Synopses & Reviews
Wendy isn't as blind as a bat--there are bats that can see better than she can. Which is why, when her new glasses break, she's all too happy to wear the dorky pair of sunglasses she finds on the lawn. They seem to match her prescription, and that's all that matters if she's going to be able to make it through her school day.
But the glasses correct her vision too much. She begins to see things that no one else can see: cheerful corpses, frightening crones disguised as teenyboppers, and portals to other worlds--places where people are all too aware of the magical properties of her new shades . . . and will do anything to get them.
Review
"Delightful . . . Vande Velde's sly humor and snappy dialogue make this story a joy to read."--
School Library Journal"[A] charming and funny fantasy . . . The plot playfully wanders all over the map; readers will likely get just as much enjoyment from Wendy's sly and self-deprecating humor as from the whimsical adventure itself."--Publishers Weekly
Synopsis
Wendy isn't as blind as a bat--there are bats that can see better than she can. Which is why, when her new glasses break, she's all too happy to wear the dorky pair of sunglasses she finds on the lawn. They seem to match her prescription, and that's all that matters if she's going to be able to make it through her school day.
But the glasses correct her vision too much. She begins to see things that no one else can see: cheerful corpses, frightening crones disguised as teenyboppers, and portals to other worlds--places where people are all too aware of the magical properties of her new shades . . . and will do anything to get them.
Synopsis
Wendy's new glasses give her a whole new way of seeing things . . . that aren't there.
Synopsis
When a traveling medicine show arrives in Natalies small Missouri town, she feels in her gut that something about this caravan of healers is a bit off. Her uneasiness leads her to investigate the intricate maze of the medicine show, where she discovers a horrible truth and realizes that only she has the power to set things right.
Set in 1914, The Boneshaker is a gripping, richly textured novel about family, community, courage, and looking evil directly in the face in order to conquer it.
About the Author
When a traveling medicine show arrives in Natalieand#8217;s small Missouri town, she feels in her gut that something about this caravan of healers is a bit off. Her uneasiness leads her to investigate the intricate maze of the medicine show, where she discovers a horrible truth and realizes that only she has the power to set things right.and#160;
Set in 1914,The Boneshakeris a gripping, richly textured novel about family, community, courage, and looking evil directly in the face in order to conquer it.A 2011 ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults Book
"Not to be confused with Cherie Priest's steampunk novel of the same name (though there is just the barest whiff of steampunk here), this historical fantasy uses the classic devil-at-the-crossroads motif as the foundation for an elaborate and intricate gearwork story set in the little town of Arcane, Missouri, in 1913...Both impressive and ambitious, Milford's first novel rarely overreaches as it lays out an eerie and atmospheric vision of early-twentieth-century Americana, electrified by supernatural traces and a generously complex look at good, evil, and the wide swath in between."and#8212;Booklist, starred review
"The tale is shrouded in mystery and explores themes of gaining confidence and recognizing evil, and Milford's detail-rich prose makes it all the more haunting ("In the gaslight and what morning sun that filtered through the heavy curtains, startling shapes began to resolve themselves into familiar objects. Seeing them clearly didn't make her like them any better")."and#8212;Publishers Weekly
"This unusual story, with elements of folklore, tall tales and steampunk, has rich details of small-town America in the early 20th century as well as the impact of budding technology. Natalie is a well-drawn protagonist with sturdy supporting characters around her. The tension built into the solidly constructed plot is complemented by themes that explore the literal and metaphorical role of crossroads and that thin line between good and evil."and#8212;Kirkus ReviewsKate Milford lives in Brooklyn, New York. She has written for stage and screen, and is a regular travel columnist at www.nagspeake.com.The Boneshakerand#160;is her first book. To find out more about Kate and her work, visit www.clockworkfoundry.com.
Table of Contents
Table of ContentsPrologue
Glasses
Do You See What I See?
Vroom, Vroom
An Even-Worse-than-Usual Day at School
A Bad Day Gets Worse
Some Guys Need Magic Glasses to Look Cute
Conspiracy
School Bus Madness
Escape to the Nursing Home
Escape to the Garden
The More I Escape, the Deeper Trouble I Get Into
Magic Lesson
An Unexpected Side Trip
In the Wrong Place at the Wrong Time
The Relative Sizes of Hearts
So Close...
...And Yet So Far
Of Course More Complications
History and Bribes
The Fellowship of the Lens
The Bluebird of Unhappiness
Any Plan Is Better Than None-Isn't It?
A Sheep in Wolf's Clothing
The Plan: Part II, Stage C...or Was That Part III, Stage A? Or...Never Mind
Einstein's Theory of Relativity Didn't Include Bad Relatives
Letting Go
Epilogue