Piper Houdini: Apprentice of Coney Island by Glenn Herdling

Piper Houdini is a YA fiction novel by Glenn Herdling. Piper has been shuttled back and forth between foster homes since she was a baby. When she's twelve years old, someone claiming to be her father takes her to Harry Houdini's house, who happens to be her uncle. Here she encounters a mysterious and magical world that Piper had no idea existed.

Sex: There are several sexual references. One character comments on the fact that she's "slept with lots of men." She is also nearly raped in an alley but is rescued

Language: Mild.

Drug/Alcohol Use: This book is set in the 1920s during Prohibition, but some characters do still drink and are known to visit speakeasies.

Violence/Gore/Frightening Scenes/Death: This book deals with things that are mystical. The occult and vampires play major roles in this story. There is also a character who is considered a zombie.

Final Note: This book wasn't at all what I thought it was going to be. Harry Houdini frequently insists that he is an illusionist and he works to disprove any sort of mysticism. But, "magick" is considered real in this story and it's very dark. The book changes perspective with nearly every chapter and it's pretty hard to follow.

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My 2020 5 Star Reads

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Short by Holly Goldberg Sloan

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What is The Rapid Reader?

Hello fellow parents and friends! My name is Danielle. I had the idea for this blog a couple of years ago when I was working in my son's school library. It was a known fact that I was an avid reader of middle school and young adult literature and several parents would ask me about books before checking them out for their kids. (Or buying them at the book fair!) Because I read so much, I've never worried too much about what my kids might be reading. My oldest is only eight years old and anything he's read, I've read already! But what about parents who don't necessarily enjoy reading or have the time? I wanted to offer a resource that gave these parents the chance to make educated decisions about books their kids are reading. That's how this blog was born! Before we go any further, I want to point out that I am strongly opposed to book banning. I believe in freedom of speech and expression of art through literature. But I also feel strongly that kids should ...

The Rapid Reader

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