  | Tanglewood terror Author: Scaletta, Kurtis | |
| Price: $6.50 | ||
Summary:
When a giant glowing fungus invades Eric's small town, he, his little brother Brian, and a runaway girl try to stop it--and figure out how a Puritan town disappeared from the same spot.
| Accelerated Reader Information: Interest Level: MG Reading Level: 4.60 Points: 9.0 Quiz: 146046 | Reading Counts Information: Interest Level: 6-8 Reading Level: 4.40 Points: 16.0 Quiz: 55033 | |
Common Core Standards
Grade 4 → Reading → RL Literature → 4.RL Key Ideas & Details
Grade 4 → Reading → RL Literature → 4.RL Range of Reading & Level of Text Complexity
Grade 4 → Reading → RL Literature → 4.RL Craft & Structure
Grade 4 → Reading → RL Literature → 4.RL Integration & Knowledge of Ideas
Grade 4 → Reading → RL Literature → Texts Illustrating the Complexity, Quality, & Rang
Grade 5 → Reading → RL Literature → 5.RL Key Ideas & Details
Grade 5 → Reading → RL Literature → 5.RL Integration & Knowledge of Ideas
Grade 5 → Reading → RL Literature → Texts Illustrating the Complexity, Quality, & Rang
Grade 6 → Reading → RL Literature → 6.RL Range of Reading & Level of Text Complexity
Grade 6 → Reading → CCR College & Career Readiness Anchor Standards fo
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (08/15/11)
School Library Journal (01/01/12)
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (A) (01/12)
Full Text Reviews:
Bulletin for the Center... - 01/01/2012 After finding a patch of glowing mushrooms in the forest behind his house, thirteen-year-old Eric can’t seem to shake the idea that the blue-lit mushrooms are here to cause trouble, even when his science teacher informs him that bioluminescence is a perfectly natural phenomenon. His feelings of dread are only exacerbated by the other, non-fungi-related dramas in his life that include his parents’ imminent divorce, a rift with his football buddies, and a clingy little brother who suddenly seems to be hiding a big secret. As the mushrooms continue to spread through Tanglewood, Eric becomes increasingly convinced of their sinister nature; his suspicions are soon confirmed by a runaway girl who is certain that the lost works of a dead sci-fi author and former Tanglewood resident predict the coming of the fungi and the town’s demise. As he did in Mamba Point (BCCB 7/10), Scaletta imbues something utterly ordinary-the mushrooms, in this case-with a sort of mysticism that makes it seem totally believable that said fungi might indeed have malicious intentions. Unfortunately, the intrigue doesn’t quite hold up, especially under the weight of a convoluted backstory involving the origin of the town and characters that seem to waft in whenever the plot necessitates it. Still, the author’s examinations of sibling dynamics are on point, and the love/hate/really love relationship between Eric and his little brother is thoughtfully developed. The title’s promise of “terror” rings a bit false, but readers may still find plenty to like in Tanglewood. KQG - Copyright 2012 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois.
School Library Journal - 01/01/2012 Gr 4–7—Things are far from perfect in Eric Parrish's quiet Maine town. He's been wrongly accused of being the school bully. His little brother, Brian, is super annoying. His dad is having a midlife crisis and has moved to Boston. Mom works at a boarding school for troubled girls and is completely preoccupied with finding Mandy, one of her students who has run away. There are also some very strange, glowing mushrooms in the woods behind the Parrish house, and they're spreading quickly. Eric feels that there's something sinister about them. When he accidentally discovers Mandy's hiding place, he keeps her secret because she also thinks the mushrooms are dangerous. Their sleuthing leads to a painting in a local museum that seems to depict the town, 200 years earlier, overrun with mushrooms. Legend has it that the whole town actually disappeared. Eric and Mandy set out to make sure that never happens again, but how do you fight an evil fungus? Scaletta takes what could potentially be a silly, far-fetched premise and manages to create a distinctly unsettling feel, as the mushrooms quietly sneak through the floorboards of the Parrishs' home, across the football field, and invade the lives of the residents of Tanglewood. Eric's parents, especially his father, are fully fleshed-out characters, and Brian goes beyond the typical frustrating little brother to downright heartwarming at times. Recommend to kids looking for a little shiver without a major scare.—Mandy Lawrence, Fowler Middle School, Frisco, TX - Copyright 2012 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.
