Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos

I smell another series coming on. This book has been sitting in my house for quite a while. I finally picked it up the day I came home sick and couldn't really stand to do much else. When I was in junior high, there was a series called, "Friday the 13th". It had nothing to do with the horror flick of the same name. It was actually about some characters that ran an antique shop and had to chase down cursed items. I got a little of that feeling from this book. Theodosia has the special ability to sense curses on items, especially those of Egyptian origin. Since her parents run a museum that focuses on Ancient artifacts, Theodosia's knowledge and abilities develop from self-educating herself with what exists in the museum. Mom and Dad are not aware of her abilities or the curses and, of course, danger and adventure ensue after mom sends home some very cursed items. I think this could be a decent series if developed correctly. My students all seem to be into the scary spooky stuff right now, so this might be right up their alley. A little magic and a little spooky stuff make a decent combination. The book didn't specifically indicate a sequel, but the plot certainly left room to create more stories with this adventurous character.

I also reread The Westing Game this weekend. I highly recommended the book to one of our teachers and she came back in a little later and said she had been told there was something controversial about it. I couldn't remember anything too bad, except maybe a little stereotyping. So I reread it. I still love it. Yes, there is some stereotyping, but the character that makes the stereotypes is regarding poorly by the other characters. There are "bombs" and a mention of a suicide. But I wouldn't even venture so far as to call it violence compared to what goes on in most cartoons and upper level books that kids read today. The mystery is well-written and heartfelt and the novel is quite complete in its circle. It's a classic and I will always recommend it. =)