Crossing Over - Hardcover

Kendall, Anna

3.04

525 ratings by Goodreads

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0670012467 ISBN 13: 9780670012466

Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers, 2010

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Roger Kilbourne has the ability to "cross over" into the land of the dead and speak with its residents. It is a startling gift, and not a pleasant one. Roger manages to escape his brutal uncle, who has exploited his talents for years; after he gets a job in the palace laundry, he thinks he will be safe. Instead, there are worse dangers. First, he falls hopelessly in love with the bewitching, willful Lady Cecilia; next, he is pulled into the midst of life-threatening court intigue. Soon Roger is using his gift as a way to get the life he dreams of-even if it means bringing the dead back to the land of the living.

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About the Author:

Anna Kendall was born in Ireland and emigrated with her parents to the United States at age twelve. For several years she taught fourth grade. Anna lives in Seattle, where she plays a lot of chess. Crossing Over is her first novel.

From Booklist:

Fourteen-year-old Roger has a peculiar gift that allows him to cross from the land of the living into the world of the dead—but only at the point of extreme personal pain. He finds himself at court in the capital city, and he quickly becomes a tool in the deadly contest of wills between a young queen some say is not fit to rule and her mother, who refuses to relinquish the throne. Kendall’s debut novel is an atmospheric coming-of-age tale that weaves ill-fated courtly love with Roger’s difficult journey to understand the world. The involving story is weakened just a little by unnecessary and oddly placed references to sexual arousal and characters that exhibit little overall growth. There are tantalizing references to a mysterious place known as Soulvine Moor, which receives short shrift when readers are finally taken there toward the novel’s end. Despite this, Kendall’s first effort will find fans who will cheer Roger on and hope for his constancy. Grades 8-11. --Cindy Welch

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