Overview

One of the finest novelists of her generation, National Book Award nominee Lisa Graff returns readers to the world of A Tangle of Knots, where a camp for Talented kids just might be a recipe for disaster. In this magical companion to the National Book Award nominee A Tangle of Knots, it's summertime and everyone is heading off to camp. For Talented kids, the place to be is Camp Atropos, where they can sing songs by the campfire, practice for the Talent show, and take some nice long dips in the lake. But what the kids don't know is that they've been gathered for a reason--one that the camp's director wants to keep hidden at all costs. Meanwhile, a Talent jar that has been dropped to the bottom of the lake has sprung a leak, and strange things have begun to happen. Dozens of seemingly empty jars have been washing up on the shoreline, Talents have been swapped, and memories have been ripped from one camper's head and placed into another. And no one knows why. With a camp full of kids, a lake full of magic, and a grown-up full of a secrets, A Clatter of Jars is story of summer, family, and the lengths we go to win back the people we love. Perfect for readers who loved Katherine Paterson's The Great Gilly Hopkins or Louis Sachar's Holes. Praise for Lisa Graff's novels: A Clatter of Jars: Graff is a master of the magical realism genre, and this offering is worthy of a spot in any middle grade collection. --School Library Journal Graff's vivid character development and world building makes for tight plotting and nicely negotiable complexity. A great fit for fans of Louis Sachar's Holes. --Booklist Graff's prose and plot construction is as pleasing as ever, and A Clatter of Jars will appeal to a wide range of readers. --Bookpage A Tangle of Knots Lisa Graff has created a beautiful world of deliciously interconnected stories that draw you in. --Abby West, Entertainment Weekly, A- * Subtle and intricate, rich with humor and insight, this quietly magical adventure delights. --Kirkus Reviews *STARRED REVIEW* * Combining the literary sensibility of E. B. White with the insouciance of Louis Sachar, Graff has written a tangle that should satisfy readers for years to come. --Booklist *STARRED REVIEW* Lost in the Sun * Graff writes with stunning insight [and] consistently demonstrates why character-driven novels can live from generation to generation. --Kirkus Reviews *STARRED REVIEW* * Graff creates layered, vulnerable characters that are worth getting to know. --Booklist *STARRED REVIEW* * [A]n ambitious and gracefully executed story. --Publishers Weekly *STARRED REVIEW* * Weighty matters deftly handled with humor and grace will give this book wide appeal. --School Library Journal *STARRED REVIEW* * Characterization is thoughtful. --BCCB *STARRED REVIEW* This is a novel that speaks powerfully, honestly, almost shockingly about our human pain and our human redemption. This book will change you. --Gary Schmidt, author of The Wednesday Wars Lisa Graff crafts a compelling story about a boy touched with tragedy and the world of people he cares about. And like all the best stories, it ends at a new beginning. --Richard Peck, author of A Year Down Yonder

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Reviews

Praise for Lisa Graff's novels: A Clatter of Jars: Graff is a master of the magical realism genre, and this offering is worthy of a spot in any middle grade collection. --School Library Journal This highly satisfying sequel to A Tangle of Knots will not only sate the appetites of readers already familiar with Graff's fantasy world, but it will also provide a fine entry point for new readers as well . . . Graff's vivid character development and world building makes for tight plotting and nicely negotiable complexity. A great fit for fans of Louis Sachar's Holes. --Booklist Each character struggles with truth, familial love, and acceptance, as Talents are lost and found, relinquished and stolen, borrowed and returned. And then there's Fate, who also raises her head when leastexpected, reminding readers that it's not the talents we're given but what we makeof them that creates happiness. --The Horn Book Readers will love the inventiveness--and the sadness--of every storyline . . . this is a novel that rewards a second--or even a third--reading. --Kirkus Reviews [A] warmhearted companion to A Tangle of Knots . . . Graff brings the plot threads to a satisfying resolution. --Publishers Weekly Graff's prose and plot construction is as pleasing as ever, and A Clatter of Jars will appeal to a wide range of readers. --Bookpage Lost in the Sun * Graff writes with stunning insight into boyhood and humanity, allowing Trent to speak for himself in a pained, honest narration. Investing Trent with all the tragic frailty of Holden Caulfield, Graff tackles issues of loss, isolation, and rage without apology. Graff consistently demonstrates why character-driven novels can live from generation to generation, and here she offers a story that can survive for many school years to come. --Kirkus Reviews *STARRED* * Graff creates layered, vulnerable characters that are worth getting to know and routing for. Narrated by the moody, sarcastic Trent, the story never buckles beneath his troubles, and it finds wings once he can see beyond them. Pranks, The Sandlot reenactments, sports talk, and donuts are in plentiful supply, adding dashes of levity at the right moments. The book's real magic is found in simple acts like watering plants and learning when to listen and when to just tip your head back and scream at the sky. --Booklist *STARRED* * In an ambitious and gracefully executed story, Graff covers a lot of emotional ground, empathically tracing Trent's efforts to deal with a horrible, inexplicable accident and to heal the relationships that have become collateral damage along the way. --Publishers Weekly *STARRED* * Weighty matters deftly handled with humor and grace will give this book wide appeal. --School Library Journal *STARRED* * Characterization is thoughtful: Graff is highly sensitive to a sixth-grade boy's limited emotional savvy and lack of tools to deal with this kind of pain, and Fallon is believably sympathetic. --BCCB *STARRED REVIEW* In Lost in the Sun, Trent decides that he will speak the truth: that pain and anger and loss are not the final words, that goodness can find us after all--even when we hide from it. This is a novel that speaks powerfully, honestly, almost shockingly about our human pain and our human redemption. This book will change you. --Gary Schmidt, two-time Newbery Honor-winning author of The Wednesday Wars and Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy Lisa Graff crafts a compelling story about a boy touched with tragedy and the world of people he cares about. And like all the best stories, it ends at a new beginning. --Richard Peck, Newbery Award-winning author of A Year Down Yonder and A Long Way From Chicago A Tangle of Knots Lisa Graff has created a beautiful world of deliciously interconnected stories that draw you in. --Abby West, Entertainment Weekly, A- * Subtle and intricate, rich with humor and insight, this quietly magical adventure delights. --Kirkus Reviews *STARRED REVIEW* * Combining the literary sensibility of E. B. White with the insouciance of Louis Sachar, Graff has written a tangle that should satisfy readers for years to come. --Booklist *STARRED REVIEW* Graff's story has a warmth and gentle humor that, along with the premise, calls to mind Ingrid Law's Savvy. --Publishers Weekly Lisa Graff's Awards: Lisa Graff's books have been named to 30 state award lists, and A Tangle of Knots was long-listed for the National Book Award.

Author Information

Lisa Graff (lisagraff.com) is the critically acclaimed and award-winning author of Far Away, The Great Treehouse War, A Clatter of Jars, Lost in the Sun, Absolutely Almost, A Tangle of Knots, Double Dog Dare, Sophie Simon Solves Them All, Umbrella Summer, The Life and Crimes of Bernetta Wallflower, and The Thing About Georgie. Lisa Graff's books have been named to more than seventy state award lists and have been touted as best books of the year by booksellers, teachers, and librarians. A Tangle of Knots was long-listed for the National Book Award in 2013. Lisa Graff lives with her family just outside of Philadelphia. Follow her on Twitter @LisaGraff.

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