The Voice from the Mendelsohn's Maple - Hardcover

Grade 5-7-- When thirteen-year-old Penny discovers an elderly woman in a tattered dress hiding in the neighbors' maple tree, she decides to emulate her favorite storybook sleuth and find out what the woman is doing in the tree. Her investigation takes her to the local retirement home, where she becomes caught up in the lives of several of the residents. Penny is also bent on finding a nice man for her widowed mother to date, helping a wheelchair-bound neighbor who runs the local pet shop, and providing a clutzy schoolmate with some self-confidence. Ryan juggles the various elements deftly, tying them all together to advance the plot and mixing in a measure of humor to the goings-on. While anyone knowledgeable about hypnotism may be a bit skeptical of the villain's supposed powers, readers will probably find the story believable enough to provide a satisfying conclusion to Penny's escapades. Ryan's device of inserting definitions of potentially difficult words ( senile, spon ta neous, arduous, etc.) into the story as if Penny is keeping a list borders on being patronizing. Otherwise, this is an enjoyable story. The characters are distinct individuals, although not fully fleshed out. The treatment of the senior citizens is strong and respectful. Suggest this one to kids you're trying to wean off assorted paperback series. --Elaine Fort Weischedel, Turner Free Library, Randolph, MA
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Eighth grader Penny Eagan's dull summer suddenly perks up when she encounters elderly Katherine Cooper stuck high up in a neighbor's tree without a notion of how she got there. After being rescued, Miss Cooper introduces Penny to her friends at Beacon Hall, a senior citizens' residence. But something's troubling the group: they frequently exhibit bizarre, animal-like behavior, without any recollection of it afterwards. Penny takes to sleuthing in the manner of her favorite mystery-novel heroine and exposes the culprit responsible for the mayhem. The story, already short on suspense, falls flat because Ryan breaks one of the cardinal rules of mystery writing by introducing the malefactor near the story's end. Characterizations are only skin-deep, and the story in general is too pat. Also, Ryan's gimmick of defining words in Miss Cooper's vocabulary quickly grows stale. Frankie's Run , the author's first novel, still stands as the best showcase of her talents. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.