A Tangle of Knots by Lisa Graff

How I Heard About It:  This book title had been getting a lot of "talk" via magazines, book stores, and of course on Twitter.  I had read several of Lisa's other books and so I was excited to read her newest book.  As I communicated with some of my Twitter "friends", I became more and more thrilled to start this book.  I was not disappointed and it actually exceeded my expectations.

What It Is About:  If you are looking for a magical journey, then this is the book for you.  A Tangle of Knots is so many things.  It is a character novel.  It is an adventure.  It is a fantasy.  It is a relationship story.  As I try to describe this book, I realize just how many things this book is.  The story centers around a town of incredibly unique and diverse characters.  At first the reader isn't quite sure how these characters are related, but by the last page everything comes together so beautifully.  All the characters are tied to "special" suitcases, to some "special" cake recipes, and to a mystery or two.  Each and every page brings you more details about the characters, about the mystery, and about the revelation you want to read about. 

What I Thought Of It:  As you can already tell, I am very fond of this book.  I had high hopes for this book, and was pleased that I enjoyed it more than I thought I would.  It was such a clever story and I could not put it down.  As a reader I enjoyed how this book was many different things.  To me it was part realistic fiction, part fantasy, and past mystery.  The best part of all, is that everything fit so wonderfully and worked perfectly.  This was a 5 STARS out of 5 stars book! 

Who Should Read It:  Before I read this book, I was debating whether I would use this book for a "Breakfast with Books" book club selection or a read aloud.  Now that I have finished it, I think it would make a perfect book for a read aloud for my fourth graders.  There are so many things in this novel that I don't want them to miss, that I want to be able to read it to them and discuss it as we go.  I'm looking forward to introducing this novel to my class and sharing the adventure with them.  I think any reader who is in fourth grade and above, would love to read this novel.  I know it will become a favorite book on your book shelf.  Happy Reading!