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Reviews
The Bell Box
“Any child who is given The Bell Box to read this summer is very lucky indeed. Even more fortunate are parents and children who read this exciting series together. (This is the third book, the conclusion of the Lake Kanakondah trilogy.) They will have the delightful opportunity to join Alex, Maizy, family and friends in their quest to solve the mystery of the bell box - and to save Lake Kanakondah. The combination of loving family, loyal friends and non-stop adventure is a sure winner. Twists and turns, fantastical creatures, wishes gone wrong - Readers will be savoring these spellbinding adventures for the remainder of school break.”—Barbara Prince, Retired Librarian The Lake Kanakondah Mystery Series “Great paper texture. Paper weight and texture are important supports for young page turners. I absolutely love the chapter lengths. They seem to perfectly coincide with the attention span of my 4th graders. Great for reading aloud and having end of chapter discussions. The length of the chapters also support building reading stamina in young readers. If reading together, I can hear them saying, ‘read one more chapter!’ If reading independently, I can hear them thinking, ‘I’ll just read one more chapter.’ Fantastic! The Bell Box “My students love to share their predictions with classmates. What I loved about The Bell Box, was I found making accurate predictions challenging. This book is full of surprises and I often caught myself thinking, ‘I didn’t see that coming.’ My favorite parts of The Bell Box were where the author creates tension and suspense. I felt myself tighten up when the stranger sits near Jane on the train and repeatedly tries to handle her backpack. I also tensed up with the rules of Mr. Blackendoff’s story. The rule that Alex could not speak, kept me in anticipation. I kept waiting for him to slip up. I also kept waiting for a disaster to happen if he were to meet himself. “I was so excited with the blending of characters. Everyone from the trilogy was included in the final book, but they took on different roles. So interesting and fun to have everyone there. I loved how the character, Cassandra, no longer wanted to be called Cass. We all have encountered people like that, and it shows her developing maturity and embracing her individuality. I often see my fourth graders play around with either shortening their names, or preferring to be called by their full names. The author really won my heart with the element of time travel. The Bell Box allowed me to be a kid again. The whole trilogy does that. Dinosaurs, sea creatures, Shakespeare, Queen Elizabeth… When I was young, I often daydreamed about time travel and the possible places I could go. My fourth graders are at the age of when this magical thinking happens. They are going to love this trilogy! The trilogy – The sense of wonder and excitement is found on every page. I loved The Mystery of Lake Kanakondah. The Kingdom of Rattlesnake Mountain was a real page turner. I read it in 2 days! The author saved the best for last. The Bell Box triggered so many emotions; tension, anticipation, worry, suspense, and happiness. I wish Lake Kanakonda, or Marchem Island actually existed. I’d probably book my next vacations there.”—Monica Quattrochio, 4th Grade Teacher The Winter Visitors
The Summer Visitors The New York Times Review CHILDREN’S BOOKS By PAMELA PAUL Published: July 20, 2011 Ever since the story of the Three Bears, the notion of sharing a home with woodland beasts has stimulated the popular imagination. “The Summer Visitors” by Karel Hayes seems like one of those childhood treasures you discover on a musty bookshelf in a furnished summer timeshare: unexpected yet perfectly seasonal, a small pleasure that ends up somehow intrinsic to the vacation experience. Once again, as in 2007’s clever “Winter Visitors,” Karel upends the idea that it’s bears who intrude on human space. Here, finely drawn pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations, often appearing in panels, tell the story; the economical text is almost unnecessary. This is a tale of two families. First, there are the humans, a couple and their two children, bikes on the station wagon roof and suitcases jumbled in the trunk, who descend upon their summer cottage, nestled near a lake that could be in New Hampshire, northern Wisconsin or Minnesota. Meanwhile, an ursine family of four, hidden in the forest, observe the newcomers with anticipation. Thereafter, the alternating stories of both families are recounted with humor and affection: The humans unpack their belongings in the house; the bears grope at the remaining baggage in the car trunk. At intervals, the humans pause to contemplate the ensuing disarray. Children, especially those who enjoy wooded summer retreats, will love looking at the two families’ lives, with boat rides, fireworks, picnics and other summery pleasures playing out in often comic parallel (the mother’s bathing suit inexplicably stretched, the boy’s kite mysteriously rescued from a tree). Thus is the Goldilocks tale retold askew. Bears, who in the familiar telling pose a threat to human safety and shelter, live harmoniously beside people in these books. If only that were really the case in the suburbs of northern New Jersey. The Christmas Visitors “Hayes follows The Winter Visitors and The Summer Visitors with a third story of a gentle ursine takeover of a cottage that’s been closed up for the season by its owners. But when the family decides to celebrate the holidays in the cottage after all, the bears must skedaddle. In a nod to “The Night Before Christmas” one of the children catches the bears leaving a decorative surprise for the family on Christmas Eve night. Hayes’s spare writing can, at times, be inscrutable (“Merry holidays,/ twinkling lights,/ and starlit skies;/ all go round and round/ and off to bed”), though the watercolor scenes of ice skating families (both human and bear) and holiday celebrations are fun and festive. Ages 4–8.”—Publishers Weekly Snowflake Comes to Stay Snowflake Comes to Stay is a delightful illustrated story of a small Bichon Frise puppy who comes to stay for just one week with a story-writing lady who does not need a dog. The antics of Snowflake, the charming little white dog, charm and warm the heart of her hostess, and eventually two friends come to realize they need and enjoy each other's company very much (despite a few inconveniences). Snowflake Comes to Stay is a love story that will appeal to children of all ages. The storytelling pictures and illustrations are poignant and quietly inspirational.”—Midwest Book Review, 9/20/10 Little Loon by Fran Hodgkins “Little Loon is the story about a loon and her first summer on the lake, and also teaches loon facts. . . .I liked Little Loon because I have seen loons at our cottage in Canada. I learned some facts about loons, like the color of the eggs, that baby loons float, and that both parents take care of the babies. I liked the illustrations, they are colorful, but I wish there was more detail of the loon’s feathers. My favorite fact is that red eyes might help them see better underwater.”—San Francisco Book Review Who’s Been Here? A Tale of Tracks by Fran Hodgkins
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