The Lost Girl (Fortune Teller's Club Series) [Paperback]

Dotti Enderle (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: Fortune Teller's Club Series

Twelve-year-old Juniper and her friends Anne and Gena call themselves the Fortune Tellers Club. For the past two years they've helped each other using Ouija boards, tarot cards, crystals, and other forms of divination.

When Gena misplaces her retainer, she turns to her friends for help. After several dead-end clues using the Ouija board, Juniper (the truly psychic member of the club) tries crystal gazing using a bowl of water. But instead of locating the retainer, she sees the gaunt face of a young girl.

The image is that of a missing child, nine-year-old Laurie Simmons. Now, the Fortune Tellers Club will stop at nothing, natural or supernatural, to find her.

·A middle-grade novel (ages 8–12) about a trio of twelve-year-old girls who use divination techniques to find a missing child
·Centers on practical fortune telling to solve a mystery
·Introduces new forms of divination to an age group particularly interested in fortune telling

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6-Three friends use different forms of divination to help each other out. When Gena loses her retainer, the trio consults the Ouija board. After it fails to reveal any clues, the strongest psychic, Juniper, suggests they try crystal gazing. But instead of seeing the retainer, she sees the drawn face of a little girl and later sees her on a missing-child poster. With two mysteries to solve, the Fortune Tellers Club is on the hunt. As the girls get closer to finding the nine-year-old from Juniper's vision, they find themselves in jeopardy. Enderle's story is interesting, but her characters are not as well drawn as the plot. The suspense builds nicely and readers can easily imagine the lost girl in a dire situation. However, the conclusion seems rushed, thus ruining the mood created in the previous pages. Still, readers with an interest in fortune-telling or mysteries will enjoy this breezy read.
Elaine Baran Black, Gwinnett County Public Library, Lawrenceville, GA
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

THE LOST GIRL is fast paced, with well-drawn characters and an engaging plot. The mystery keeps the story moving. -- Roxyanne Young - Smartwriters.com, September 2002

This is a well crafted story, its sub-plots twining intriguingly around the main theme to make a satisfying whole... -- Patricia A. Turton - Firstwriter.com, September 2002

Well-paced, the story seesaws through comfortable and scary settings, adding intensity as the girls discover the importance of their clues. -- Daily Marianas Variety, September 29, 2002

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Llewellyn Publications; 1st edition (September 8, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0738702536
• ISBN-13: 978-0738702537
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #410,642 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Lost Girl, January 8, 2003

By 

Barbara Elmore "Teller of Tales" (Waco, TX United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Lost Girl (Fortune Teller's Club Series) (Paperback)

It's summertime and the livin' is easy for Juniper and her two best friends since elementary school, Gena and Anne. It's the perfect time for riding their bikes, staring at boys at the pool and listening to Juniper's New Age music. Then Gena has to go and lose her retainer. She asks her friends to help her find it before her strict father finds out it's gone. Simple enough, right? Especially if you have "special" tools and the talents that allow you use them -- Ouija board, magic bowls of water, tarot cards. These three girls, who have formed their own Fortune Tellers Club to solve just such mysteries, have everything they need. The trio, led by Juniper (whose mother has special powers) asks the Ouija board about the retainer, and is mystified by the answer: p-a-r-k. Gena assures her friends that can't be right. Meanwhile, something else butts into their diviners' circle: The anguished, pale face of a young girl who has gone missing. The summer heats up and the girl won't leave Juniper's head. She knows that something is very wrong, but can't divine what it is. This well-written tale is the first in Texas writer Enderle's Fortune Tellers Club series. Look for book two, Playing With Fire, in March 2002.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Supernatural fun! Very highly recommended, October 29, 2002

By 

C. Penn "WordWeaving" (Greenville, SC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Lost Girl (Fortune Teller's Club Series) (Paperback)

Desperation over a lost retainer brings the Fortune Teller's Club together for an emergency meeting. Twelve-year-old friends Juniper, Anne, and Gena formed the club two years ago when they realized they each have a psychic gift using tarot cards, ESP, and a Magic 8-Ball to find lost objects and predict the future. When their usual methods fail, the friends turn to scrying in water to find answers. Instead of finding Gena's lost retainer, however, they see the face of a missing girl.

Author Dotti Enderle begins the Fortune Tellers Club with a captivating tale of paranormal proportions. Friends Juniper, Anne and Gena are uniquely realized characters with fascinating gifts. Author Enderle understands young adult's fascination with all things paranormal, seamlessly blending the supernatural with the mundane in this fast paced tale. Young readers seeking a different kind of read will find THE LOST GIRL incredibly satisfying. THE LOST GIRL comes very highly recommended.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Characters Are Flat and Story Line So-So, July 23, 2004

By 

Janet Boyer "Author, Blogger, Radio Host" (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Lost Girl (Fortune Teller's Club Series) (Paperback)

The Fortune Tellers Club is a delightful series by professional storyteller Dotti Enderle. This series, geared towards ages 9-12, features three best friends--Juniper Lynch, Anne Donovan, and Gena Richmond--who use divination to solve mysteries, explain relationships, and understand life experiences.

The Lost Girl is the first book of the series, where we're introduced to the Fortune Tellers Club. Gena has lost her retainer, and she knows her Dad will be furious! She calls upon the other two members of the Club to help divine the location of the retainer. They tried to use an Ouija board, but with no success. Juniper decides to gaze into a bowl of water (a form of scrying) but instead of seeing Gena's lost retainer, she sees the gaunt face of a mysterious young girl! They soon find out that a local girl, Laurie Simmons, is missing. Is Laurie the girl that Juniper saw in the bowl? Will divination help them find the missing girl?

I admit, I wasn't big on this first book. I thought the characters were flat and the story so-so. I almost stopped at Book 1, but decided to give Book 2 a chance. I'm glad I did! Books 2-5 are fast-paced and interesting, and the characters are fleshed out nicely. Not only are we given a better sense of the girls' personalities, but also home life, interests, and strengths. Also, the series portrays real-life conflicts, especially with relationships, which young girls will readily identify with. For example, Anne is friends with "The Snotty Twins" who are fellow cheerleaders. However, Anne's friends don't like Gena and Juniper--and the feeling is mutual from the other two members of the Club!

In my opinion, you don't need to read the first book in order to enjoy the others in the series. However, there are progressing storylines, so reading books later in the series may have the reader just a *little* confused.

I'd give the book 2 stars as a stand-alone book, but am giving it 3 since it's the birth of a wonderful series in juvenile fiction.