Seven Stories Up

Seven Stories Up, by Laurel Snyder. Random House, 2014, 229 pages.

Reading Level: Middle Grades, Ages 8-10
Maturity Level: 3 (ages 8-10)

Annie and her mom arrive in Baltimore on a sad mission: to say farewell to Annie’s grandmother, who is on her deathbed in the former luxury hotel built by her great-grandfather. Grandmother is not on good terms with anyone, least of all her own daughter, and Annie’s brief audience with the old lady is not promising. But Annie’s mother has promised to see her family obligation through to the end, so the first night Annie settles down in her own room in the hotel, adjusts a sleep mask found under her pillow…and wakes up in the same hotel back in 1937. There’s a girl named Mollie Moran in the room next door, and it doesn’t take much questioning to reveal that she’s Annie’s own grandmother. Molly is an invalid whose life is very isolated due to a chronic ailment that fresh air would do much to mend. Her mother and sisters are away on vacation, and her father is cold and distant—this girl needs a friend in the worst way, and her lack of friends explains a lot to Annie about how her grandmother became a bitter, lonely old woman.

By the time Annie figures out how to get back to her own time, both girls have gained understanding and self-confidence, not to mention friendship. A clairvoyant and a magic powder are required to return home, with a respectful nod to “the universe,” but the occult angle is light and glancing. This likeable story is a good reminder of how little we know about difficult people, and might even encourage us to reach out to them.

Overall Quality: 3.5 out of 5

Cautions: worldview (hippie mom, no dad, brief occult reference)
Audience: independent readers, girls, grandparents
Recommended Use: independent reading, point of view, historical background