For Boys and Girls
by Claire Legrand
Flap Copy Description:
Victoria Likes Things Neat and Tidy.
Her hair gleams, her grades shine, and her room is as immaculate as the manicured lawns in her hometown of Belleville. Her life is perfect.
Until her best friend, Lawrence, goes missing.
Without Lawrence, Victoria has no one to walk to school with, no one to reprimand for not doing his homework, no one's life to run but her own. Naturally, Victoria launches an investigation. But Lawrence isn't the only missing kid in town. Beneath Belleville's perfection are dark, deadly, creepy secrets, and Victoria soon realizes Mrs. Cavendish's children's home down the street is behind it all. Kids who go there come out better - or they don't come out at all.
The grown-ups Victoria talks to only feel her lies. But Victoria is not top of the class for nothing. She will have to use her smarts to save her only friend and her beloved hometown from Mrs. Cavendish's evil clutches...even if it means getting a little messy.
My Thoughts:
The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls is the extraordinary debut novel for author Claire Legrand. The protagonist, Victoria, endures a heartwarming transformation on her quest to save her friend, her family, and her small community. The story is dark and creepy, but also delightful. The characters are well-developed and the settings are inventive and imaginative. I would recommend this upper middle grade novel to readers from the ages of ten and up.
To learn more about the author, Claire Legrand, click here:
http://claire-legrand.com/
