A Message from the Match Girl (Investigators of the Unknown) [Hardcover]

Janet Taylor Lisle (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1995 | Age Level: 9 and up | Series: Investigators of the Unknown (Book 3)

Georgina and Poco try to help their friend Walter who is suffering from an identity crisis and receiving strange messages from his dead mother.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-6?Walter Kew is a boy who is haunted. He believes his mother's ghost is trying to contact him, but he is also haunted by his own past, or more appropriately, his lack of one. Told by his grandmother that his parents were killed when he was a baby, Walter longs to know more about them. His intense desire seems to bring his mother's presence from "across dark oceans of time." At first he merely senses her voice "like a thought that might have been his own," but soon a mysterious message is found near the statue of the Little Match Girl in Andersen Park. As tokens from Walter's infant past begin to appear, he uncovers a little of the truth about himself. These facts also expose some of the anger and hurt he feels at being abandoned. Concerned about his well being, his two friends Poco and Georgina try to find their own way to the truth, for as Poco says, "You have to have stories about yourself." The theme is gently handled and never overburdens a fast-moving and suspenseful tale. As in the other well-written books in the series, Lisle sustains interest with a mystery but doesn't quite resolve all the questions at the end, leaving it to individual readers to bring their own understandings to the story. The characters are believable middle graders, each with their own idiosyncrasies, and the presence of Juliette, a remarkable Siamese, adds a further touch of magic and mystery.?Barbara Kiefer, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York City
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 4^-6. The third in Lisle's Investigators of the Unknown series, this story turns its phantasmic focus on Walter, a friend of Poco and Georgina, who begins receiving messages from his dead mother at a statue of the Little Match Girl in the park. Abandoned in a casserole dish on a doorstep when he was an infant, Walter knows little about his background, and this has left him skittish and depressed. "You have to have stories about yourself," Poco sadly diagnoses. The messages are relics from Walter's infancy--his hospital bracelet, a lock of his hair--which he feels are from the beyond. Georgina and Poco, however, investigate the possibility that his mother is the very much alive waitress at the diner near the park. The mystery concludes unsolved, but with a satisfying resolution for Walter. Nourished by the clues to his origin, he gains a sense of peace about his current life. Again Lisle has created a mystery with strong momentum, intrigue, and well-defined, likable characters. This is a page-turner for all the right reasons. Julie Yates Walton

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 121 pages
• Publisher: Orchard Books (NY) (October 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0531094871
• ISBN-13: 978-0531094877
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,607,355 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars A mystery..., April 18, 2007

By 

Miss Hater "Avid Reader" (Kentucky,USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: A Message from the Match Girl (Investigators of the Unknown) (Hardcover)

This book is a part of a series, but I didn't know that when I bought it.

However the book only makes brief mentions of events from the past, so you never feel left out or estranged from the story.

I loved the ambigious ending.

Its written a for a young age group but that did not affect my enjoyment of it at all.

5.0 out of 5 stars Its about a boy named Walter and his parents are dead., October 26, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: A Message from the Match Girl (Paperback)

A Book Review The title of this book is A Message From The Little Match Girl. Janet Taylor Lisle is the author of this book. I liked this book a lot. It has a lot of allusions in it such as The Little Match Girl, the Ugly Duckling, the Snow Queen and the Steadfast Tin Solidier. This book is the best I've read so far. It's about a boy named Walter and his mother and father are dead. They supposedly died in a accident. Walter thinks he still hears his mother. Georgina and Poco are his best friends, and at first they don't believe him. When they start finding clues it gets weird like stories with weird or scary endings.

5.0 out of 5 stars Its about a boy who is trying to find out about his past., October 26, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: A Message from the Match Girl (Paperback)

A Book Review

The book is called A Message From the Match Girl. The book is written by Janet Taylor Lisle. It's about a boy who is trying to find out abouthis past.The boy's name is Walter Kew. Walter'sfriends Georgina and Poco help him find out about his mother. They wonder why the little match girl is not noticed. The little match girl keeps giving Walter things that remind him of his past. His grandma told him she found him in a casserole. She also told him she wasn't his grandma! He was furious and he ran out the door. Georgina and Poco found a ring on the statue of the little match girl that they never sawbefore. If you want to find out what happens, be sure to read the book.