The Time of the Fireflies

Reviewed by: Jill O'Connor - North Yarmouth Academy, Yarmouth, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: November 12, 2014

Review

Larissa Renaud lives in Louisiana, close to the bayou, and this book is imbued with the thick, southern magical haze found in that part of the country. Larissa has moved around quite a bit with her mama and daddy, and has now returned to her mama's home town, which is filled with ghosts of the past. And not all of them are kind. A disconnected telephone rings, a mysterious girl's voice tells Larissa to find and trust the fireflies, and the story is off. Filled with many hold-your-breath moments, emotional scenes, and an easy-to-like main character, as well as some time-travel, cursed dolls, and voodoo-like healing, this book is fast-paced, engaging and easy to recommend. It would be appropriate for middle grade readers who liked When You Reach Me or A Wrinkle in Time, or lovers of elements of fantasy, sci-fi, and historical fiction all rolled into one book. It is ambitious, and the end was a bit predictable for a seasoned reader, and probably even a little too neat, but I truly could not put this book down. Highly recommend.

Overall Book Score: excellent