The Time of the Fireflies - Hardcover

Little, Kimberley Griffiths

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0545165636 ISBN 13: 9780545165631

Publisher: Scholastic Press, 2014

Synopsis

Critically acclaimed author Kimberley Griffiths Little spins a thrilling story of one girl's race to unravel the curse that has haunted her family for generations.

When Larissa Renaud starts receiving eerie phone calls on a disconnected old phone in her family's antique shop, she knows she's in for a strange summer. A series of clues leads her to the muddy river banks, where clouds of fireflies dance among the cypress knees and cattails each evening at twilight. The fireflies are beautiful and mysterious, and they take her on a magical journey through time, where Larissa learns secrets about her family's tragic past -- deadly, curse-ridden secrets that could harm the future of her family as she knows it. It soon becomes clear that it is up to Larissa to prevent history from repeating itself and a fatal tragedy from striking the people she loves.
With her signature lyricism, Kimberley Griffiths Little weaves a thrilling tale filled with family secrets, haunting mystery, and dangerous adventure.

About this title

About the Author

Kimberley Griffiths Little is the author of THE HEALING SPELL, CIRCLE OF SECRETS, and WHEN THE BUTTERFLIES CAME, as well as dozens of short stories that have appeared in numerous publications, and the novels BREAKAWAY, ENCHANTED RUNNER, and THE LAST SNAKE RUNNER. She is the winner of the Southwest Book Award. Kimberley lives near the banks of the Rio Grande in New Mexico in a solar adobe house with her husband and their children.

Reviews

Gr 4–6—Larissa Renaud's scar burns down the side of her face every time the doll her Mamma keeps locked in the upstairs cabinet looks at her. The angry slash reminds Larissa of her terrible accident at Bayou Bridge, the same bridge where her aunt Gwen drowned as a young girl. The scar warns Larissa not to play with or talk to any of the kids in the town who forced her off the bridge. The scar makes Larissa think that her Mamma, pregnant and anxious, doesn't think she is beautiful anymore. Then Larissa starts getting phone calls on an ancient telephone in her parents' antique store—a phone that has long been disconnected from the wall. "Trust the fireflies," the voice tells her. Believing that the message is a matter of life and death for her family, Larissa lets the fireflies swirl her across the dangerous river to travel back in time to her ancestor's rich sugarcane estate. Bouncing through the generations, Larissa begins to piece together the history of the blue-eyed heirloom doll, Anna Marie, that her mother keeps. Bought on the Island of the Dolls and infused with a powerful spirit, the doll that Larissa's great-great-grandmother stole from a servant girl became a curse for each generation thereafter. The evil doll has been at each tragic, untimely death, and Larissa soon figures out it is her Mamma and her newly born sister, Emilie, who are the next targets. Can Larissa find a way to save her family, and perhaps heal her own wounds? This is a haunting, well-constructed tale that keeps readers guessing until the end. The feel of the old bayou infuses the story and the well-developed characters fit into the landscape, moving along in a plot filled with suspense, adventure, and mystery. A perfect choice for lovers of ghost stories, historical fiction, or just a good yarn.—Clare A. Dombrowski, Amesbury Public Library, MA

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

From THE TIME OF THE FIREFLIESMy brain seemed to turn to mush. My vision filled with only the thick swarm of fireflies, and I couldn't see the bayou in front of me any longer. The tiny flying creatures lighted along my arms, touched each of my fingers, tugging at my shoulders, urging me forward. How very peculiar. I couldn't seem to think straight. What were they doing? Luring me into the water? If I fell in nobody would ever find me in the dark. Nobody would even hear me scream. I'd drown like Gwen. Only worse. She'd been found. I might never be seen again, but pulled out to sea for real this time. The moon rose across the murky waters, a thousand ripples silently moving across the surface. The fireflies danced faster, thick as heavy syrup, the light blinding and beautiful. I was in a tunnel of light and yet, I wasn't scared. They didn't want to hurt me. Only wanted to -- to show me something. Maybe I was dreaming! Or going crazy. My head ached, and I took two more steps forward. The fireflies were right there with me, kissing my cheeks, my hair, propelling me forward. The bridge shimmered in the moonlight, and all at once the edge where the planks had collapsed into the water had miraculously been fixed. The rusted nails were gone. The broken, empty space filled up with brand-new planks, tight and strong and sure. The bridge stopped shuddering as I stepped closer to the middle of the river. Protected by the fireflies. Like a miracle. I rubbed my hot neck as the image of the perfect bridge wavered like a mirage in front of me.

Edition details

• Publisher: Scholastic Press
• Publication date: 2014
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0545165636
• ISBN 13: 9780545165631
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 368