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Jacob’s Landing

by Daphne Greer

Nova Scotia author Daphne Greer’s latest book focuses on 12-year-old Jacob Mosher, who loses his father but discovers he has grandparents – Pearl and Frank – he didn’t know existed.

Jacob's LandingAlmost a year after his father’s death from an unnamed ailment, Jacob’s foster mother sends him to spend the summer with his newfound relatives in the Nova Scotia town of Newport Landing. No explanation is given for how Pearl and Frank were located, but while he’s visiting them, Jacob tries to puzzle out why his father never told him about his grandparents in the first place.

After a slow start,  Jacob’s Landing hits its stride and becomes a well-paced tale. Greer teases out hints about the family secret in each chapter, a tactic that should hold readers’ attention as they, too, try to crack the mystery.

Jacob and his grandparents are well drawn and memorable. Pearl and Frank, in particular, bear character traits that prove rooted in the family’s dark history. Pearl at first seems erratic and quirky due to old age, but it becomes apparent that this is her manner of dealing with the tragedy that occurred when Jacob’s father was a child.

Though the major characters are believable, many minor characters fall flat. These include Margaret, the sister of Jacob’s friend Ruby, whose only purpose seems to be to show that Ruby has other family members. None of Margaret’s actions add to the plot, rendering her more scenery than a vital part of the story.

Jacob’s Landing explores some fairly complex family issues that younger readers might miss, but they will still enjoy it as a simple adventure about finding a home and connecting with long-lost family members.

 

Reviewer: Katie Ingram

Publisher: Nimbus Publishing

DETAILS

Price: $12.95

Page Count: 160 pp

Format: Paper

ISBN: 978-1-77108-279-2

Released: April

Issue Date: May 2015

Categories: Children and YA Fiction

Age Range: 8-12