Sonata #1: For Riley Red - Hardcover

Stone, Phoebe

3.83

18 ratings by Goodreads

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0316990418 ISBN 13: 9780316990417

Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers, 2003

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Finding a new friendship with free-spirited, high-energy Desmona, thirteen-year-old Rachel finds life more interesting and enjoys the adventures Desmona puts her in, yet when one of the events leads the girls into trouble, Rachel must decide whether to be a follower or a leader from now on.

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About the Author:

Phoebe Stone is the author of All the Blue Moons at the Wallace Hotel, which the Boston Globe called, "a book full of joy and beauty" and "a true children's classic," as well as the author and illustrator of When the Wind Bears Go Dancing; Go Away, Shelley Boo!; and What Night Do the Angels Wander? She has twice received the Vermont Council on the Arts Fellowship for painting, and her work has appeared in many galleries and museums. Phoebe grew up both painting and writing in a family of novelists and poets. She lives with her husband, photographer David Carlson, and son, Ethan, in Middlebury, Vermont.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 5-8-Set in Cambridge, MA, in the early '60s, this novel, peopled by eccentric characters and narrated by 13-year-old Rachel Townsend, will grab readers' attention from the outset. Rachel's friend, Desmona, orchestrates the events spurred on by her philosophy that everyone is meant to do one extraordinary thing. Music is one of Rachel's escapes, but this outlet has been spoiled by her suspicions about her parents' rocky marriage, which she is trying to deny. Fighting for animal rights is Desmona's passion, and she organizes her friends and older brother, Riley, to save stray cats and to mount a protest in the school cafeteria. It is when they are suspended for this protest that Desmona galvanizes them to kidnap an elephant from a small zoo in the area. Though the plot becomes highly unlikely at this point, Stone's unique characters and their relationship impel readers to continue and discover the outcome. Unbelievably, the teens manage to hide the elephant for days. This act naturally becomes a cause celebre in the town, and Rachel is the one who cleverly and bravely brings the predicament to a close. Stone's lively prose style makes this a good read. The author's well-developed, multidimensional characters show a refreshing loyalty to one another. In spite of its bizarre plot, this story will find many fans.
Renee Steinberg, formerly at Fieldstone Middle School, Montvale, NJ
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