The Last Present
The Last Present
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Just the Series: Willow Falls   

Series and Publisher: Willow Falls   

Annotation: Children's birthdays are always strange in Willow Falls, but when Connor's little sister Grace falls into a frozen state on her tenth birthday, Amanda and Leo must travel back in time to find out what force prevented Angelina from casting the blessing that would have protected her.
Genre: [Fantasy fiction]
 
Reviews: 5
Catalog Number: #104185
Format: Perma-Bound Edition
Copyright Date: 2013
Edition Date: 2015 Release Date: 05/01/15
Pages: 246 pages
ISBN: Publisher: 0-545-31017-2 Perma-Bound: 0-605-88554-0
ISBN 13: Publisher: 978-0-545-31017-8 Perma-Bound: 978-0-605-88554-7
Dewey: Fic
LCCN: 2013014736
Dimensions: 20 cm.
Language: English
Reviews:
ALA Booklist

Amanda and Leo step into the spotlight again, but soon Grace, a friend's younger sister, falls into a trancelike state. Angelina sends Amanda and Leo back in time to make subtle changes on Grace's birthdays, but as they learn more about the elderly, magical woman, they begin to doubt their mission. Readers will enjoy catching up with their favorite characters from previous books as much as following the current adventure and the ongoing mystery. In the end, there is a sense of closure, at least for the Angelina story line. Still, a new, magically gifted character could mean more adventures in the River Falls series.

Horn Book

Amanda and Leo (11 Birthdays) travel back in time to help their friend's little sister, Grace, who's become mysteriously catatonic after her tenth birthday. The answer lies in Grace's past birthday parties, and Amanda and Leo--with help from Rory (Finally) and Tara (13 Gifts)--must break the curse. Action, magic, and interesting twists will keep readers entranced until the end.

Kirkus Reviews

The latest volume in the Willow Falls series finds Amanda and Leo trying to save a young girl through a series of eventful time-traveling adventures. Magical, mysterious Angelina D'Angelo has set out quite the task for best friends Amanda and Leo. For 10 years, Angelina has been thwarted as she attempted to place a benediction on a young girl named Grace, who now languishes in a coma. Amanda and Leo must time travel to Grace's prior birthday parties to ensure that the benediction successfully occurs, and they must get it right not once, but three times, to save her. Or so Angelina says. The friends discover that the story is more complicated and that it is wrapped up with Angelina's own closely guarded secrets. Character development and closure are key here. Amanda and Leo do a lot of growing up as they negotiate complicated ethical terrain as well as a relationship evolving from friendship into romance. Further, Mass successfully weaves together the stories of familiar characters from previous volumes and finally reveals a full picture of Angelina, the powerful, flawed puppet master of the previous episodes. While the tale has general appeal, it is most suited for devoted series fans, who will most appreciate the tying up of loose ends and revelation of long-held secrets. (Fantasy. 8-12)

School Library Journal

Gr 4-7 In this installment in the series, Mass continues to weave reality with fantasy, action, and plot twists to draw readers into her story. The Last Present pairs 13-year-old best friends, Amanda and Leo, to unravel the mystery of why 10-year-old Grace has become catatonic following their friend David's bar mitzvah. While visiting Grace, Angelina D'Angelo appears as her nurse, and the friends know that the mysterious old woman with special powers is involved. Amanda and Leo are instructed to journey to the past, specifically to Grace's previous birthday parties, to undo a curse that has befallen her. But, do they have enough information to reverse it? Angelina has a habit of leaving out important pieces of a story in order to get her way. With the help of their friends, Amanda and Leo are up to the challenge and begin their time-travel adventure. Woven seamlessly into this fantasy are the realistic issues that tweens encounter. Young love, sibling rivalry, and embarrassing parents are as much a part of this adventure as the time travel. Although part of a series, The Last Present can stand on its own, but readers will want to find the earlier titles once they have visited Willow Falls. Annette Herbert, F. E. Smith Elementary School, Cortland, NY

Word Count: 63,408
Reading Level: 4.3
Interest Level: 3-6
Accelerated Reader: reading level: 4.3 / points: 9.0 / quiz: 161883 / grade: Middle Grades
Reading Counts!: reading level:4.3 / points:15.0 / quiz:Q60822
Lexile: 690L
Guided Reading Level: R

Don't miss the latest entry in the incredible Willow Falls series by Wendy Mass!

Amanda and Leo have a history with birthdays. Now their friend's little sister, Grace, has fallen into a strange frozen state on her birthday, and Amanda and Leo must travel in time in order to fix whatever's wrong. As they journey back to each of Grace's birthdays, they start seeing all sorts of patterns... which raise all sorts of questions.Amanda and Leo are going to have to unravel the threads of the past and present -- and travel much further than they ever imagined -- if they're going to save Grace. Luckily, a little birthday magic always helps in the charming and funny Willow Falls series by Wendy Mass, where everything is possible and there are no coincidences.


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