The Time of the Fireflies

by Kimberley Griffiths Little

[sstaley]

Even though this series of books are Middle-grade books written for children ages 8-12, I can't help but be pulled into the mystery and magic found in Kimberley's writing and her stories. The Time of the Fireflies takes the reader back to the world that first started in The Healing Spell and continued in Circle of Secrets and When the Butterflies Came. Though I've never really been to the bayou or anywhere close to Louisiana, I feel like I have through the lush, descriptive writing found in Kimberley's books.

The Time of the Fireflies is Larissa's story about her family and the past. There is an element of time travel, but I'm not giving away the secret of how that happens. I do love how she time travels and who she meets, and how this changes her life and her parent's lives. Larissa had some hard things that happened to her in the past when she almost drowned in the Bayou Teche. The year before, she fell from the broken bridge that she crossed over on a dare.Now she has a large scar running down the side of her face. Years earlier,her Aunt Gwen drowned the same way. Now she struggles to fit in and deal with the lot that life has handed her. A mysterious, creepy antique doll adds spooky parts to the story, but not too scary for the intended age group. I loved how the history of the town Bayou Bridge, is shared from Larissa's trips to the past.



This is another beautiful "coming of age" story for a young girl who learns to let her past anger go, and embrace the wonder of new beginnings. Young people reading this book will be in for a ride of chills, thrills, mystery and learning to love and let go of the past. I would highly recommend this book to my students and my own kids. You too will be swept away with the mystery of the Fireflies and the secrets to be found in the bayou.