Lottie's Adventure: Facing The Monster, is an action-packed children's book written especially for ages 8 through 14 but many adults have also enjoyed this exciting read. Kids get the additional benefit of improving their reading skills with an available study guide. Twenty nine exciting chapters filled with twists and turns keep everyone reading to discover the outcome.
Lottie, a lively ten-year old Hispanic girl, is tired of boring summer vacations at home. She longs for something more exciting and adventurous as the school year ends. This summer looks to be more of the same until the arrival of a magical letter from an estranged grandmother and a TV newscast about a kidnapped 10 year old boy transforms her vacation time into a high adventure.
Starting with her first ever airplane ride, it becomes clear that this summer will be different. From the moment she arrives and meets her cold but very rich grandmother, it quickly becomes clear that this adventure may not be very pleasant. Deciding to make the best of the situation, she is taken shopping and sees the kidnapped boy from the newscast.
From that moment on she determines to free the boy from his kidnapper. After a lot of deception that makes her very uncomfortable, she manages to locate and free the boy from a locked room and then hides him in what she believes is a safe place. Unfortunately, the kidnapper is much smarter than she realizes and she has to flee with the boy from a villain who threatens to hurt them both and 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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