By: Sarah DeFord Williams
Synopsis (From Goodreads): When sisters Sadie and Zuzu Brooks move to Salt Lake City, they discover a secret room in the attic of their new house, with a sign that reads “Palace Beautiful” and containing an old journal. Along with their neighbor, dramatic Belladonna Desolation (real name: Kristin Smith), they take turns reading the story of a girl named Helen living during the flu epidemic of 1918. The journal ends with a tragedy that has a scary parallel to Sadie and Zuzu’s lives, and the girls become obsessed with finding out what happened to Helen after the journal ends. Did she survive the flu? Is she still alive somewhere? Or could her ghost be lurking in the nearby graveyard?
Sarah DeFord Williams has created a gripping read that covers two time periods, many fantastic characters, and a can’t-put-it-down ending, all with delightful, extraordinary prose.
Sarah DeFord Williams has created a gripping read that covers two time periods, many fantastic characters, and a can’t-put-it-down ending, all with delightful, extraordinary prose.
My Review: I'd like to say first off that this is a middle-grade book, not young adult. So, I'm going to be writing this review based on how I feel this book connects with its target audience.
This was such a beautiful story. There were so many things I liked about this book, but one of the things that struck me was how many lessons it taught without being "preachy." The girls in this story deal with death, moving, step-parents/mixed families, and feelings of neglect and loneliness.
I'm not usually one to enjoy stories about the early years in Utah. Because I've grown up here, sometimes I feel like those stories are crammed down my throat and they get a little old. But, this story was fresh and something I knew very little about: the flu epidemic of 1918. What a scary and horrific experience for those people. I felt like the story accurately portrayed how a young girl would handle that crisis.
The writing was also very well done. I loved the way she described colors so vividly. It made the story come to life, and made it much more real. The relationship between Sadie and Zuzu was one I could relate to as the oldest child of five. There were times I loved my siblings and other times when I just wanted them to disappear. Especially when I was playing with my friends.
One thing that was a little weird about this book was the fact that it was supposed to be set in the 1980's. I really didn't get that until about halfway through the book when they mentioned the year. There were almost no references to the cultural "quirks" of the 1980's to make me believe it really was the 1980's. But, most kids reading this story today would have no clue what life was like before computers and cell phones. So, no biggie.
And, I must confess, this story made me cry my eyes out. I think I have some lingering hormonal issues from having a baby, because any story that involves a mother/child relationship will make me lose it. In fact, I started reading this book pretty late in the evening and had to continue late into the night because I HAD to know how it ended. It's a rare thing to have a middle-grade novel hold my attention like that. I would highly recommend this book to kids ages 7-11ish. Very well done.
My Rating:
I gave this book 5 stars
Profanity: None
Drugs and Alcohol: None
Sexuality: None
Violence: None
