Billie B. Little

Franny knows she’s lucky. Adopted as a baby by Sina and Old Tom, she lives on a farm on Vancouver Island, overlooking the sea. The farm is awash in all sorts of gardens. Best of all, though, is the mysterious night garden where only Old Tom and a hermit who does the weeding are allowed entry.

When Franny is 12, her life takes a turn to the annoying, complex and exciting. Crying Alice—as they call the weepy woman next door—begs them to keep her three children while she goes to the military base to prevent her husband, Fixing Bob, from doing “something stupid.” Franny and her family brace themselves, fearing the children will be as emotional as their mother. Instead, Franny enjoys having part-time siblings, though their arrival comes with complications and unforeseen consequences.

A mysterious chain of letters between Zebediah, the youngest boy, and his father, hint that Fixing Bob is up to something. His job is to maintain a special military plane, with which both he and Zebediah share an obsession. With the backdrop of World War II, Bob’s secret plan becomes a threat to everyone. Meanwhile, Zebediah has learned of the night garden’s power to grant one wish—one single, irreversible wish. Will he use the garden’s magic? Watching the plot unfold is nearly as much fun as getting to know Franny herself.

With evocative language and a hugely appealing protagonist, the latest book from National Book Award winner Polly Horvath is a tantalizing tale.

Billie B. Little is the Founding Director of Discovery Center at Murfree Spring, a hands-on museum in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Norman Fishbein, “Wormy” to his annoying older brothers, is on a family outing at the mall. Women in elf outfits stand near a huge glass jar of Doozy Dots, encouraging shoppers to guess the number of candies inside. Marcus, the oldest brother, makes his guess. Next, Larry guesses one Doozie Dot higher. Norman guesses a number that wanders into his head: 4,243.

A month later, a letter addressed to Norman arrives. After a skirmish with his siblings, he holds the envelope in his hand. He’s won, and inside is a check for $1,000! His parents need a new roof and a new car, but they allow Norman to decide how to spend his money.

After pondering model airplanes, a new bike or a drum set, Norman decides the family needs a holiday at a fancy hotel on Miami Beach. For once, even his cantankerous brothers are overjoyed.

A blizzard nearly cancels their flight, but with help from Uncle Shlomo’s truck, the family makes it to the airport and the beach. When the boys meet three sisters at the hotel, the youngest secretly befriends Norman, and the plotting begins. The two team up to keep their siblings from making their lives miserable. They befriend an aging comedian, Mort Ziff, and manage to save his job. Best of all, Norman and Amy become friends.

Award-winning author Cary Fagan has his pulse on the familiar concerns of younger siblings. With accessible language, humor and fresh characters, Fagan creates an impeccable and unsentimental portrayal of family life in the 1960s.

Billie B. Little is the Founding Director of Discovery Center at Murfree Spring, a hands-on museum in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Twelve-year-old Joplin lives with her divorced mom and her mom’s friend, Jen, in a basement apartment in New York. She’s bullied at school, and even worse, her best friend has dumped her. The death of Joplin’s famous grandfather—and the spreading of some unsavory publicity about him—gives her peers a golden opportunity to tease her, leaving her devastated and lonely.

In her grandfather’s room, Joplin discovers a metal tin crammed with pieces of an old ceramic platter. The plate, depicting a young girl standing by a pond and a windmill, is repaired and hung in her room. Joplin wishes the girl would be her friend, and the next day, the girl vanishes from the platter and waits for Joplin in the garden, where she introduces herself as Sophie. Around the same time, Joplin befriends Barrett, a boy from school. Suddenly Joplin has two friends, and together they try to return Sophie to being a flesh-and-blood girl in Holland. Their quest takes a sinister turn when they discover they are being stalked by a man who knows Sophie’s secret.

Joplin’s struggle to find her place after her grandfather’s death, both at home and at school, will ring true to readers. The magical platter offers an engaging vehicle to help Joplin sort fact from fantasy, reality from longing, and to learn the true meaning of friendship.

Billie B. Little is the Founding Director of Discovery Center at Murfree Spring, a hands-on museum in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

This article was originally published in the June 2017 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.