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Emily's Dress and Other Missing Things by Kathryn Burak

Saturday, September 29, 2012

When Claire’s best friend Richy went missing, he disappeared without a trace. But when Emily Dickinson’s dress goes missing from the Amherst museum, she knows exactly where it is: in her closet.
As Claire and her student teacher, Tate, attempt to figure out what do to about the dress, they begin to uncover the truth behind Richy's disappearing act. Following a trail of clues across state lines, Claire and Tate attempt to find the person that Claire knows in her gut is responsible for his disappearance.

Goodreads Summary

Claire has recently moved to retake her last year in high school; her past is not something she wants to discuss, but some mysteries that are arising just may force her to confront it.  There are two mysteries in Emily's Dress and Other Missing Things:  a missing persons case and the stolen dress of Emily Dickinson.  The pacing of this book reminded me of Emily Dickinson's poems.  The book includes a swatch of romance, layers of mystery, and a dramatic, but sad past.  Even with these elements, the story can't really be called fast-paced, this isn't a book that the reader will avidly finish in one sitting, but somehow that makes perfect sense. 

Claire's character may be a little difficult to get to know and love.  She isn't the type to open up and spill her grief to her listener.  The reader will slowly peel back the layers of her past until full understanding sets in.  Her moody ways fit perfectly with Emily Dickinson's interspersed poems.  Claire writes poems as well and the reader should be able to see the parallel.  The other characters add a great deal to the story; the secondary characters are not the type to just sit back and let the action flow over them. The ending is a little expected with a twist, a perfect conclusion to this particular book.  Overall, Emily's Dress and Other Missing Things is recommended to middle grade/teen readers.

3 1/2 Stars

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This product or book may have been distributed for review, this in no way affects my opinions or reviews.

1 comments:

  1. Gaele said...:

    This is one in my TBR pile - only because of the tie-in to Dickenson... I've just moved it up on my list