Bookverdict.com

Gr 4–6—Stanley's latest novel juxtaposes the life of Joplin, a somewhat privileged fifth grader living in present-day New York City, with magic and alchemy from the mid-17th century. Joplin's reclusive and famous grandfather has just died, and she and her family are dealing with notoriety and paparazzi. Joplin is painfully attacked by thoughtless classmates as a result. The pieces of an o...Log In or Sign Up to Read More

Eleven-year-old Joplin never knew her grandfather, a reclusive Salinger-like author, due to a rift in the family. When she and her mother close up his Maine house after his death, Joplin looks for a keepsake of some kind and comes across a tin filled with pottery shards. Pieced together, they reveal a delftware platter featuring a bucolic scene with a wistful-looking girl painted in the center. Back in Greenwich Village, Joplin, who is bullied at school and virtually friendless...Log In or Sign Up to Read More