Reviewed by Reagan G
ABOUT THE BOOK
Twelve-year-old Kale Flores is in need a friend, but more importantly, he needs money. When Jasmine Palmer tells him that there could be a fortune hidden in the Sassafras house, he thinks his luck may have changed. Kale is not concerned about the rumor of the house being haunted.
Jasmine never thought telling Kale about the possible fortune could lead to so much trouble. The Sassafras House is said to be a place someone could go into and never come out. Is it true or just another legend?
Kale is sure that all his problems will be solved if he finds the money. He doesn't know the deserted house holds secrets from the past, secrets that are waiting to tangle him in a dangerous web.
MY REVIEW
4 – Stafford did an excellent job of getting into the head of a twelve-year-old boy. Writing from a child’s point of view can be challenging because the author has to look at the world the way the child does. This means the child has limitations to what he/she can understand based on age. This sometimes causes the narrator to be unreliable, but as a reader, I did not feel like I was being tricked or mislead by his narrative. Stafford also did a fine job with vivid descriptions and literary language. The personifications and metaphors used were original, comical, and definitely sound like something a twelve year old would say. There were a few descriptions that were cliché, but I still found the descriptive language to be one of Stafford’s strengths.
Besides the few cliché descriptions, the only other issue I had with the book was the timeline. As I was reading I had some difficulty trying to figure out how much time had passed. There are a few indicators, such as “On Saturday…” or “Monday morning…” but there wasn’t a time where the readers were informed about how much time had passed in the story.
Overall, I found this book to be great for young readers. It is entertaining and easy to read. I never found myself bored or unpleased. I was stuck in the fictional dream from start to finish. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone with children in the middle school age range.
The Legend of Sassafras House on Amazon
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Anita Stafford makes her home in the peaceful hills of northern Arkansas. She grew up on a dairy farm surrounded by a large, loving, and always entertaining extended family. She is a wife and the mother of a son and two daughters. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor and has worked in public school as a teacher and a counselor.
DISCAIMER: I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for writing a review. I was not obligated to give a positive review, and all thoughts are my own.
Edited by London Koffler