(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Some kids might find living in a dusty old antique store fun.  Not 12-year-old Larissa Renaud.  She thinks it's embarrassing.  And creepy.  Especially when she receives a mysterious call from a girl who refuses to identify herself on an antique telephone that's not even hooked up to an outside line!  Impossible.  Unless the anonymous caller is not of this world ...

As crazy as chatting it up with a ghost may sound, that's not even the strangest thing that's happening to Larissa.  There's the creepy porcelain doll that moves when no one's watching, the swarm of magical fireflies that surrounds her on the banks of the bayou, and an intriguing plantation home that simply cannot exist.  All of them are messages, giving her clues to the secrets of her family's past.  Larissa wants to listen, but she's scared.  Then, her mother disappears.

Larissa's desperate to keep the tragedies of the past from repeating themselves in the present, but what can she do?  Listen to a ghost?  Rely on an old swamp witch?  Only by uncovering her family's long-buried secrets can she change its curse-ridden course.  The task will take every ounce of courage, trust, and determination Larissa possesses—the only question is, can she do what needs to be done?

Ever since I read the first of Kimberley Griffiths Little's middle grade books set in Bayou Bridge, Louisiana, I've been fascinated by the world the author's created in these inter-related stories.  With a rich, vibrant setting; memorable characters; and plots that are part mystery, part magic, they're infused with a whimsical warmth that continually enchants me.  Like its predecessors, The Time of the Fireflies offers some chills with its charms, but that only makes the story more appealing.  Atmospheric and alluring, the Bayou Bridge books offer something for everyone.  Trust me when I say they should not be missed.

(Readalikes:  Little's other Louisiana books—The Healing Spell; Circle of Secrets; and When the Butterflies Came)

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