Today I'm thrilled to kick off the blog tour for The Lost Girl by Anne Ursu! A big thanks to Walden Pond Press for inviting me to participate and for giving me the opportunity to offer a giveaway too!
About The Lost Girl:
Once upon a time, there were two sisters,
alike in every way, except for all the ways that they were different.
When you’re an identical twin, your story always starts with someone else. For Iris, that means her story starts with Lark. Iris has always been the grounded, capable, and rational one; Lark has been inventive, dreamy, and brilliant—and from their first moments in the world together, they’ve never left each other’s side. Everyone around them realized early on what the two sisters already knew: they had better outcomes when they were together.
When fifth grade arrives, however, it’s decided that Iris and Lark should be split into different classrooms, and something breaks in them both. Iris is no longer so confident; Lark retreats into herself as she deals with challenges at school. And at the same time, something strange is happening in the city around them: things both great and small going missing without a trace. As Iris begins to understand that anything can be lost in the blink of an eye, she decides it’s up to her to find a way to keep her sister safe.
What I Think:
Where do I even start!?! Maybe that's not the best way to start but seriously, this book is amazing on so many different levels. Yes, it's a sister story but at the same time it's a girl power story. When I first started reading, I thought of twins I know. I was friends with twins when I was in elementary school and I have a friend who has twin girls. No doubt, they share an amazing bond. Then I started thinking of my own sister and my cousin who I consider a sister. But as the book went on, I thought of so many friends who stand beside me, whose hands I've held, who remind me to carry on and how much they are sisters to me. I thought about how much they mean to me, how much they encourage me, and how strongly I believe in them. We're all the stars in our own stories but we couldn't do it without our supporting actors.
I really don't want to give the story away. It's so luscious and wonderful that you just have to live it for yourself. But I do want to say that I wondered how I would relate to the characters, seeing as I'm not a twin. Well, I did. I loved getting to know Iris and Lark and I loved seeing how they grew apart and together. And I love the suspense of it all. It's truly a must read for anyone out there. Whether you have a sister or not. Whether you are a sister or not. Whether you are a girl or not. You won't be disappointed.
Like me, I'm sure you'll have lots to talk about after you finish reading The Lost Girl but here's a fantastic Educators’ Guide, written by Melissa Guerrette that you might find useful.
About Anne:
Anne Ursu is the author of Breadcrumbs, named one of the best books of 2011 by Publishers Weekly and the Chicago Public Library, and The Real Boy, which was longlisted for the National Book Award. She is also a member of the faculty at Hamline University’s MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults. Anne lives in Minneapolis with her family and an ever-growing number of cats. You can visit her online at www.anneursu.com
Be sure to visit all the stops on the blog tour:
THURSDAY FEBRUARY 7: .com
