What Would Your Talent Be? BOOK REVIEW: A Clatter of Jars by Lisa Graff

Title: A Clatter of Jars
Author: Lisa Graff

In this companion to A Tangle of Knots, it's summertime and everyone is heading off to camp. For Talented kids, the place to be is Camp Atropos, where they can sing songs by the campfire, practice for the Talent show, and take some nice long dips in the lake. But what the kids don't know is that they've been gathered for a reason--one that the camp's director wants to keep hidden at all costs.

Meanwhile, a Talent jar that has been dropped to the bottom of the lake has sprung a leak, and strange things have begun to happen. Dozens of seemingly empty jars have been washing up on the shoreline, Talents have been swapped, and memories have been ripped from one camper's head and placed into another. And no one knows why. 

This is the first I've read by Lisa Graff even though I've seen her books around a lot.  A Clatter of Jars was a great introduction to her books! I loved the idea of everyone having some sort of talent - and that the talents were in all shapes and sizes.  Wouldn't that be fun?! I'd want a talent that allowed me to always get the exact amount of sleep I needed!

This book is written from the point of view of several different characters.  I have to admit it took me a few chapters to get use to that.  But once I just paid attention to the name at the start of the chapter I was good to go.  I actually liked that it was written this way because it allowed me to understand what was going on with many different characters.  I made the story feel more well rounded for me.  

The main character really does seem to be Lily because it comes back to her a lot.  Also her brother and step-sister are also at camp.  I don't want to give things away, but truly her whole family is part of the story.  I liked Lily because she such a typical kid.  She kept doing things thinking they would help, but of course they didn't because she didn't think them through.  I felt for her so many times!

Although Lily seemed to me more of the main character, my favorite story-line involved Renny and Miles.  They are brothers at the camp.  At first Renny is very frustrated with everything, but at the story goes along he really grows.  I enjoyed watching the change that happened with him and with his relationship with him brother.  Truly my favorite part of the book.

I will admit I had to work a bit to keep everyone straight in the story - well mostly the parts of the story with the grown-ups.  There was a lot going on there and I struggled a bit to keep it straight.  I do think it would've helped if I had read the companion book - A Tangle of Knots - first because it covered that more.  I'll need to go read it now I guess :)

Finally:  Nice story about not jumping to conclusions, letting things work themselves out and trusting who you are.

I'm having a giveaway for 4 Lisa Graff books just scroll down to the next post and you'll see it.