their actions and grieve the loss of someone. I like how Fletcher doesn't give easy answers and choices such as Bastian's choice to give his pet away as being more for his pet than because he has a generous heart. He's mean in his teasing of others and this made sense to me and made the character's choice authentic. I do think the students would have goofed around more than they did, but that's debatable. Another terrific book by Fletcher and a great read aloud.

Reading Level 5.8

:-) :-) :-) :-) 4 out of 5 Smileys

 

Fig Pudding by Ralph Fletcher

"Sasparilla succotash," says Uncle Billy snapping his fingers. Cliff listens as Billy makes up a story about what "yidda yadda" means. Baby Josh wants a "yidda yadda" and no one knows what it means. In Fig Pudding by Ralph Fletcher a clear picture is painted of 5th grader Cliff and his brothers and sisters. Baby Josh looks like a sickly baby with green snot running down his nose that he  constantly smears all over his face. Teddy is a terror who shouts instead of uses a regular voice. Nate pulls pranks, especially on the gullible Brad. Cyn is the only girl who spends more time with the family down the street than with her own family. And Grandma, is adored by all, and has skin like tissue paper but a grip that is still strong. When a terrible accident happens, everyone has to deal with their "bowl of sadness."

This is a great read aloud. In the beginning of the novel, each chapter stands on its own almost as a story itself. The stories are funny and poignant. The descriptions are terrific:

Teddy was wild in church, wild in school, and especially wild during the holidays. After Christmas, while Josh was still at Good Sam, Teddy started hiding people's presents and unscrewing lights on the tree. He took gobs of tinsel off and made little bird nests that he stuck back onto the tree. One day while Mom and Dad were shopping, Teddy stole baby Jesus from the manger and laughed when no one could find it. See what I'm saying? He stole Jesus and thought it was funny.

I also thought the beginning chapters were choppy. The first has Grandma as a significant character and then it shifts to a sibling and Grandma disappears. The change was abrupt. I think it would have helped if there had been something linking the chapters together in the beginning. Fletcher does tie the baking of stollen or bread to the end of the story but I think some overall theme was needed throughout. The book reminds me of The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly, but in that story the main character wants to be a scientist and it weaves a thread throughout all the chapters tying it together. Maybe if it had something like that? I'm no expert. What do you think?

There is a death in the story that makes it sad but it is balanced with humor and ways of dealing with grief. Terrific book.

Reading Level 4.9

:-) :-) :-) :-) 4 out of 5 Smileys

Spider Boy by Ralph Fletcher

Spider Boy is the new kid in school. He hates it. He'd rather spend time with his pet tarantula than make friends. When his science teacher pairs him with another girl in class he is forced to communicate with others. While 7th grader Bobby likes being with her, he is bothered by the fact she likes Chick Hall, a boy who has been bullying him since day 1. When Bobby catches Chick cheating on a test things escalate in a dramatic climax.

Great pacing, plot, and characters. I loved how this book incorporated nonfiction elements with fiction elements. I kept thinking of students I should recommend it too and how I had never read a book quite like it. Fletcher uses facts about spiders in each chapter as a way of explaining what is happening to the character. At first they are just facts, but as the story proceeds more personal information is sprinkled in with the facts while relating to what is happening to Bobby. For instance, when Lucky kisses him the facts are about spiders mating and when Chick attacks him the facts are about spiders predators and Bobby says how he feels about it. The bully, Chick Hall, isn't one dimensional and Lucky tries to explain that she likes Chick because he isn't boring. She doesn't acknowledge or recognize his mean streak.

Great complexity of characters and situations.

Reading Level 4.4

:-) :-) :-) :-) :-) 5 out of 5 Smileys

Melissa Parkington's Beautiful, Beautiful Hair by Pat Brisson

On the outside, Melissa Parkington has gorgeous hair. Everyone comments on it. Her dad even sings to her, Good night, my Melissa of the beautiful, beautiful hair.

At first she feels special, but she realizes her appearance isn't important. She really wants to be known for something special she does on the inside; something she is really good at doing. She makes a list and tries basketball. A neighbor, younger than her, comes over and she teaches him how to play the game. They play after school and he improves but she doesn't. She realizes that she'll never be special in basketball so she looks at the second item on her list which is to paint something good enough to be in a museum. While painting a tree in her backyard, a younger girl  comes over and asks her to paint pictures for her of all different kinds of animals. Melissa realizes that she won't be good at painting either. A Mom comes over and thanks Melissa for being so kind to her children teaching her boy to play basketball and painting pictures for her daughter.

Melissa has a brainstorm and decides she will be a kind person! She shows kindness to her classmates, her family, and when she is walking home with her mother she passes a beauty parlor that has a sign asking people to donate hair for wigs to be made for children with no hair. Melissa decides to get her hair cut off. Her father wisely sings to her the night after her brave act, Good night my Melissa of the beautiful, beautiful heart.

Reading Level 3.4

:-) :-) :-) :-) :-) 5 Smileys

My Very Last First Time by Jan Andrews

Imagine it is the middle of winter. Imagine you are with your mother going to find mussels. Imagine crawling through a hole in the ice, but instead of landing in icy water, you land on mud! The tide is out and your new-found ice cave has seaweed for  carpet and icicles that hang from the thick ice roof like stalactites in a cave. Your mother doesn't come with you as lower yourself into blackness, but she holds a flashlight over the hole like a beacon. You have to find mussels and you can't get lost or you will drown when the tide comes in. This is what Eva has to do on a frigid winter day in northern Canada at her Inuit village. And it is her "very last, first time" she'll do such a thing!

This is a fun book to read to grade 4 students. It is unpredictable and full of tension. The students are puzzled that it sounds like Eva and her mother are going for a swim because in the picture they are putting on their parkas. The students' faces continue to crinkle in confusion when on the next page Eva and her mother walk through the Inuit village pulling sleds. The watercolor illustrations are beautiful and Ian Wallace, the illustrator has hidden images in the pictures. This is one of those books I can read again, and again, and again.

There is an excellent guide from Pacific Publishing on how to read this book aloud or with a child. The author explains on her website that she based this novel on something that Inuits do in Ungava Bay in Canada.

Reading Level 4.3

:-) :-) :-) :-) :-) 5 out of 5 Smileys

Art & Max

The brilliant book, Art & Max by David Wiesner,  has two distinct characters. Max is high energy and loveable in an annoying way. He flies across a double-page spread running over two assistants and knocking Art's paint brush out of his hand. Max is so excited to see Art paint he's a bit reckless in his enthusiasm. Art is the expert who has three assistants and is a bit of a snob. Art is annoyed with Max in the beginning but changes at the end when Max opens his eyes to new possibilities in creating a work of art.

Art lets Max paint with him but tells him to stay out of the way. Max doesn't know what to paint and asks Art. Art replies by telling him to paint him. Max takes Art literally and paints him. The acrylic paint hardens and cracks on Art before exploding off the page to reveal pastels beneath Art. Max is fascinated by what the medium is doing while Art is furious with Max. Excited, Max rushes off the page with one finger in the air indicating he has an idea and that Art should just wait there for him. He comes back with a fan and blows the pastels off of Art who is feeling dry-mouthed from inhaling pastel dust. He asks for a drink of water and the medium turns into watercolors. Art drinks the glass of water and the watercolor washes off him completely leaving only his outline. Completely fed up with Max, Art stomps off the page while Max says "wait a minute" and grabs a hold of Art’s outline. Art completely unravels so that he disappears from the page. Max holds the tangled outline in his hands and with a baffled look says, "Arthur?"

Max then sets to work with determination, his long lizard-like tongue hanging out of his mouth, as he concentrates on putting Art back together. His first attempt is quite comical and the students laugh the hardest at this page no matter what age group I read it to. Next, Max puts art back together and the students "ooh" and "aah" as the simple lines become more complex and Art becomes recognizable. Once he is back together Max holds his finger up because he has another idea. ("Uh-oh," the students groan, along with Art's three reptillian assistants who are shaking their heads.) Max comes in with a vacuum cleaner and blasts Art with paint. Art looks completely different covered in dots to represent Pointillism.

Reading Level 0.7

The Bake Shop Ghost

Cora Lee Merriweather runs the best bake shop in town, but no one notices her, just her delicious cakes. When she dies others try to buy the shop but she gets angry and scares them away. When Annie Washington buys the shop she confronts the ghost trying to figure out why she is haunting the place. Annie tries to bake a cake that will please Cora Lee but none of her recipes seem to be good enough for her. When Annie runs out of recipes she comes up with a surprising solution to the problem. See how Annie’s act of kindness transforms Cora Lee from a unhappy ghost with a “lemon-pucker” mouth to a ghost with a big smile. Sometimes it is the small things that make the biggest difference.

The book incorporates smells, sounds, and colorful descriptions. While reading the book aloud, I changed my voice with the different characters who bought Ms. Merriweather’s shop. Annie changes in the story as she learns to respect the ghost’s opinion. The two slowly become friends which allows Annie to figure out how to help the ghost.

The author, Jacqueline Ogburn, said she came up with the story after listening to Charlie Daniels song, The Devil Went Down to Georgia, and that she used a common folktale motif of a ghost or spirit dueling with a mortal.

Marjorie Priceman’s illustrations in watercolor are detailed and reminiscent of Ludwig Bemelmens pictures in his Madeline series. The setting is somewhere in Europe and the buildings reminded me of France. She captures the energy of the grumpy ghost driving people out of her shop.

Other books like this are: Fergus and the Night-Demon : an Irish Ghost Story, by Jim Murphy ; illustrated by John Manders and The Perfect Pumpkin Pie, by Denys Cazet.

Reading Level 3.6