The Time of the Fireflies, by Kimberley Griffiths Little, is a magical exploration of the culture and history of life on the bayou in the American South.  It is a tale of forgiveness, family, friendship, tragedy and love–with a dash of magic and time travel!  The central character, Larissa, is a strong girl struggling with issues of self-identity, friendship, and parents that many a young girl will relate to.  The characters are all vivid, the dialogue believable and engaging, the setting mysterious and magical.  The added elements of time travel, or “time-slipping,” and a dose of voodoo magic inject a flavor of spooky mystery to the tale, though Little shows enough restraint to keep it from being disturbing or terribly frightening to young readers.  A pleasing story of discovery with a wonderful Southern flair!

This book was sent to Compass Book Ratings for review by Scholastic Press (A Scholastic Imprint)

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language:  5 religious exclamations.

Violence/Gore:  Main character almost drowns, scarred face from injuries; few mildly spooky scenes; mentioning of family members’ tragic deaths.

Sex/Nudity:  None

Mature Subject Matter:

Tragic deaths of family members, voodoo magic/spirits.

Alcohol / Drug Use:

None