Facing The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Facing The Hunchback of Notre Dame

By: L.L. Samson

141 pages

Ages: 9-12

An attic once used by a scientist becomes the place where literature and real life can interact.

Qusaimodo is brought out of his book and into modern day time. How does he adjust? Can he even get back to his story?

14 year old twins Ophelia and Linus Easterday have been sent to live with their Aunt Portia and Uncle Augustus- who happen to be twins, as well. The twins' Aunt and Uncle live in a townhouse that also holds their rare bookstore. Oddly, the building once belonged to Cato Grubbs, but he mysteriously disappeared one day.

While getting to know their new environment, the twins both stumble upon an abandoned attic. Closer inspection shows it was the previous tenant's old scientist lab. However, this is no ordinary lab holding ordinary lab equipment. Ophelia finds this out when she's reading in the attic one night and strange things start to happen.

At exactly 11:11pm on the 11th day of the 11th month, the room begins to vibrate. A circle that was painted on the floor by Cato Grubbs begins to glow and white sparks start to fly up. When everything stops, Quasimodo, himself, is there in the middle of the circle.He's come right out of the book Ophelia had been reading.

The twins read from a book they find called Imaginary Realms and discover they have their literary guest for the next 60 hours. But that's not all they have. Soon enough they discover that Cato isn't the dead former tenant everyone thinks he is. He and Frollo, also from The Hunchback of Notre Dame, have come to retrieve Quasimodo- though for very different purposes. Now the twins are in a race to keep Quasimodo safe and return him to his story and they get help from a Priest and a boy from the school next door.

This book was a fun read. I enjoyed how L.L. Samson brought a well-known character to life. She made the thoroughly misunderstood outcast into someone of wisdom and knowledge. I loved reading how the two worlds melded. She has created a series to be read by many and introduce the classics to a new generation.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again!

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again

By: Frank Cottrell Boyce

214 Pages

Ages: 9-12

The Tooting children are on Summer Vacation and Dad has just lost his job due to his fingers being too big. When Dad's "home improvements" don't work out well, Mom Tooting beings home an old 1966 camper van that is literally falling apart. The idea is to get it up and running, then travel the world in it.

When Dad and Jem take the car for a spin, they realize a little fixing is in need before the world travels can begin. A visit to the auto parts place leads to a discovery that changes everything. Dad finds an old, big engine in a tree. It still works, so the new discovery is put into the camper van. Soon the family is en route to Paris, among other places.

Wacky adventures await the Tootings at each destination. The family discovers that they aren't driving the car, but the car is driving them. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang lands them on top of the Eiffel Tower, in front of the Sphinx, and even plunges them underwater. The question is: what is Chitty Chitty Bang Bang up to?

Kids will enjoy the cute adventures. A little bit of history is thrown in at each destination, so it's a fun way to learn about famous places. It was a cute book.