Fans of classic mysteries and dog lovers will enjoy the Canadian setting, the dog walking service, and seeing characters learn from their missteps. A secondary purchase.
This is far less polished and mature than Lauren Oliver's Before I Fall (HarperCollins, 2010) and far less exciting than William Sleator's 1999 classic Rewind (Dutton), but will be a solidly satisfying read for many middle school girls.
Gr 5 Up—If readers can stomach the grisly notion of flies being annihilated by the thousands, and several more raised for slaughter, then McNicoll's novel offers a unique and unconventional view of the fight against disease plaguing the world at the beginning of the 20th century...