Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Collection
Publication
Scholastic Press (2014), 288 pages
Description
In 1953 ten-year-old Octobia May lives in her Aunt's boarding house in the South, surrounded by an African American community which has its own secrets and internal racism, and spends her days wondering if Mr. Davenport in room 204 is really a vampire--or something else entirely.
User reviews
LibraryThing member bookappeal
Octobia May and her loyal friends are appealing characters but this mystery is unevenly plotted. The author tries to work in several themes - the role of African-American soldiers in U.S. wars, civil rights, women's rights, family - but often the plot development points are dropped in randomly with
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no narrative flow. Bahni Turpin's narration is amusing but the adorable characters cannot overcome a disjointed storyline. Show Less
LibraryThing member Salsabrarian
Narrated by Bahni Turpin. This is rather violent for a children's book (murders, kidnapping, guns) although not graphic. It's not just about Harrison and Davenport working in collusion but also dips into civil rights, women's rights, WW2, treatment of blacks in the military, discrimination,
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"passing," and even Octobia May's heart condition. Maybe that's partly why I had trouble tracking the narrative in audio...so many things going on. Aside from that Octobia May's irrepressible nature comes alive in Turpin's narration. Show Less
LibraryThing member Dmtcer
Octobia May is a 10-year old black girl living in post World War ll Pittsburg. She lives with her Aunt Shuma in a boarding house full of a variety of boarders. From the beginning she is convinced that Mr. Davenport, one of the most recent, very mysterious boarders, is a vampire. She cannot help
Octobia May reminds me much of Bud, Not Buddy, with his imaginative adventures and his quest to discover his true identity. This is a story of much more than the mystery Octobia May uncovers; it is also the story of self-discovery. Octobia May never falters in her own belief of herself, and she helps others along the way realize that who she is is just who she is meant to be.
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spying on him and opening up the can of secret worms he is hiding. Octobia May reminds me much of Bud, Not Buddy, with his imaginative adventures and his quest to discover his true identity. This is a story of much more than the mystery Octobia May uncovers; it is also the story of self-discovery. Octobia May never falters in her own belief of herself, and she helps others along the way realize that who she is is just who she is meant to be.
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LibraryThing member Kaethe
Natasha read it and loved it and passed it on to me. And I'm glad she did. It took me a little while to get used to Octobia's voice: her sentences are often short, and given her fantastic imagination it can sometimes be a challenge to figure out what she's saying. But those are smallish quibbles
The entire cast is struggling against stereotypes and discrimination of various kinds, and most are also dealing with the traumas suffered during the war. There is a lot going on here, but the reader doesn't have to take it all on board: the book works well as a conventional sort of intrepid child story, in which villains are unmasked.
Highly recommended to both the middle school audience and to older readers who will enjoy the realistic portrayal of the 50s.
Library copy.
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about a fantastic book. Octobia is living in her aunt's boarding house where she is allowed rather more freedom than her own parents are willing to give her after a catastrophic heart problem. She is immersed in Nancy Drew and the aftermath of WWII, and caught up in the struggles for rights for colored people and women. On top of that, she's trying to solve the mystery of the man upstairs who doesn't sleep at night and may be a vampire.The entire cast is struggling against stereotypes and discrimination of various kinds, and most are also dealing with the traumas suffered during the war. There is a lot going on here, but the reader doesn't have to take it all on board: the book works well as a conventional sort of intrepid child story, in which villains are unmasked.
Highly recommended to both the middle school audience and to older readers who will enjoy the realistic portrayal of the 50s.
Library copy.
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LibraryThing member bookbrig
Good audiobook, likeable and bold main character, a bit weird on the story side. The mystery kind of flip flopped around, but this could be a good fit for someone who wants a decisive (though occasionally mistaken) heroine.
LibraryThing member bell7
In 1953, young Octobia May lives with her aunt Shuma who runs a boardinghouse, and she's convinced that Mr. Davenport, far from being the reliable boarder and war hero he appears to be, is actually a vampire. Her friend Jonah's mother thinks she's been allowed to get above her place as a young
I particularly like the narrator of the audiobook, Bahni Turpin, who does a fabulous job with a variety of characters, from young Octobia to an Irish cop. The story itself is sometimes episodic but also has this mystery of Mr. Davenport threaded throughout, which made it include an awful lot and became hard for me to follow on audio. There are details I picked up on early as an adult that wouldn't have been so obvious to a young reader, such as "passing." Other times, I recognize I would've liked it better reading it as a child - the ending is completely over the top and I couldn't quite shut off my analytical brain and just enjoy the adventure.
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Black (the word of the time would be "colored") girl, and she has far too good of an imagination. But Octobia May already died once and she's come back strong, determined to make her way in the world.I particularly like the narrator of the audiobook, Bahni Turpin, who does a fabulous job with a variety of characters, from young Octobia to an Irish cop. The story itself is sometimes episodic but also has this mystery of Mr. Davenport threaded throughout, which made it include an awful lot and became hard for me to follow on audio. There are details I picked up on early as an adult that wouldn't have been so obvious to a young reader, such as "passing." Other times, I recognize I would've liked it better reading it as a child - the ending is completely over the top and I couldn't quite shut off my analytical brain and just enjoy the adventure.
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Awards
Audie Award (Finalist — 2015)
CCBC Choices (2015)
Original language
English
Physical description
288 p.; 6 x 1.25 inches
ISBN
0545609607 / 9780545609609