Synopses & Reviews
Its been two months since Traviss family moved to a development so new that it seems totally unreal. His parents are working harder now, to pay for it all, and Travis is left to fend for himself.
Theres one place, though, where Travis can still connect with his old life: the Salinas library. Travis and his family used to go there together every Saturday, but now he bikes to it alone, re-reading his favorite books.
Its only natural that Travis likes the work of author John Steinbeck—after all, Salinas is Steinbecks hometown. But that cant explain why Travis is suddenly seeing Steinbecks characters spring to life. Theres the homeless man in the alley behind the library, the line of figures at the top of a nearby ridge, the boy who writes by night in an attic bedroom. Travis has met them all before—as a reader. But why are they here now? And how?
As Travis struggles to solve this mystery, budget cuts threaten his library. And so, he embarks on a journey through Steinbecks beautiful California landscape, looking for a way to save his safe haven. Its only then that he begins to sort out fact from fiction, discovering the many ways a story can come alive—and stumbling into a story Steinbeck might have started, and Travis needs to complete.
Here is a mystery that delves deeply into the ways that books take us, one at a time, out into the vast world.
Review
Praise for
Steinbeck's Ghost: "The themes of valuing friendship, managing adults who have lost their priorities, and connecting people through stories will appeal to kids who have found their own magic in the library."--
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books “The second half of the book is the most absorbing…. [The protagonist] is well drawn. This novel would have greatest appeal to readers familiar with Steinbecks works.”--
School Library Journal "...the story remains an intriguing introduction/companion to Steinbecks works and imaginatively conveys the power of literature to transport people to another time and place.”--
Publishers Weekly “…Buzbees love for literature and libraries is infectious and, for those similarly inclined, deeply satisfying.”--
Booklist "Magical realism with Steinbecks ghost and a discerning young hero."--
Kirkus Reviews Praise for
The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop:
“You realize Buzbee just doesnt love books, hes besotted.”Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
“A delectable feast…. I cannot remember when I have read a book with such delight.”Paul Yamazaki, City Lights Bookstore James Boylan - Janet L. Nelson - Mavis Reimer - Gail M. Gerhart - Jessica Wang - The Source - Bill Piekarski - Harold W. Jaffe - Jessica Wang - Elizabeth A. Muenger - Megan Cassidy-Welch - Jeffrey Merrick - John Gray - Gilles Kepel - Peter Bergen - Jeffrey Merrick - Paul Corner, Professor of European History, University of Siena - Paul Corner, Professor of European History, University of Siena - Jessica Wang - Jessica Wang - Mavis Reimer - Elizabeth A. Muenger - Norman A. Lockman - Terrence Hackett - Shannon Mullen - Jessica Wang - Paul Corner, Professor of European History, University of Siena - Peter Bergen - Gilles Kepel - John Gray - Michael Stern - Edmund Carlevale - Martin Sieff - Paul Corner, Professor of European History, University of Siena - Jessica Wang - Jessica Wang - Jessica Wang - Peter Bergen - Gilles Kepel - John Gray - Peter Bergen - Gilles Kepel - John Gray - Peter Bergen - Gilles Kepel - John Gray - Peter Bergen - Gilles Kepel - John Gray - Paul Corner, Professor of European History, University of Siena - Paul Corner, Professor of European History, University of Siena - New Statesman - Jihad: The Trail of Political Islam - Holy War, Inc. - New Statesman - Jihad: The Trail of Political Islam - Holy War, Inc. - New Statesman - Jihad: The Trail of Political Islam - Holy War, Inc. - New Statesman - Jihad: The Trail of Political Islam - Holy War, Inc. - American Historical Review - American Historical Review - American Historical Review - Publishers Weekly - The Washington Times - The Boston Globe - The American Lawyer - New Statesman - Jihad: The Trail of Political Islam - Holy War, Inc. - American Historical Review - Asbury Park Press - Chicago Tribune - USA Today - War, Literature, and the Arts - The Lion and the Unicorn - American Historical Review - American Historical Review - Forum for Modern Language Studies - American Historical Review - Holy War, Inc. - Jihad: The Trail of Political Islam - New Statesman - American Historical Review - H-France - War, Literature, and the Arts - American Historical Review - New England Journal of Medicine - Library Journal - The Source - American Historical Review - Foreign Affairs - The Lion and the Unicorn - American Historical Review - Columbia Journalism Review
Review
Praise for
Steinbeck's Ghost: "The themes of valuing friendship, managing adults who have lost their priorities, and connecting people through stories will appeal to kids who have found their own magic in the library."--
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books “The second half of the book is the most absorbing…. [The protagonist] is well drawn. This novel would have greatest appeal to readers familiar with Steinbecks works.”--
School Library Journal "...the story remains an intriguing introduction/companion to Steinbecks works and imaginatively conveys the power of literature to transport people to another time and place.”--
Publishers Weekly “…Buzbees love for literature and libraries is infectious and, for those similarly inclined, deeply satisfying.”--
Booklist "Magical realism with Steinbecks ghost and a discerning young hero."--
Kirkus Reviews Praise for
The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop:
“You realize Buzbee just doesnt love books, hes besotted.”—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
“A delectable feast…. I cannot remember when I have read a book with such delight.”—Paul Yamazaki, City Lights Bookstore
Synopsis
What will Travis do when characters from books start appearing in his real life?
Synopsis
Its been two months since Traviss family moved from their shabby old house to a development so new that it seems totally unreal. Theres one place, though, where Travis can still connect with his old life: the Salinas library. Travis and his family used to go there together every Saturday, but now he bikes to it alone, re-reading his favorite books: the works of John Steinbeck. Suddenly Travis is seeing Steinbecks characters come to life. Theres the homeless man in the alley behind the library, the boy who writes by night in an attic bedroom. Travis has met them before—as a reader. But how can they be here now? And why?
Synopsis
A satisfying mystery that involves a boy who loves books, a library threatened with closing, and, quite possibly, the ghost of the writer John Steinbeck.
About the Author
LEWIS BUZBEE is a former bookseller and sales rep, and the author of the acclaimed adult memoir, The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop, published by Graywolf Press in June 2006. His next book, The Haunting of Charles Dickens, will be available from Feiwel and Friends in Fall 2010. A native Californian, Lewis lives in San Francisco with his wife and daughter.