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Quicksand Pond
Newbery Honor winner Janet Taylor Lisle’s gorgeous and profound new novel about a pivotal summer in two girls’ lives explores the convictions we form, the judgments we make, and the values we hold.
The pond is called Quicksand Pond.
It’s a shadowy, hidden place, full of chirping, shrieking, croaking life. It’s where, legend has it, people disappear. It’s where scrappy Terri Carr lives with her no-good family. And it’s where twelve-year-old Jessie Kettel is reluctantly spending her summer vacation.
Jessie meets Terri right away, on a raft out in the water, and the two become fast friends. On Quicksand Pond, Jessie and Terri can be lost to the outside world—lost until they want to be found. But a tragedy that occurred many decades ago has had lingering effects on this sleepy, small-minded town, and especially on Terri Carr. And the more Jessie learns, the more she begins to question her new friendship—and herself.
The pond is called Quicksand Pond.
It’s a shadowy, hidden place, full of chirping, shrieking, croaking life. It’s where, legend has it, people disappear. It’s where scrappy Terri Carr lives with her no-good family. And it’s where twelve-year-old Jessie Kettel is reluctantly spending her summer vacation.
Jessie meets Terri right away, on a raft out in the water, and the two become fast friends. On Quicksand Pond, Jessie and Terri can be lost to the outside world—lost until they want to be found. But a tragedy that occurred many decades ago has had lingering effects on this sleepy, small-minded town, and especially on Terri Carr. And the more Jessie learns, the more she begins to question her new friendship—and herself.
256 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2017
9 people are currently reading
551 people want to read
About the author
Janet Taylor Lisle
43 books50 followersJanet Taylor Lisle was born in Englewood, New Jersey, and grew up in Farmington, Connecticut, spending summers on the Rhode Island coast.The eldest child and only daughter of an advertising executive and an architect, she attended local schools and at fifteen entered The Ethel Walker School, a girl’s boarding school in Simsbury, Connecticut.
After graduation from Smith College, she joined VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America). She lived and worked for the next several years in Atlanta, Georgia, organizing food-buying cooperatives in the city’s public housing projects, and teaching in an early-childcare center. She later enrolled in journalism courses at Georgia State University. This was the beginning of a reporting career that extended over the next ten years.
With the birth of her daughter, Lisle turned from journalism to writing projects she could accomplish at home. In 1984, The Dancing Cats of Appesap, her first novel for children, was published by Bradbury Press (Macmillan.) Subsequently, she has published sixteen other novels. Her fourth novel, Afternoon of the Elves (Orchard Books) won a 1990 Newbery Honor award and was adapted as a play by the Seattle Children’s Theater in 1993. It continues to be performed throughout the U.S. Theater productions of the story have also been mounted in Australia and The Netherlands.
Lisle’s novels for children have received Italy’s Premio Andersen Award, Holland’s Zilveren Griffel, and Notable and Best Book distinction from the American Library Association, among other honors. She lives with her husband, Richard Lisle, on the Rhode Island coast, the scene for Black Duck(2006), The Crying Rocks (2003) and The Art of Keeping Cool, which won the Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction in 2001.
After graduation from Smith College, she joined VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America). She lived and worked for the next several years in Atlanta, Georgia, organizing food-buying cooperatives in the city’s public housing projects, and teaching in an early-childcare center. She later enrolled in journalism courses at Georgia State University. This was the beginning of a reporting career that extended over the next ten years.
With the birth of her daughter, Lisle turned from journalism to writing projects she could accomplish at home. In 1984, The Dancing Cats of Appesap, her first novel for children, was published by Bradbury Press (Macmillan.) Subsequently, she has published sixteen other novels. Her fourth novel, Afternoon of the Elves (Orchard Books) won a 1990 Newbery Honor award and was adapted as a play by the Seattle Children’s Theater in 1993. It continues to be performed throughout the U.S. Theater productions of the story have also been mounted in Australia and The Netherlands.
Lisle’s novels for children have received Italy’s Premio Andersen Award, Holland’s Zilveren Griffel, and Notable and Best Book distinction from the American Library Association, among other honors. She lives with her husband, Richard Lisle, on the Rhode Island coast, the scene for Black Duck(2006), The Crying Rocks (2003) and The Art of Keeping Cool, which won the Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction in 2001.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 87 reviews
June 15, 2017
2.5 stars. While it is based around middle grade characters and is middle grade appropriate, it wasn't written in a way that I think would appeal to the middle grade reader.
As for my personal opinion of the story, it felt like it dragged often, especially for a short book. I just didn't care. I would have loved a deeper friendship between Jessie and Terri, but most of all, I would have loved for everything to be even halfway resolved by the time you reach the end. I was left unsatisfied, but at the same time, I feel like I don't care enough to find out, and I'm not left feeling eager for more.
September 10, 2017
I did not enjoy this as much as I anticipated. I loved the concept behind it but it felt like book really dragged in the middle and it's not even a long book. What really killed me was the ending. There was no resolution and no answer to what happened to Terri or Henrietta. It felt like the author dug herself in too deep and then tried to just end things on a sentimental note for Henrietta, even her storyline didn't have a clear connection to Terri and Jess besides the raft. There is also the sub plot of clear familial issues between Jess's parents that were not adequately addressed.
Not a terrible read but not a great one either.
Not a terrible read but not a great one either.
June 28, 2017
5 stars. A book about children but not a children's book. Mature themes and a writing style more conducive to adults than the middle grade child. As an adult reader, I really was drawn into the story and the well developed characters. Not sure a young reader would feel the same. The ending was a bit murky. I still feel the book is worth 5 stars and I enjoyed every page of it.
July 8, 2017
This is a tale of friendship, small town preconceptions, memories of the past and an ache to leave the world behind.
Jessie's father decides to take her, her young brother and older sister off to a house near the beach, while the mother stays and works away. As always. But the house isn't nearly as lovely as any of them had hoped. The family vacation soon turns into a splitting of ways, and Jessie finds solace on a rickety raft on a sludgy pond. When a girl her age hides out with her between the weeds to escape her angry father, a friendship forms. But the father isn't the only dismal thing surrounding the pond. Memories and prejudices are as thick as the mud, and a long unsolved mystery threatens to break up whatever friendship the two girls managed to form.
The writing in this book is as artistic as a painting. The world comes to life in all of its sights, smells and sounds, drawing into a masterpiece of place and scene. The pond haunts and delights with its areas of shadows had hidden corners which can be either threatening of freeing. Much like the story itself. This isn't a light read, but rather digs into some fairly tough areas and searches the darker side of a small town's soul.
Jessie and Terri come from two different worlds but show that such differences don't really mean anything as they bond together. The desire of exploration and hiding in their own world hits a chord many middle grade readers will understand.
This book is intended for audiences around ages 9 and up, but I'm not sure it's a read that will pull many readers of this age in. In the sense of the writing, topic and characters, it fits well, but other aspects make it heavy for this age group. While beautiful, the writing pulls the story along a bit slow, leaving several places where there's the danger that the book might be laid down. One of the more delightful characters, Henrietta, is a older woman with dementia. While her character is very interesting (and I found her thoughts simply a joy to read), I wonder if younger readers will really sympathize or connect with her. Especially the ending surprises. While taking a new twist to the plot and array of subplots - which was refreshing - it was a little confusing and left many ends unsettled.
Summed up, this is a beautiful read which is sure to delight especially fans of heavier and more meaningful tales. However, I question whether middle graders are the right audience and would see this more for ages 11 and up. Even then, this is a book for a more serious audience and not for the light, fast paced fans.
I received a complimentary copy and found the writing amazing enough to want to leave my honest thoughts.
Jessie's father decides to take her, her young brother and older sister off to a house near the beach, while the mother stays and works away. As always. But the house isn't nearly as lovely as any of them had hoped. The family vacation soon turns into a splitting of ways, and Jessie finds solace on a rickety raft on a sludgy pond. When a girl her age hides out with her between the weeds to escape her angry father, a friendship forms. But the father isn't the only dismal thing surrounding the pond. Memories and prejudices are as thick as the mud, and a long unsolved mystery threatens to break up whatever friendship the two girls managed to form.
The writing in this book is as artistic as a painting. The world comes to life in all of its sights, smells and sounds, drawing into a masterpiece of place and scene. The pond haunts and delights with its areas of shadows had hidden corners which can be either threatening of freeing. Much like the story itself. This isn't a light read, but rather digs into some fairly tough areas and searches the darker side of a small town's soul.
Jessie and Terri come from two different worlds but show that such differences don't really mean anything as they bond together. The desire of exploration and hiding in their own world hits a chord many middle grade readers will understand.
This book is intended for audiences around ages 9 and up, but I'm not sure it's a read that will pull many readers of this age in. In the sense of the writing, topic and characters, it fits well, but other aspects make it heavy for this age group. While beautiful, the writing pulls the story along a bit slow, leaving several places where there's the danger that the book might be laid down. One of the more delightful characters, Henrietta, is a older woman with dementia. While her character is very interesting (and I found her thoughts simply a joy to read), I wonder if younger readers will really sympathize or connect with her. Especially the ending surprises. While taking a new twist to the plot and array of subplots - which was refreshing - it was a little confusing and left many ends unsettled.
Summed up, this is a beautiful read which is sure to delight especially fans of heavier and more meaningful tales. However, I question whether middle graders are the right audience and would see this more for ages 11 and up. Even then, this is a book for a more serious audience and not for the light, fast paced fans.
I received a complimentary copy and found the writing amazing enough to want to leave my honest thoughts.
May 24, 2017
When reading the dust jacket of this one I really thought I was going to like the story. It had a great setting and a great premise. However, this story was very disjointed. Too many stories being told, especially for a young reader. This book does have some interesting characters but the reader does not get to know them really well because of the way the story is told. I was very disappointed in this one.
April 24, 2018
I think this book was interesting and enjoyable. I loved how Jessie finally understood Terri and how she knows that Terri isn't the villain. How everyone treats her so horrible was depressing and wrong. I don't think anyone should be treated that way and how the entire town was against her sending her to jail. I mean Terri is strong character who went through Hell and made it back. I loved her character and I loved how mysterious she acted around Jessie. I felt a stab at my heart whenever Jessie acted cautious around her or acted like she an enemy. How Miss Cutting was treated the same way as Terri throughout the entire story. Miss Cutting is treated like a crazy old lady who is stuck in the past but she is such a strong character. Everyone underestimates her like Terri but Miss Cutting was treated horribly as a child. She watch her parents get murdered and knew who the murderer were. No one believes her like Terri and I want to scream at the police to believe her. I loved how they connected to each other and Terri escapes the prison. Also Terri's father beats her and treats her like trash which breaks my heart. Terri never deserved to be treated that way and she thinks she deserves it. I wanted to kill Mitch, her father so badly. However I loved the ending because Terri and Miss Cutting end up on the other side of the pond to live a peaceful life. I loved that they are similar and stick together. I hope they find happiness as a family because they deserve it after their struggling life.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 6, 2017
My 10-year-old niece recommended this to me. It's exactly the kind of book I would have read when I was her age.
And it was beautiful, even if the end felt a bit incomplete.
This is a great story of pasts and present colliding. How the youth can bring forward the old, the elderly. How the closer one is to death, the more clarity there is.
Jessie Kettel and her family - father, older sister Julia, and younger brother Johnathan - go to a cabin in Rhode Island for six weeks of the summer. Jessie's mom stays at home to work, but it's obvious there are martial issues with her parents, which is sad to read.
I feel horrible for her father, who obviously wants to spend time with his children, but they each separate in different ways after finding people in the area to befriend. Even 6-year-old Johnathan has a friend whose house he can go to each day to swim.
Jessie finds a wooden raft and explores the pond, despite there being a nearby beach. There, she meets Terri Carr, who has some stories about the history of the pond. The map at the front of the book really helped me visualize the area.
It's obvious from the start that Terri's stories will somehow relate to the fact that Jessie's father spent some of his childhood summers at the pond.
At first I thought Terri was a ghost but chapter 3, where two women (Sally Parks and Henrietta Cuttings, the latter of whom will obviously be part of Terri's stories) were talking about the Carr family.
Despite the issues the Kettels have with technology not working well in the cabin, it is almost calming to read of how they cope to prevent boredom. They find friends (though the father seems to retreat in loneliness) and Jessie finds solace in the calm of the pond, even after the event that brings her and Terri together.
Henrietta and Jessi's dad show just how much the town has changed. Henrietta's aged mind is quite interesting.
The details about the Cuttings' garage almost made me able to smell it.
It's very cool the beach has diving boards.
I feel so terrible for Terri, especially at the start of chapter 24. People are so quick to excuse "good" youth yet turn their nose down at others who don't "look as decent." Disgusting.
And Terri apologizes for things that aren't even her fault.
Ah, it's heartbreaking and not-so-bittersweet, yet a truly engaging story of a 12-year-old mind and the intricacy of friendship.
And it was beautiful, even if the end felt a bit incomplete.
This is a great story of pasts and present colliding. How the youth can bring forward the old, the elderly. How the closer one is to death, the more clarity there is.
Jessie Kettel and her family - father, older sister Julia, and younger brother Johnathan - go to a cabin in Rhode Island for six weeks of the summer. Jessie's mom stays at home to work, but it's obvious there are martial issues with her parents, which is sad to read.
I feel horrible for her father, who obviously wants to spend time with his children, but they each separate in different ways after finding people in the area to befriend. Even 6-year-old Johnathan has a friend whose house he can go to each day to swim.
Jessie finds a wooden raft and explores the pond, despite there being a nearby beach. There, she meets Terri Carr, who has some stories about the history of the pond. The map at the front of the book really helped me visualize the area.
It's obvious from the start that Terri's stories will somehow relate to the fact that Jessie's father spent some of his childhood summers at the pond.
At first I thought Terri was a ghost but chapter 3, where two women (Sally Parks and Henrietta Cuttings, the latter of whom will obviously be part of Terri's stories) were talking about the Carr family.
Despite the issues the Kettels have with technology not working well in the cabin, it is almost calming to read of how they cope to prevent boredom. They find friends (though the father seems to retreat in loneliness) and Jessie finds solace in the calm of the pond, even after the event that brings her and Terri together.
Henrietta and Jessi's dad show just how much the town has changed. Henrietta's aged mind is quite interesting.
The details about the Cuttings' garage almost made me able to smell it.
It's very cool the beach has diving boards.
I feel so terrible for Terri, especially at the start of chapter 24. People are so quick to excuse "good" youth yet turn their nose down at others who don't "look as decent." Disgusting.
And Terri apologizes for things that aren't even her fault.
Ah, it's heartbreaking and not-so-bittersweet, yet a truly engaging story of a 12-year-old mind and the intricacy of friendship.
July 24, 2017
Quicksand Pond is a brand-new novel by Janet Taylor Lisle, author of the 1990 Newbery Honor book, Afternoon of the Elves. Jessie and her family are visiting the pond for the summer. Terri and her dysfunctional family live there all the time. Elderly Miss Cutting remembers when her family lived there, too, a long time ago, before her parents were murdered and Terri's great-grandfather arrested for the killing. Now, as Jessie and Terri begin to form a friendship, Miss Cutting watches them through the window, wanting to give advice about how to fix their raft, wanting to join them and recapture her own lost youth. Jessie, on the other hand, struggles to be kind to Terri while also sheltering herself from the scary behavior of Terri's alcoholic dad, and trying to figure out whether Terri is a thief and a liar as many of the locals suggest, or if she is just misunderstood and a victim of her family's poor reputation.
I was really looking forward to this book because of how brilliantly creepy Afternoon of the Elves is. Unfortunately, while Quicksand Pond has the same strong sense of setting and a promising premise, it just does not deliver the satisfying story I was anticipating. While I was intrigued by the characters, I did not always find them believable, and I didn't feel like there was enough of a conflict to sustain an entire novel. Though I was expecting a somewhat vague and unsettling ending, I was not prepared for the abrupt conclusion, which almost made me question whether the ebook edition I read was missing an epilogue or something. (It wasn't.) I'm all for ending on an uncertain note, but this book doesn't really end; it just sort of fizzles out.
I was really looking forward to this book because of how brilliantly creepy Afternoon of the Elves is. Unfortunately, while Quicksand Pond has the same strong sense of setting and a promising premise, it just does not deliver the satisfying story I was anticipating. While I was intrigued by the characters, I did not always find them believable, and I didn't feel like there was enough of a conflict to sustain an entire novel. Though I was expecting a somewhat vague and unsettling ending, I was not prepared for the abrupt conclusion, which almost made me question whether the ebook edition I read was missing an epilogue or something. (It wasn't.) I'm all for ending on an uncertain note, but this book doesn't really end; it just sort of fizzles out.
February 22, 2022
Was lucky to win an advanced reviewer copy of the book. No spoilers below but a wonderful story of summer adventure, mystery, and family.
September 8, 2017
I liked how the mystery in this story spanned many years but was a little taken aback by how accessible some of the rather darker parts of this story were presented (specifically the murder mystery and Terri's home life). For some reason, this did not quite hold my interest the way I thought it would. Can't put my finger on why, exactly. The best I can put it, is that I think it takes this book a while to figure out what it's trying to be.
August 3, 2020
3.6
Rhode Island shore
present day (can't pick up cell phone calls or go-online)
Family vacations by a Quicksand Pond, not far from the ocean. (Map of pond and locations in front of book.)
Friendship. Consequences -- reverberating across generations.
Realistic ending in that everything doesn't end tidily, much like real-life.
What do kids think of this?
I'm wondering if this is a version of Where the Crawdads Sing (which I haven't read) but for younger readers.
Rhode Island shore
present day (can't pick up cell phone calls or go-online)
Family vacations by a Quicksand Pond, not far from the ocean. (Map of pond and locations in front of book.)
Friendship. Consequences -- reverberating across generations.
Realistic ending in that everything doesn't end tidily, much like real-life.
What do kids think of this?
I'm wondering if this is a version of Where the Crawdads Sing (which I haven't read) but for younger readers.
April 16, 2021
Vooral de eerste helft is mooi en sfeervol en een beetje ouderwetserig en warm en tegelijk best hard. Maar daarna wordt het bijna een rechtbankdrama en dat is jammer.
+ dit is zo'n kinderboek waarin hele hoofdstukken vanuit het perspectief van een volwassene verteld worden, op een goeie manier
+ dit is zo'n kinderboek waarin hele hoofdstukken vanuit het perspectief van een volwassene verteld worden, op een goeie manier
July 15, 2017
3.5 stars. Combines multiple familiar elements into something individual, unpredictable, and interesting. Ended up liking it, especially as it became clear this book wasn't going to follow expected paths, but suspect its appeal may be somewhat limited, especially given its ultimately bleak theme. Listened to audiobook.
June 5, 2017
The book presents the idea of judgement: who we judge and why. The ending is a little elusive and didn't create as much closure as I would have liked BUT that's clearly the author's intent. A sophisticated style and mature ideas. on the "older" spectrum of juvenile fiction.
August 20, 2017
Jessie Kettel is spending the summer with her family in Rhode Island, where their promised waterfront beach house turns out to be a ramshackle cottage on an overgrown pond. Jessie doesn’t mind, especially when she finds a raft, and even better, a friend, Terri, who helps her fix it up. Terri’s father is alcoholic and abusive, and she often spends nights alone in the woods to avoid his temper, but she wants Jessie’s friendship, not her pity. Terri entertains Jessie with local tales about children swallowed up by the quicksand and a long-ago double murder that led to the wrongful conviction of her own grandfather. The girls develop a close bond, but the relationship starts deteriorating when Jessie hears rumors that Terri may be involved in something illegal. At first, Jessie stands up for her friend, but eventually, frightened she is getting in over her head, she pulls away. Jessie struggles to hold on to what she feels to be right, even as those around her make judgments based on false assumptions that stem from class and social prejudices. Woven into the girls’ stories is the story of an old woman who is the only witness of the long-forgotten murders. This is a gripping novel, with a sensitive, nuanced portrayal of issues relating to classism, as well as the flaws in our criminal justice system. The characters, including many of the secondary characters, are well-developed and memorably distinct. I look for this one to be a contender for the 2018 Newbery.
June 21, 2017
Set over a summer (with a great sense of place) in which local girl Terri and vacationing out-of-towner Jessie form an unlikely friendship as they repair a raft. Terri is a fantastic character and the author does a great job with the theme of judgment. Loved the story and was ready to give it five stars.
Until the end.
So much is left unresolved! I imagine middle grade readers will leave this book feeling frustrated. I simply didn't know if what happened was a hallucination or not. And I felt like Terri deserved more. Another chapter seemed necessary, and in the end, the story sinks.
Until the end.
So much is left unresolved! I imagine middle grade readers will leave this book feeling frustrated. I simply didn't know if what happened was a hallucination or not. And I felt like Terri deserved more. Another chapter seemed necessary, and in the end, the story sinks.
June 28, 2017
Quicksand Pond by Janet Taylor Lisle was a mysterious and engaging story about unlikely friendships, judging a book by it's cover and looking for the real meaning of any story. The book was excellent and for the most part all pulled together well. There were a few loose ends that left me wondering if the pond would be revisited in later books. I appreciated how the story unfolded and the characters experienced change and challenge.
April 8, 2018
Middle school and up. This book is weirdly literary - but not especially great writing - so it felt like it wasn't really written for kids at all per se. Interesting but not sure what the kid appeal would be. It has such an adult pace, tone, and plot. Not inappropriate, just way more typical for adults.
June 20, 2017
Left me feeling like so much was unresolved and unchanged - including the main character. Lisle created such great characters, a vivid and unusual setting, subplots with great potential but I felt so much was unrealized.
November 9, 2017
Newbery Honor winner Janet Taylor Lisle brings to life a story of summer friendships, small town preconceptions, and the choices that define us. Jessie Kettel's father is determined to make the most out of their summer vacation by uprooting his kids from the city and renting out a decrepit old cabin by a dingy old pond for a few weeks. Jessie is immediately entranced by the pond and finds an old raft on which to explore the secrets of the swampy land. It's there she discovers Terri and the two become inseparable, fixing the raft and learning about each other. The more Jessie gets to know Terri though, the more concerned she becomes. Terri is from a no good family and everyone knows that they're always in trouble. As things start to fall apart, Jessie starts distancing herself and begins questioning her own feelings and convictions. Although intended for a middle grade audience, the novel reads more mature and may lose younger readers. The story isn't very fast paced, but there is rich character development with Jessie and Terri. The narrator's youthful voice helps capture the innocence and excitement of the young girls. Not for everyone but will appeal to more mature middle school readers, not for content but for plot, dialogue, and character development.
July 31, 2023
Family vaca at the Quicksand Pond.
Jessie has arrived with her father and other siblings. A vacation home with no wifi and barely any electricity. But the family makes the most of it. Going down to the beach to swim and mingle with the locals.
Soon, Jessie meets Terry, a local girl with a dark family past. Terry's family is the kind that most people stay away from. Her dad is a raging alcoholic. No mother to speak of. And wild brothers that are heavily known around town. But when the rumors put a wedge in the girls' friendship, things are put to the test.
Kind of tragic..
Went into this blind and was moved at how deep it was. The friendship that sprouts and is almost ruined by the words and feelings of others.. it's too real. I feel like we sometimes let others influence us too much. Sometimes we need to be brave and stand up for those friends. Just because everyone doesn't like that person or believes they know they truth doesn't mean they are right. (This is a lesson a try to teach my kids.) I know not every kid goes home to loving parents or to a safe environment. Sometimes, friends are the safe environment.
Jessie has arrived with her father and other siblings. A vacation home with no wifi and barely any electricity. But the family makes the most of it. Going down to the beach to swim and mingle with the locals.
Soon, Jessie meets Terry, a local girl with a dark family past. Terry's family is the kind that most people stay away from. Her dad is a raging alcoholic. No mother to speak of. And wild brothers that are heavily known around town. But when the rumors put a wedge in the girls' friendship, things are put to the test.
Kind of tragic..
Went into this blind and was moved at how deep it was. The friendship that sprouts and is almost ruined by the words and feelings of others.. it's too real. I feel like we sometimes let others influence us too much. Sometimes we need to be brave and stand up for those friends. Just because everyone doesn't like that person or believes they know they truth doesn't mean they are right. (This is a lesson a try to teach my kids.) I know not every kid goes home to loving parents or to a safe environment. Sometimes, friends are the safe environment.
July 20, 2017
I was not expecting the emotional sucker punch that this book delivered. Lisle writes flawlessly, scene setting her story in such a detailed manner that you are transported to this little seaside town and all of its history, unresolved mysteries, and lingering judgments.
At the heart of the novel is the friendship of Terri and Jessie--an unlikely pair whose friendship is put through the ringer due to the several generations' worth of misconceptions and perpetuating false accusations that Terri's family endures from their community. An equal parts delightful and heart-wrenching subplot is delivered through the eyes of an aging Miss Henrietta Cutting. Lisle navigates Henrietta's point of view in such an eye opening way to how living with dementia must feel like.
I do agree with several other reviewers in that the ending was a bit vague and left open to interpretation--but, I felt that it made the book a more compelling read rather than if it had ended in the expected way. I would love to hear others' interpretation as to what the last chapter meant.
At the heart of the novel is the friendship of Terri and Jessie--an unlikely pair whose friendship is put through the ringer due to the several generations' worth of misconceptions and perpetuating false accusations that Terri's family endures from their community. An equal parts delightful and heart-wrenching subplot is delivered through the eyes of an aging Miss Henrietta Cutting. Lisle navigates Henrietta's point of view in such an eye opening way to how living with dementia must feel like.
I do agree with several other reviewers in that the ending was a bit vague and left open to interpretation--but, I felt that it made the book a more compelling read rather than if it had ended in the expected way. I would love to hear others' interpretation as to what the last chapter meant.
October 5, 2017
Another brilliant book by the great Janet Taylor Lisle, reminding readers that new authors come along, but they can't hold a candle to the old-school masters of children's literature. The Kettels have rented a rustic "saltbox" cottage on the New England coast for six weeks. Jessie is drawn to a raft she finds floating in the sizeable pond outside their house, and encounters Terri Carr soon thereafter as Terri is hiding from her abusive father. Jessie and Terri become friends, but Jessie begins to realize that the rest of the world doesn't see Terri as she does. The community has written off the Carr family after a decades-old murder. When new criminal activity begins, like theft and arson, Jessie realizes that she will have to decide for herself what the right thing to do will be. A masterfully written exploration of public perception and the biases and judgments that dog people in poverty and keep them from second chances. This would make an outstanding book discussion pick for upper elementary or middle school readers.
August 12, 2017
Book Talk
Jessie's dad decides he and his kids need a vacation and packs up the family for a 6-week stay at the beach. No Internet, no iPods or phones, nothing but peace and quiet. And Jessie is BORED. Until she meets feisty and adventurous Terri Carr, and the two of them find a raft for exploring nearby Quicksand Pond, where people have gone missing and a mysterious murder occurred in the past.
My Thoughts
I enjoyed this book a lot, but I felt like it couldn't figure out what it wanted to be. It was a little realistic fiction, a little historical fiction, some mystery. I wanted each piece of the story to be fleshed out more. I wanted more of the older woman's story who watched the girls from the window. I wanted to know more about Terri and her life. And what was happening in Jessie's family with her parents? The story tried to cover too much territory in too short of a book.
My Recommendation
3.5/5 stars
Grades 5+
Jessie's dad decides he and his kids need a vacation and packs up the family for a 6-week stay at the beach. No Internet, no iPods or phones, nothing but peace and quiet. And Jessie is BORED. Until she meets feisty and adventurous Terri Carr, and the two of them find a raft for exploring nearby Quicksand Pond, where people have gone missing and a mysterious murder occurred in the past.
My Thoughts
I enjoyed this book a lot, but I felt like it couldn't figure out what it wanted to be. It was a little realistic fiction, a little historical fiction, some mystery. I wanted each piece of the story to be fleshed out more. I wanted more of the older woman's story who watched the girls from the window. I wanted to know more about Terri and her life. And what was happening in Jessie's family with her parents? The story tried to cover too much territory in too short of a book.
My Recommendation
3.5/5 stars
Grades 5+
January 13, 2018
Other reviewers are correct that this beautiful book doesn't follow the expected formula for middle grade, and some of the style, subject matter, and vocabulary, especially from the POV of the elderly protagonist, is extremely adult sounding. It's also quite dark compared to much middle grade, as it deals with domestic violence, murder, the juvenile justice system, death, criminal mischief, and a kind of mild elder abuse. And the ending is not unalloyedly happy. Having said all that, I don't think it's too rich or too advanced for an avid MG reader--it's certainly no denser or more troubling than To Kill a Mockingbird, for instance. As an adult reader I was genuinely moved by this book (the ending is surreally gorgeous), and it raises some important moral questions about how and why we're called upon to do the right thing. I'd recommend this highly for MG readers who are sophisticated and advanced.
September 25, 2017
This is a very good coming of age mystery set in Rhode Island where Jessie, 12, spends the summer with her family. While her older sister goes to the beach to socialize and her younger brother plays with his friends, Jessie is content to navigate the pond on a raft she found. Little does she know that the raft was left for her by an elderly woman, whose parents had been murdered when she was a young girl.
She meets Terri, another young girl who lives by the pond, as she was being chased out of her house by her very angry father. The making and dissolving of their friendship forms the basic story of the book. Their relationship is tested and Jessie has some tough decisions to make as to how people are judged by society and how she wishes to form her own decisions. It's a compelling read. I highly recommend it to middle schoolers.
She meets Terri, another young girl who lives by the pond, as she was being chased out of her house by her very angry father. The making and dissolving of their friendship forms the basic story of the book. Their relationship is tested and Jessie has some tough decisions to make as to how people are judged by society and how she wishes to form her own decisions. It's a compelling read. I highly recommend it to middle schoolers.
May 14, 2021
This was a quick story about a young girl who moves to a place by Quicksand Pond for the summer. While there she meets another young girl who comes from a home down on it's luck. They quick become friends over fixing up an old raft.
Then Jessie finds out some things about Terri's family that threatens their friendship. Terri's grandfather was accused of murder and sent to prison though everyone says he was innocent. That one thing messes up Terri's family forever and they are always seen as bad. When something bad happens and Terri is blamed, Jessie is sure she didn't do it.
It's about one girl learning not to judge others by what you hear and not to judge people because of things that their other family members might have done. Even if her grandfather was a bad egg, that doesn't mean it was passed down through her genes and makes her a bad egg.
It was decent and an easy listen.
Then Jessie finds out some things about Terri's family that threatens their friendship. Terri's grandfather was accused of murder and sent to prison though everyone says he was innocent. That one thing messes up Terri's family forever and they are always seen as bad. When something bad happens and Terri is blamed, Jessie is sure she didn't do it.
It's about one girl learning not to judge others by what you hear and not to judge people because of things that their other family members might have done. Even if her grandfather was a bad egg, that doesn't mean it was passed down through her genes and makes her a bad egg.
It was decent and an easy listen.
September 27, 2017
This is a beautiful story, though it seems to me more like a story adults would like rather than children. The chapters focusing on the old woman's memory loss, for instance, seems like something adults would appreciate and maybe find poignant. I'm not sure children would read these chapters, however, or if they'd prefer to get back to the adventures of the girls.
I'm also left feeling that the protagonist's growth is rather vague. She SAYS she means to stick by her friend who is always being judged because of her home life and her poverty. However, every time she has a chance to stand by her friend, she backs away because she's afraid to be associated with someone no one else likes. So I can't find her final words very uplifting as I don't believe them.
I'm also left feeling that the protagonist's growth is rather vague. She SAYS she means to stick by her friend who is always being judged because of her home life and her poverty. However, every time she has a chance to stand by her friend, she backs away because she's afraid to be associated with someone no one else likes. So I can't find her final words very uplifting as I don't believe them.
September 17, 2017
I've met these characters. The author has created realistic people in realistic fixes. A few of them made me angry. Others I want as friends. Mysteries are revealed, some are solved, at least the important ones. Some will be unsolved forever.
BOOK TALK:
Mysteries old and new:
How did the Penham boys die?
Who killed Henrietta's parents?
Where did the raft come from?
Who started the garage fire?
Jesse and Terri know the mysteries. They've been hanging out poling around Quicksand Pond on a raft they found. Neither girl is really looking to solve the mysteries, but getting some answers is key to their friendship.
BOOK TALK:
Mysteries old and new:
How did the Penham boys die?
Who killed Henrietta's parents?
Where did the raft come from?
Who started the garage fire?
Jesse and Terri know the mysteries. They've been hanging out poling around Quicksand Pond on a raft they found. Neither girl is really looking to solve the mysteries, but getting some answers is key to their friendship.
April 24, 2018
3.5 stars. Even though it is a third person omniscient narrator, I felt that the language sounded too old for many of the characters, especially in their internal dialogue, which made it hard to stay connected to the characters. I also was disappointed that only the protagonist had any kind of real character arc. The rest of the characters stayed the same throughout the entire book, seeming to learn nothing from their experiences. However, the descriptions of the setting were beautiful and immersive, and I appreciated that the story did not have a clean ending where everything was tied up neatly in a bow.
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