Emily the Strange: The Lost Days

Reger, Rob and Jessica Gruner. Emily the Strange: The Lost Days. Harper, 2009. ISBN-10: 0-06-145230-7



Plot Summary
A girl wakes up on a park bench, not knowing who she is or where she is. In the town of Blackrock, the girl who calls herself Earwig starts taking notes to figure out who she is. So far she knows that the girl at the coffee shop is incredibly dumb and there is a traveling gun, doll and medicine show in town. With the show is Jakey, who can read minds and Attikol, whose family is part of a centuries old feud over a magic object. Also, Earwig look suspiciously like Emma LeStrange, the town's founder. Earwig begins to wonder if her amnesia is self inflicted, when she winds up sitting on the park bench again with no memory except what's written in her notebook. Somehow, amnesia is necessary for Earwig to solve the mystery of the town's founding and carry out a mission from Emma LeStrange herself.

Critical evaluation
Presented as Emily's notebook, this mystery unravels as Emily finds new clues. The premise is interesting and the characters even more so. The story is easy to follow- a quick amusing read that nonetheless transports readers to a strange foreign place. The world of Emily is creative. The notebook format is well done with doodles, pasted in artifacts, lists, notes, and observations. This layout makes the text easy to read and encourages a broad understanding of literacy. Emily is already a well loved character who has many fans in the tween age group. They will undoubtedly love this book as well.

Readers Annotations
Waking up in a strange town in bad enough, but learning that her amnesia is self inflicted was ridiculous. Emily must have some serious detective work to do if it involves amnesia, doppelgangers and games of high-stakes calamity poker to settle a centuries old feud.

Information About the Author
Emily the Strange is actually the creation of Rob Reger in association with his comic book company Cosmic Debris. Emily has a website, clothing line, and many books.

Genre
Fantasy

Curriculum Ties


Booktalking Ideas
Read one of Emily's many lists

Reading Level/Interest Age
Grade 6-10

Controversial Subject Matter and Defense of Ideas
Emily is a "goth" meaning that she dresses in black, likes black cats and prefers the night. The story also includes elements of magic. However, Emily's brand of goth goes no further than eccentric clothing and self defined preference for nighttime. She is overall a polite girl who would never deliberately harm anyone. As for the magic, the book neither encourages nor discourages magic in real life.

Why Book Included
On the new book shelf at the local library