The Thirteenth Floor - Softcover

Fleischman, Sid

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0440412439 ISBN 13: 9780440412434

Publisher: Yearling, 1997

Synopsis

When newly orphaned Buddy and his lawyer-sister Liz receive a strange message from an ancestor, they travel back in time to save her from being hanged as a witch.

About this title

About the Author:

Sid Fleischman wrote more than sixty books for children, adults, and magicians. Among his many awards was the Newbery Medal for his novel The Whipping Boy. The author described his wasted youth as a magician and newspaperman in his autobiography The Abracadabra Kid. His other titles include The Entertainer and the Dybbuk, a novel, and three biographies, Sir Charlie: Chaplin, The Funniest Man in the World; The Trouble Begins at 8: A Life of Mark Twain in the Wild, Wild West; and Escape! The Story of The Great Houdini.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 4-6?Recently orphaned Buddy Stebbins, 12, is in the care of his sister, Liz, a young attorney. Faced with the prospect of selling the family home to pay off their parents' debts, Buddy calls on an ancestor, Captain Crackstone, rumored to be a pirate, for assistance. In response, a plea for help from the 17th century arrives from another descendant, Abigail Parsons, who is about to be tried for witchcraft at age 10. Independently, Buddy and Liz find their ways back to 1692 Massachussets to join forces with their forebears. This rollicking time-travel adventure requires a willing suspension of disbelief on the part of the characters as well as readers. Thrust into scenes of piracy and witchcraft hysteria respectively, Buddy and Liz experience the most dramatic and fascinating aspects of life at that time. Fleischman's characteristic flair for compelling action, lively dialogue, authentic details, and humorous elements are all present here, resulting in a thoroughly entertaining page turner. However, Buddy's 20th-century mannerisms and dress, including glow-in-the-dark shoelaces, are almost uniformly accepted after his initial appearance. Liz, for all her cleverness, foolishly refers to upcoming events in Salem, which casts suspicion of witchcraft upon her. Still, the rambunctious events aboard the ship and the tension of the trial will engage readers. The tidy ending is satisfying, containing enough irony to avoid predictability. An author's note eloquently and articulately explains the historical context of the setting.?Starr LaTronica, Berkeley Public Library, CA
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Yearling
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0440412439
• ISBN 13: 9780440412434
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 176