Sirens and Spies - Softcover

Lisle, Janet Taylor

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0689844573 ISBN 13: 9780689844577

Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2002

Synopsis

The Past Has its Secrets
Mary and her sister Elsie's violin teacher, the flamboyant Miss Fitch, lies in the hospital, recovering from a brutal attack. Elsie, Miss Fitch's favored, talented student, refuses to visit her, declaring her a fraud, and worse. What has turned Elsie against her formerly beloved teacher?
Mary can't believe the shocking secret from Miss Fitch's past that her sister has unearthed. She insists that they confront the teacher to get to the truth. But the sisters discover that truth -- about the grim days in occupied France during World War II, about the mysterious incident that put Miss Fitch in the hospital, and even about themselves -- is not that simple.

About this title

About the Author:

Janet Taylor Lisle’s books for young readers have received the Newbery Honor Award (Afternoon of the Elves), the Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction (The Art of Keeping Cool), Holland’s Zilveren Griffel, and Italy’s Premio Andersen Award, among other honors. A graduate of Smith College and former journalist, Janet lives in Rhode Island and often draws on Rhode Island history in her work. Visit her online at JanetTaylorLisle.com.

Erica O’Rourke is the author of Dissonance, Resonance, and the Torn trilogy, which includes Torn, Tangled, and Bound. She lives near Chicago with her family. Visit her at EricaORourke.com and on Twitter: @Erica_ORourke.

Review:

"When most people hear 'large-print book,' they immediately think senior citizen. But large-print editions of popular children's books -- from the powerhouse Harry Potter series to timeless classics like The Adventures of Tom Sawyer -- are now making their way onto the shelves of the Children's Department at the Canton Library. . . . Although large-print editions are targeted to the visually-impaired or dyslexic child, they can also be used by standard-vision readers. So Kershner [Children's librarian at the Canton Public Library] has decided against creating a special section in the Children's Department (as exists in the Adult Department) opting instead to intersperse large-print books on the shelves with the regular print versions of the same titles."
-- The Observer and Eccentric (October 2000) (The Observer and Eccentric 20001001)

"Thorndike Press has helped me not only find books I want to read, but they also look like regular books. That's important when you're a kid and you can only read Large Print, you want your book to look like all the other books. I'm reading a lot more now that we have found Thorndike Press."
-- Jim Bernardin, Islamorada, FL

"Everyone loves to read, there's nothing like curling up with a good book. We're a reading family, so when our son was diagnosed with Stargardt's Disease and only able to read Large Print, it was particularly difficult. Books on tape are wonderful but they don't fill the void of actually reading a good story. Large Print books have been around a long time for older people, but to find a good novel for a young person in Large Print began to feel nearly impossible. The books that Thorndike Press publishes have truly made a difference in my son's reading life. He can enjoy current novels as well as some of the classics that he missed reading when it became too difficult with regular print."
-- Sara Bernardin, Islamorada, FL

"Powerful and complex."
-- Booklist (starred review) (Booklist )

About this edition

• Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0689844573
• ISBN 13: 9780689844577
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 176
• Illustrator: O'Rourke Erica