Publication Date: September 1, 2020
Edition: Hardcover, eBook, Audiobook; 240 pgs
Publisher: Holiday House
Source: Rockstar Book Tours
Buy: Amazon - Kindle - Audible -
Barnes & Noble - iBooks - Kobo - The Book Depository - Bookshop.org
Disclaimer: I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own.
Tour Schedule
Disclaimer: I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own.
Week One
9/28/2020 - What A Nerd Girl Says - Excerpt
9/28/2020 - Bookhounds YA - Excerpt
9/28/2020 - Log Cabin Library - Excerpt
9/29/2020 - Lifestyle of Me - Review
9/29/2020 - Kait Plus Books - Excerpt
9/30/2020 - Nerdophiles - Review
9/30/2020 - Oh Hey! Books - Excerpt
9/30/2020 - Miss Elizabeth - Review
10/1/2020 - Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers - Excerpt
10/1/2020 - Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers - Instagram Stop
10/2/2020 - Girl Who Likes To Read - Review
10/2/2020 - onemused - Instagram Stop
10/2/2020 - Pine Enshrined Reviews - Review
Week Two
10/5/2020 - Bri's Book Nook - Review
10/5/2020 - Twirling Book Princess - Review
10/6/2020 - popthebutterfly - Review
10/6/2020 - popthebutterfly - Instagram Stop
10/7/2020 - lenissahhreads - Review
10/7/2020 - History from a Woman’s Perspective - Review
10/8/2020 - Do You Dog-ear? - Review
10/8/2020 - Do You Dog-ear? - Instagram Stop
10/8/2020 - Two Points of Interest - Review
10/9/2020 - Nays Pink Bookshelf - Review
10/9/2020 - Nays Pink Bookshelf - Instagram Stop
10/9/2020 - Eli to the nth - Review
The Summary
Murderous ghosts and buried family secrets threaten young Eleanor and Alice Roosevelt in this thrilling middle-grade novel that puts a supernatural spin on alternate history.
It's 1898 in New York City and ghosts exist among humans.
When an unusual spirit takes up residence at the Roosevelt house, thirteen-year-old Eleanor and fourteen-year-old Alice are suspicious. The cousins don't get along, but they know something is not right. This ghost is more than a pesky nuisance. The authorities claim he's safe to be around, even as his mischievous behavior grows stranger and more menacing. It's almost like he wants to scare the Roosevelts out of their home - and no one seems to care!
Meanwhile, Eleanor and Alice discover a dangerous ghost in the house where Alice was born and her mother died. Is someone else haunting the family? Introverted Eleanor and unruly Alice develop an unlikely friendship as they explore the family's dark, complicated history. It's up to them to destroy both ghosts and come to terms with their family's losses.
Told from alternating perspectives, thrills and chills abound in Dianne K. Salerni's imaginative novel about a legendary family and the ghosts that haunt their secrets.
A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
"A spooky, fast-paced, and inventive tale. Salerni expertly blends fact and fiction, providing a glimpse of Eleanor and Alice Roosevelt's childhood that is so compelling, you almost wish the ghost parts were true."—Erin Bowman, Edgar Award–nominated author of Contagion and The Girl and the Witch's Garden
"This mix of history and fantasy creates a nifty setting for a middle-grade mystery" —Kirkus Reviews
My Review
Historical fiction isn't always my favorite genre, but what drew me to Eleanor, Alice, and the Roosevelt Ghosts was the fact that this world has ghosts; ghosts that everyone believes in. So while the titular Eleanor and Alice are those Roosevelts from American history, they are also two cousins on the hunt to solve a dangerous mystery concerning the ghosts that are haunting their houses.
Definitely not a snooze-fest of historical factoids, Dianne K. Salerni does a great job world-building, twisting actual historical events to fit in a world where ghosts--vengeful, friendly, or unaware--exist. That was one of the coolest parts of the book. I don't tend to get into a many historical books. But if the story has an interesting twist, one that doesn't detract from the history, but adds to it, I am hooked. Dianne is able to accomplish this with ease through ghosts; I love a good ghost story.
It is also very approachable for its intended audience. Some of the historical figures that are present in the book may not be familiar to middle grade readers, but the context is there to easily identify these figures significance. Dianne doesn't shy away from the fact that this is historical fiction, but leans into it full-tilt. I think anything less would've made this a less compelling book.
Additionally, Eleanor and Alice are great protagonists. They start off disliking each other, as they are so different (this actually reflects their adult relationship), but due to the mysterious--and dangerous--ghostly activities invading their houses, they come together to figure out exactly what's going on. This partnership, that grows into a real friendship, is where their differing strengths complement each other. Readers, especially kids, will identify with one of the girls, really hooking the reader into the plot as they race alongside Eleanor and Alice.
This book is perfect for October! Spooky, full of adventure, and a great alternative American history, Eleanor, Alice, and the Roosevelt Ghosts by Dianne K. Salerni will suck you in until the very end!
Final Rating
About the Author
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| Taken at the grave of Sarah Ann Boone in Catawissa, Pennsylvania |
Dianne K. Salerni is a former elementary school teacher living in Chester County, Pennsylvania with her husband and two daughters.
Dianne's first novel, We Hear the Dead (Sourcebooks 2010), recounts the true story of Maggie Fox, a teenaged girl credited with the invention of the séance in 1848. A short film based on We Hear the Dead, titled The Spirit Game, premiered at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival.
Her second novel, The Caged Graves (Clarion/HMH 2013), is inspired by a real historical mystery in the mountains of Pennsylvania and was named a Junior Library Guild Selection, a finalist in the Tome Society IT List, and a Best YA Historical Novel for 2013 by BookPage.
The Eighth Day, a middle grade fantasy about a secret day of the week, is the first in a series by HarperCollins, which also includes The Inquisitor's Mark (Book 2) and The Morrigan's Curse (Book 3). The Eighth Day has been featured on state reading lists in Florida, Georgia, Virginia, Maine, Minnesota, and Indiana.
Dianne's sixth novel, Eleanor, Alice, & the Roosevelt Ghosts, a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection, released from Holiday House on September 1, 2020.
Giveaway
3 winners will receive a Finished Copy of ELEANOR, ALICE, AND THE ROOSEVELT GHOSTS, US Only.
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