"Comic, creepy, calamitous, and . . . completely satisfying."—Claudia Mills, author of The Lost Language and Zero Tolerance
With his bar mitzvah on the horizon, thirteen-year-old Eddie needs to do a community service project, and he needs to start yesterday. Against his better judgment, he ends up with a volunteering gig at Silver Brook Pavilion retirement home, where the elderly residents call him “Eddie Whatever” so they won’t have to remember his last name. Eddie expects his time at Silver Brook to drag, but at least his friend (and secret crush) Tessa will be there to keep him company—if he can manage to avoid embarrassing himself in front of her.
Soon, though, the seniors upend all Eddie’s assumptions. Their lives are full of excitement, with a dramatic courtship unfolding, long-hidden secrets emerging, rumors of a vengeful ghost running rampant, and a thief on the loose.
When suspicion for the thefts falls on Eddie, he has to team up with the seniors—and Tessa—to clear his name and solve the mysteries of Silver Brook.
About the Author :
Lois Ruby is a former librarian and the author of twenty-two books for young readers. She divides her time among family, community social action, research, writing, and visiting schools to energize young people about the ideas in books and the joys of reading. Lois lives in Cincinnati, Ohio, and shares her life with her psychologist husband, Dr. Tom Ruby, as well as their three sons and daughters-in-law and seven amazing grandchildren, who are scattered around the country.
Review :
"Ruby does a fantastic job developing characters, giving them life and voice, so that they lift off the page. The mystery is well-plotted, layered and keeps readers guessing." —Children's Literature
"[A] winning and unexpected combination of mystery, intrigue, and social commentary, interlaced with wisecracks and school woes."—School Library Journal
"Short chapters and snappy first-person narration give this wide appeal. . .An enjoyable intergenerational story."—Kirkus Reviews
