Lottie's Adventure: Facing The Monster, is an action-packed children's book written especially for ages 8 through 14. Children will enjoy this exciting read while also improving their reading skills. Twenty-nine chapters filled with twists and turns keep kids reading to discover the outcome.
Lottie, a lively ten-year old Hispanic girl, longs for something new and different in her life. Her summers up to this point have all been, more or less, the same. Then the arrival of a magical letter and a TV newscast transforms her vacation time in a high adventure.
Her great
adventure includes trying to relate to a cold, estranged, and rich grandmother,
freeing a kidnapped ten-year-old African American boy from a locked room,
hiding him in a safe place, and then fleeing with him from a kidnapper who is
always just a step or two behind.
Lottie's Adventure is a vibrant chapter book mystery for
preteens that emphasizes the importance of intergenerational communication and
love as well as the immense value of thinking beyond cultural stereotypes. To
develop a new moral code or vision, both these elements are crucial. Perhaps
the most striking quality of "Lottie's Adventure: Facing The Monster"
is its powerful positive energy. Featuring a spunky 10-year-old Hispanic
heroine, "Lottie's Adventure" keeps interest high and pages turning
with exciting plot twists and turns and believable cliffhangers that just keep
evolving. The author allows her characters to develop very naturally, with
total authenticity. There are many excellent ideas embedded in the story, not
the least of which is that people, even wise adults, can learn to admit they
are wrong. "Lottie's Adventure" goes a long way towards building a
viable alternative to prejudice, and for that and many other reasons, it is
highly recommended juvenile reading for kids age 10 and up.
(Review from The Midwest Book Review)
While reading Barbara Frances’ chapter book Lottie’s
Adventure: Facing the Monster, I was swept back to the books of my childhood. A
place where tweens helped each other and became heroes without the use of
make-believe or magic brooms. Just plain old smarts, ingenuity, and integrity.
I was engrossed in the story of Lottie, a Hispanic girl, as
she helped Charles Ray a black boy, who had been kidnapped escape and confront
the bad guy, outsmarting him, while facing their own fears. The friendship that
grew between the two was a lesson in how people all want the same things out of
life regardless of their upbringing, race, or nationality.
It is a compelling and wonderful tale that I’d recommend to
both adults and the tween alike.
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