Customer Reviews

The Missing Locket (Cynthia's Attic Book One)

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In 1964 Cynthia and Augusta are best friends though they are total opposites. Whereas Cynthia hates to break a nail Gus is a tomboy willing to slide in third base head first. School is out for summer so the pals wonder how to spend all their free time besides irritating Cynthia's older sister Danielle. They decide to check out CYNTHIA'S ATTIC before her parents clean it out as the adults plan on doing shortly.

In the attic they find an old rusted scratched up trunk containing stuff from Cynthia's grandmother Clara. Not long afterward, Cynthia and Gus return to the attic, but the trunk looks brand new with no rust, dust or nicks and everything inside seems pristine; additionally Cynthia and all her items and that of her immediate family have vanished. A tall woman calls Gus, Bess and asks where Clara is; recognizing the woman from an old photo as Cynthia's great-grandmother, Gus realizes she and Cynthia are in the bodies of Bess and Clara in 1914. The adventures are just beginning for what will be the most exciting summer of their lives as they search for a missing locket that once belonged to great-great Aunt Isabelle, who disappeared on an ocean voyage to New York.

This is a fantastic time travel fantasy that middle school children will treasure. The escapades of Gus and Cynthia grip the audience as the two friends adapt to their situation with humor and trepidation, but always with fun while trying to solve an "ancient" mystery that occurred before their parents were born. Readers will appreciate time traveling with this dynamic duo starting in CYNTHIA'S ATTIC and continuing in the past on the high seas.

Harriet Klausner

If adventure is what you seek, come join hands and form a link. Follow this curious trio, as they search through the attic - dust bunnies, cobwebs and all. Watch your step and be prepared, because hidden treasures are everywhere!

Two twelve-year-old best friends, Gus and Cynthia, have decided to snoop in Cynthia's parents' attic. It is upon finding an old trunk and its contents that the adventures will be unlocked, and Gus and Cynthia are flung into a voyage of discovery. So put on your thinking cap, and come a long for the exciting exploration with Gus and Cynthia!

Cynthia's Attic: The Missing Locket is by author Mary Cunningham.

This is the start of a wonderful and fanciful series. Ms. Cunningham has spun a delightful and memorable young adult fantasy! This has all the qualities of a fantastic chapter book that can be incorporated into any school system's repertoire. With its simplistic wordplay and adventuresome premise, the readers can follow a long with the girls to experience their excitement within the attic; and delve into the wondrous escapades hidden inside. What an enchanting tale! Even though this is a young adult's book, this over forty-reader thoroughly enjoyed it.

It is a captivating combination of Nancy Drew meets Harry Potter...

It is through Gus' imaginative voice that the readers get to travel through this tale. Cynthia is the perfect little lady that is until she starts tripping over her own two feet. Then there is Gus, with her tomboy persona. Together they made the perfect foil for each other. They trek through this tale in girlish harmony. You could not ask for a better friendship than the one that exists between these two goofballs.

Cynthia's Attic: The Missing Locket is a treasure and, one that should be on every parent's Christmas list this year. What a great book for the readers to get lost in the adventures of Gus and Cynthia, while learning a long the way! This book comes highly regarded by this reviewer!

Reviewed by © Janalee Ruschhaupt, 2005
Courtesy of Love Romances www.loveromances.com

Mary Cunningham's novel, Cynthia's Attic: The Missing Locket, tells the story of two twelve-year-old girls, Cynthia and Gus, best friends, who embark on a startling supernatural adventure as a magical trunk in Cynthia's attic propels them fifty years into the past where they encounter their grandmothers when they were twelve year old best friends.
Core values of family, friendship, loyalty and love pervade this rapid fire page turning tale as Cynthia and Gus struggle to unravel dark mysteries entwining their family's present and past.
The tension is parlayed with humor creating a perfect mix to enthrall both teen and adult readers alike.
I am an adult reader and writer who loved this book and am now enthusiastically sharing it with my daughters, ages fifteen and eleven.
I look forward to reading more by this exceptional author, Mary Cunningham.

Mitch Lits, author of A Little of Your Time and Dream Travelers.

I received a free download of The Missing Locket off Smashwords from the publisher. This was a nice, quick read good for anyone looking for a light story to enjoy. Written for tweens, the story follows Agusta Lee "Gus" and Cynthia as they explore Cynthia's amazing attic. In the attic they discover an old, dusty steamer trunk. When they open it, a whole world of adventure sucks them in to set right events from the past. They must find a missing locket and reunite a family torn apart decades before.

I liked that the story developed each of the girls well. The scene where Gus watches Cynthia perform her morning routine resonated in this former tom boy's head. I remember watching my sister spend two hours getting ready for school in the morning. It drove me nuts that she spent so much time primping! I also liked that the story contained several quests. Just like in real life, it generally takes more than one step to set a problem right.

I didn't like that the Smashwords version of The Missing Locket changes fonts several times in the pdf download. I found it distracting as I read. I also would have liked to see a little more dimension to supporting characters in the story. I got to know the girls well but the rest of the actors felt more like props than people.

For my cautious readers: No swearing, very mild violence (which the guy had coming and he got off better than he deserved) and no sex makes this a full steam ahead read in my opinion. When my daughter gets older, I think she will enjoy the story.

This book was a quick read. About two friends that had traced the two families friendship. back for 3 generations. The two girls always gets into troule and it had been the same for the two friends during the generalizations. This time they go back to solve the case of the missing locket. *****
enjoy
GB

Brimming with humor and suspense, this delightful book is sure to become an all-time favorite of young readers. The first in the series, the scene is set during 1964 in Southern Indiana, where Gus and Cynthia, 12-year-old best friends, stumble upon a magic trunk. The time-travel adventures they share include meeting their grandmothers...in 1914 when THEY were 12 years old. This is one spirited story!

The Missing Locket reaches out to young readers and pulls them into a story overflowing with excitement, adventures and laugh out loud dialogue.
Set in 1964, best friends, Cynthia and Augusta, are suffering from a bad case of summer-time boredom. Cynthia's family lives in a mansion of a house, three floors filled with so many rooms just waiting to be explored. After overhearing her parents plans to clean out the attic, the twelve year old is determined to nose through those boxes before all the "good stuff" gets thrown out. Amid all the cobwebs, antiques and creepy-crawlies was an old, rusted trunk, which belonged to Cynthia's grandmother, Clara. Once opened, the girls discovered a dingy, time worn ballet costume, which Cynthia immediately put on. Instantly, she began to dance around the attic as if possessed by the spirit of a true ballerina!
Shocked and more than a bit confused, the two girls decide to leave the attic. When they are drawn back to the old trunk...suddenly, the hot, dusty attic turns cold and everything around them looks new. Intrigued, Gus puts on a sailor outfit and is transported to the year 1914. Not long after she is joined by Cynthia and the two are swept into the adventure of a lifetime. Crossing the Atlantic on a steamship, making friends with a ghost and ultimately solving the mystery of Aunt Isabella's missing locket.
Mary Cunningham has crafted an entertaining, fanciful adventure that will keep young readers turning pages until the very end. A fast paced read, well written, time travel story that will be treasured by all. I look forward to reading the next installment in this unique, character driven series! Don't Miss It!

Happy Reading!
RJ xx
3Rs