Searching for Lottie by Susan Ross

How I Heard About It:  This book came to me via my Twitter #bookexpedition group.  The other readers had given positive reviews so I was excited read this new middle-grade novel.  


What It Is About - FIVE Things You Need to Know:  

1.  *The story begins with Lottie, a young talented violin player, living during the Holocaust.  Her sister and mother are able to escape to make their way to America, but Lottie disappears.  

2.  *The second story is about Lottie's grand niece Charlie.  Charlie has a school project and decides to research the disappearance of Lottie.  She also is a violin player and trying to make her mark on the world.  

3.  *Charlie reaches out to her Nana Rose, Lottie's sister, to gather information from her.  Nana Rose is more than happy to share her memories of Lottie and a journal that Lottie kept.  

4.  *The more Charlie looks into the disappearance of Lottie, the more she thinks that Lottie may not have died at the hands of the Nazi's.  She enlists the help of her friends and their family members.

5.  *When she finds a long-lost relative of her Nana Rose and Lottie, Charlie believes she is on the right track to finding out what truly happened to Lottie all those years ago.  


What I Thought Of It - FIVE Observations/Reflections:

1.  *The beginning of the novel was top-notch.  I was drawn in as soon as I began reading.  

2.  *I was fascinated by Lottie's story and what may, or may not, have happened to her during the Nazi invasion.  

3.  *When Charlie first started to investigate what happened with her great aunt, I was curious, interesting, and had lots of questions and wonderings.  As I read, some of these feelings faded a bit.  

4.  *I enjoyed the connection between Charlie and Lottie.  They had many similarities as well as some differences.  These connections added greatly to the overall story.  

5.  *The mystery of Lottie lead me to read quite quickly and I found myself turning the pages very quickly.  I could see young readers getting absorbed in the plot.  


Who Should Read It:   The book would be perfect for readers in grades four, five, and six.  I think it would be wonderful as a class read aloud, but of course could also be put in the hands of middle-grade readers.  The length of the novel is short, as are the chapters; which makes for an attainable read for many young children.  Happy Reading!  (The novel will be in the world on February 26)


Rating:   4 STARS out of 5 Stars!