Monday, October 10, 2011

Book Review: Liesl and Po by Lauren Oliver

After the death of her father, Liesl is locked in the attic by her evil stepmother. There she makes the acquaintance of Po, a ghost who helps her escape. Meanwhile, Will pines for the girl he always sees in the attic window when he's out at night making deliveries for the alchemist.  When a box of ashes gets mixed up with a box of powerful magic, adventure awaits.

This is the kind of middle grade novel I love - where plot and character threads come together to make a satisfying whole. Thanks to the pitch perfect voice (which is so different from Oliver's YA writing) and many imaginative touches, LIESL AND PO feels very much like a modern classic in the vein of HOLES.  It's definitely one that I'll be recommending widely.

LIESL AND PO is available in hardcover now.  Find out more about it on the official website.

10 comments:

Mari - Escape In A Book said...

I agree Liesl and Po is such a wonderful story and the illustrations are lovely as well.

christina said...

The thing about this is I would never have picked up this book because of the title. But because I love Oliver's work, I'll give it a chance. Awful how cover attraction works, isn't it?

Harvee said...

Sounds like a delightful children's book! Book Dilettante

Giselle said...

I'm really excited for this one. I just ordered it yesterday. Been hearing a lot of great reviews.

Giselle
Xpresso Reads

Trisha Wolfe said...

I only read a select few MGs a year, but this one sounds amazing. Will be checking it out, thanks!

bermudaonion said...

This sounds fabulous! I'll have to look for it.

Beth F said...

Fantastic! I was just saying on Twitter (to Kathy -- Bermuda Onion) that not all MG books are good cross-overs to adults, but this one looks great. Adding it to my list.

Zibilee said...

I have heard others say that this one is amazing, and I love the cover design as well. It's good to hear that Oliver is able to stretch out of her usual genre into this one with no difficulties. Great thoughts on the book, Lenore!

Mary @ BookSwarm said...

The cover is so pretty! And I love that it's a middle grade fantasy. This is on my shelf--I've got to read it asap!

Heather Zundel said...

Oh wow. I didn't know she'd written a middle grade. And it does sound so different than her YA. I really may have to pick this one up. Thank you, Lenore!