The Hole in the Wall by Lisa Fraustino - ADVISABLE

Fraustino, Lisa Rowe The Hole in the Wall, 280 p. Milkweed (   ), 2011.  $16.95.  Content: G.  Sebby’s home is being strip-mined to death.  The beautiful green countryside to turning to ugly scars as the town’s savior, home boy Stanley Odum, buys up the buildings and the land.  And weird things are happening to Sebby’s family.  Not just because of his out-of-work, angry father, not just because the oldest brother has disappeared, but also because the family relies are their chicken eggs to supplement their meager income and something weird is definitely happening.  I mean what are you supposed to do with a solid egg? Sebby, 11, finds his own escape inside a secret spot of wilderness that has been left within the ugliness of the mine.  And he and his twin, Barbara, are determined to solve the mystery of the walls covered with colors that move and chickens that seem frozen, but still very much alive.  This is a great book for 5^th and 6^th graders who want mystery and adventure and a smart, young character.  It reminds me of Carl Hiaasen’s novels but for a younger audience.  Its too bad the novel isn’t based completely on reality, because it would be a great novel to use in a unit about conservation.  EL – ADVISABLE. Cindy, Library Teacher