Eight Keys

Well written. For the right audience, I think this book will pack a punch. LaFleur knows how to capture that tween voice. Full of angst and self loathing, Cricket struggles to find herself without losing who she really is. Unlike Love Aubrey, this book seems written exclusively for kids. Little cross-over appeal for adult readers. Great choice for an in-classroom collection for independent reading.

A really emotional and sweet book about growing up, changing schools, best friends, bullying, self-image, and family. I love the MC's voice and made an immediate connection with her. The writing put me right back at that awkward age. The setting was one of those where you want to be there despite the heartache. There are many funny moments and bright spots, too. I didn't agree with the author's solution to the bullying problem, but think this could be used as a point for discussion. It did have a few non-swearing-rude words that we don't allow in our house for this age group, but was clean and well-written on the whole. I would heartily recommend this for both boys and girls, even though the MC is an 11/12 year old girl.

Most middle level readers will be able to connect with the apprehensions associated with starting at a new school and the fears and anxieties that coexist with the desire to fit in. A smaller number will be able to commiserate with the main character’s (Elise) inability to handle being bullied. However, many readers would agree with Elise when she stated, “it didn’t matter how many new kids there were at school. It took only one to ruin my life.” (Page 8)

As children mature, their friendships ebb and flow. Elise must ultimately decide what she values in her close relationships and whether a boy can be her best friend. The effect of being an orphan is another potent thread. After both of her parents died, an aunt and uncle adopted her. While even fewer readers will share that background, they will be able to appreciate the dynamics of a supportive and loving family.

Elise’s life is further complicated when her aunt’s younger sister and her baby move into the house. This event interrupts her life as a solo child. Elise is disturbed by this intrusion that shifts the spotlight to a whining baby. “Babies make me nervous. If they’re screaming because something is wrong, they cant tell you what to do about it. I’m afraid I’ll break them when I touch them. And they make me think of my mother.” (Page 53)

In most stories, the characters would directly handle the resolution of their problems. In Eight Keys, Suzanne interjects 8 mysterious keys and locked rooms with 7 messages from her deceased father to propel the story forward. The contents of these rooms and the statements help Elise gain a new understanding of her current life and simultaneously provide information about her deceased parents and Uncle Hugh.

A confluence of conflicts causes Elise’s life to spin out of control. The reader sympathizes with Elise when she sits beside her parents’ graves and says, “I’m bad at everything and nobody but my family likes me. I can’t even keep one friend.” (Page 100)

Loving adults repeatedly try to offer a more positive perspective. Her Uncle Hugh instills a sense of ownership for ones actions when he states, “Well sometimes things don’t change on their own. Sometimes we have to change them.” (Page 79) Notes and journals from her father also provide helpful advice. As Elise starts to mature, she takes more and more responsibility for her actions.

I question Elise’s response to being bullied. Early on, Elise tries to approach a teacher about a distressing situation. The teacher is unresponsive. Instead of seeking out another solution, Elise is unwilling or unable to advocate on her own behalf. Her aunt and uncle are unaware of the bullying until much later in the story. It seems unnatural that Elise would suffer without taking any additional efforts to reach out for help. Perhaps this sequence of events is meant to illustrate the destructive and paralyzing nature of bullying. Had the inappropriate behavior been curtailed early on, a major aspect of the story would have been lost.

Middle level and young adult readers who are searching for their identity will be inspired by Elise’s ability to eventually take control. They will see that change is possible once a person decides which path they would like to follow.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A really emotional and sweet book about growing up, changing schools, best friends, bullying, self-image, and family. I love the MC's voice and made an immediate connection with her. The writing put me right back at that awkward age. The setting was one of those where you want to be there despite the heartache. There are many funny moments and bright spots, too. I didn't agree with the author's solution to the bullying problem, but think this could be used as a point for discussion. It did have a few non-swearing-rude words that we don't allow in our house for this age group, but was clean and well-written on the whole. I would heartily recommend this for both boys and girls, even though the MC is an 11/12 year old girl.

Most middle level readers will be able to connect with the apprehensions associated with starting at a new school and the fears and anxieties that coexist with the desire to fit in. A smaller number will be able to commiserate with the main character’s (Elise) inability to handle being bullied. However, many readers would agree with Elise when she stated, “it didn’t matter how many new kids there were at school. It took only one to ruin my life.” (Page 8)

As children mature, their friendships ebb and flow. Elise must ultimately decide what she values in her close relationships and whether a boy can be her best friend. The effect of being an orphan is another potent thread. After both of her parents died, an aunt and uncle adopted her. While even fewer readers will share that background, they will be able to appreciate the dynamics of a supportive and loving family.

Elise’s life is further complicated when her aunt’s younger sister and her baby move into the house. This event interrupts her life as a solo child. Elise is disturbed by this intrusion that shifts the spotlight to a whining baby. “Babies make me nervous. If they’re screaming because something is wrong, they cant tell you what to do about it. I’m afraid I’ll break them when I touch them. And they make me think of my mother.” (Page 53)

In most stories, the characters would directly handle the resolution of their problems. In Eight Keys, Suzanne interjects 8 mysterious keys and locked rooms with 7 messages from her deceased father to propel the story forward. The contents of these rooms and the statements help Elise gain a new understanding of her current life and simultaneously provide information about her deceased parents and Uncle Hugh.

A confluence of conflicts causes Elise’s life to spin out of control. The reader sympathizes with Elise when she sits beside her parents’ graves and says, “I’m bad at everything and nobody but my family likes me. I can’t even keep one friend.” (Page 100)

Loving adults repeatedly try to offer a more positive perspective. Her Uncle Hugh instills a sense of ownership for ones actions when he states, “Well sometimes things don’t change on their own. Sometimes we have to change them.” (Page 79) Notes and journals from her father also provide helpful advice. As Elise starts to mature, she takes more and more responsibility for her actions.

I question Elise’s response to being bullied. Early on, Elise tries to approach a teacher about a distressing situation. The teacher is unresponsive. Instead of seeking out another solution, Elise is unwilling or unable to advocate on her own behalf. Her aunt and uncle are unaware of the bullying until much later in the story. It seems unnatural that Elise would suffer without taking any additional efforts to reach out for help. Perhaps this sequence of events is meant to illustrate the destructive and paralyzing nature of bullying. Had the inappropriate behavior been curtailed early on, a major aspect of the story would have been lost.

Middle level and young adult readers who are searching for their identity will be inspired by Elise’s ability to eventually take control. They will see that change is possible once a person decides which path they would like to follow.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Have you ever been part of a mystery? Because you can be part of a mystery in this book!

Elsie has been having a hard time ever since middle school started. She's having trouble with her friend Franklin, and homework is hard but worst of all she's being bullied by her locker partner! When Elsie discovers a mysterious key left by her deceased father her past unravels right before her eyes.

There are three reasons why I love Eight Keys, and I think you should read it. The first reason is it's a very relatable story, Elsie goes through problems that are very realistic. The second reason I like Eight Keys is because its mystery packed, in this book Elsie figures out the biggest mystery of all is... herself. The final reason I love this book is the author dose a great job describing details. The parts of the book with most of the description are the setting and characters. Here are just a few reasons I love this book!

Suzanne LaFleur has crafted an amazing book with lots of twists and turns that I would recommend to anyone!

This book is amazing. Even though I believe it is meant for young adults, pre teen, teenagers it can be for any one. The plot is one that as reading from an adults predictive will be different than a young adult but one that will still be enjoyed.
Life is often hard, no one has a perfect life, things bad happen, but then so do good things come from bad. This book has the main character, Elise looking deep at herself, her family, her friend and her life. Through a series of doors and keys, Elise will find out what her life is supposed to be made up of, and know that she can keep growing, learning and loving.
I definitely recommend this book. It would be great for a class to read and discuss and learn from.

This book is so much more than young Elise solving the mystery of the keys left for her by her father. The book is full of rich and vibrant characters that people of any could easily relate to when they were young. The mystery of the keys slowly unraveled as Elise solved the mystery of who she was as a young lady, a friend, and a daughter to Aunt Uncle Hugh and Aunt Bess. We experience the ebb and flow along with Elise of the struggle to hang onto a lifelong friendship as she changes and the world around her changes (meaning Middle School). I don't want to give too much of the book away as smaller plots may spoil the importance of the keys as the story progresses. I will say that my favorite parts of the book were LaFleur's ability to show the importance of family, honesty, and being secure in who you are as an individual. They are lessons often found in children's book, but not often done as exceptionally well as in "Eight Keys." I think that I experienced nearly every emotion at one point and the ending was so spot-on perfect that all I could think was "wow." LaFleur writes in a language that kids from elementary and up can relate and connect to in a very tangible and real way. The experiences Elise has could be happening to children down the street. I loved this book and encourage anyone to read it.

I really liked this book,from the first page. It was very well written, not the shallow and short-sentenced writing typical of all too many books written nowadays for adolescents. It is a story with which most young people can identify -- problems at school, changing relationships with friends, and a search for one's place in a family and in the world. The added element of the mysterious keys is imaginative and engaging. As an adult, I found some aspects of the story somewhat predictable, but this might not have been the case if I were a younger reader. I'd recommend this book to anyone who is interested in how to get in touch with their personal identity and ways of dealing with some of the problems that dog all of us, young and old. I wish I'd had eight keys to help me growing up.

Elise is turning twelve, and her life is changing - why is it suddenly no longer acceptable to play her favourite games with her best friend Franklin, now that she has started middle school? Bullied by a group of mean girls and overwhelmed by the mountain of homework she now has, Elise finds school almost unbearable. Maybe turning twelve will solve all her problems, and will make her feel more confident and grown up.
But on her twelfth birthday Elise finds that nothing has changed. The mean girls are still mean. The teachers still give out more homework. The only highlight for Elise is receiving her annual birthday letter from her father, who died of cancer when she was only three years old. Since Elise's mother died in childbirth, the letters her father wrote before he died have been her only remaining link to her parents - so Elise is heartbroken when she finds that this is the last letter she will ever receive. But things are about to change when she finds a key in the barn with her name on it .....
I loved this book and would definitely have given it to my daughter to read when she was Elise's age. The coming of age theme central to the story is one that most children on the cusp of being teenagers will be able to relate to - even if Elise seems very innocent for a twelve year old girl in our society (no facebook, no computer games, no hanging out at the mall - Elise still plays in the woods, does jigsaw puzzles and is not interested in clothes). Apart from my own childhood memories, I vividly remember trying to console my daughter when she was mercilessly bullied at school for not wearing the right clothes and for having boys as best friends. Suzanne LaFleur has provided an insightful and touching account of Elise's struggles as she tries to find her place amongst her peers whilst still remaining true to herself.
What I enjoyed most about the book was the loving family Elise is part of. Despite being an orphan, she is surrounded by people who love and guide her, and help her find her own way by providing opportunities for growth and learning. And of course there is her father's gift, created for his daughter when he found out that he was dying. Having lost one of my own parents as a child, I felt very touched by how Elise's father found a way to stay part of her life and provide love and guidance even though he could no longer be with her.
All in all, I really enjoyed this book and think it would make a wonderful read for any 10-11 year old.

"Eight Keys" is a story about the middle school trials and tribulations of 6th grader Elise, who lives with her aunt and uncle. Her best friend, Franklin, wants to keep playing kid games, and becomes a source of embarrassment for Elise as she tries to fit in with the other middle schoolers, who want to act more grown up.

Over the course of the school year, Elise starts finding mysterious keys left to her by her father before he died. Her quest to solve the mystery of these keys eventually helps her to come to grips with her problems at school and her damaged relationship with Franklin.

Other reviewers have criticized the fact that Elise and Franklin seem almost TOO immature, for 6th graders. However, I think the author's intention was to contrast the charm of Franklin (a kid who just wants to enjoy being a kid), with the "mean kid" 6th graders, who what to appear grown up, but are actually the most immature of all, since they refuse to accept and respect people the way they are. In that sense, I think the author was very successful, so I view those character arcs as an important part of the plot, rather than a weakness.

My one criticism of the story is that the "mystery" turned out to be a lot more mundane than what I was expecting. More intrigue would have been a plus. As it is, the story is mostly about relationships, and so may not have as much appeal to boy readers.

Overall, I found "Eight Keys" to be a charming story with likeable main characters and a good message. Assuming your middle schoolers are not of "mean kid" segment of the population...they will probably enjoy this book. :)

I received this book through the Vine Program in return for an honest review. "Eight Keys," is written by Suzanne La Fleur and is targeted to pre-teen girls 9+ years of age. I gave this book to the teen daughter of a friend who wrote: "Eight Keys is an original coming of age story which deals with a lot of important issues for young readers in a unique way. The protagonist is Elise who has been friends with Franklin all of her life. Starting middle school however drives a wedge in their relationship. While dealing with all the typical sixth grade things, Elise also has the pieces of a puzzle set out by her father during his illness. This story was touching and provided many life lessons inside of the 8 rooms her father left for her to open in the Barn (with the 8 keys). Elise grew as a character throughout the novel as she learned more about her mother and father and realized that she can deal with the bullies in her life and control her future. I loved Elise's friends and most of the characters in her life. The author's writing seemed to be specifically for a twelve year old and I finished the novel quickly." She gave the book 5 stars. Enough said.

Eight Keys
(2011)
Precociously delightful
Category: Light adventure
Age Range: 10 - 11 years (the year before middle school)
Grade (Public school): the year before middle school or junior high school)
Preferred Gender: Boys and Girls (maybe slightly tilted to girls)

Elise lives with her Aunt Bessie and Uncle Hugh. Her Mother and Father are dead.
Elise's mother died at child birth or shortly thereafter. Franklin (Frank) is Elise's next door neighbor, almost the only neighbor (they live out in the country) and her best friend. Don't worry about this being too maudlin for a child to handle. I had to go back and reread the reason for Elise's Dad dying. All it says is the doctor told him he had three years to live. He wrote out a number of letters which he gave to Uncle Hugh. I was concerned that all this death might have been somewhat difficult to swallow. It turns out to be just the opposite. Elise has such a nice group of parent substitutes; your child might regret not having the same.
Elise is s clearly the protagonist. Frank is a strong sidekick. Amanda, Elise's locker-mate, is the antagonist.
Elise's Dad, who is dead, made out birthday letters to Elise, one for each of her birthdays. Elise's uncle gives her one at the end of the day on her birthdays.
Elise discovers eight locked doors on the second floor of the barn. Slowly she acquires the keys to each door.
Her father had placed special stuff in each room. You'll have to read the book to find out what Elise found.

I highly recommend this for an eleven year old girl.

Gunner October, 2011

Elise and Franklin have been best friends their entire lives. They spend their time playing Knights, making ice cream with Elise's aunt Bessie, building things with her uncle, and investigating life under Franklin's microscope. When the two friends start 6th grade, however, Elise quickly learns that "playing" is something only babies do and that she doesn't fit in with a middle school crowd. Bullied mercilessly by her locker mate and unable to get help from a teacher, Elise falls behind in school and begins distancing herself from Franklin. On her 12th birthday she finds a key with her name on it that opens one of eight locked doors in her uncle's barn/workshop. What she finds is a room left for her by her father with an important message about living her life. Now, she just needs to find the other seven keys... This is a smallish but touching book about friendship, coming to terms with who you are and making choices that might affect the rest of your life. I liked it when I was finished, but I'm finding that I like it even more the more I reflect upon it. It also presents a realistic view of middle school bullying which is much less obvious than how it is usually portrayed.

Elise and Franklin are best friends on the cusp of their teenage years. Games of pretend, which once were fun for them both, result in them being made fun of and bullied at school. While Franklin is able to ignore some of these things, Elise has a harder time of it. She doesn't do her homework, misses the bus, and is no longer kind to her best friend, Franklin.

In addition to this, Elise is also looking forward to turning twelve. At each birthday Elise receives a letter from her father who died when she was little. This letter, however, happens to be the last. Yet, her father hints at a different sort of present from him coming when she is ready. Eight keys begin to appear for Elise, each one unlocking a room in the upstairs of her uncle Hugh's barn where he works as a furniture maker. Each room has a theme of sorts, and Elise uncovers more treasures about her mother, who died in childbirth, and her father who died just a few years later from cancer.

Growing up is not easy, and Elise struggles with things, getting guidance from her aunt and uncle and her father's best friend who owns the hardware store.

While I loved this story, Eight Keys was hard for me to get into at first. Elise's experience of feeling like she doesn't fit in is something that most pre-teens will be able to relate to, yet her reaction-like purposely missing the bus, and her constant inability to do her homework, seemed out of character for her. Still, even though I can find some flaws in this one, tween readers will enjoy this story and understand the struggles that Elise faces

Do you like books that leave you hanging, and books with mystery and entertainment? Well, if you do this is the book for you.

In The Eight Keys, there is a girl Elise. She has a best friend named Franklin, and she has an enemy Amanda. She always bullies Elise. This one day she discovers a key with her name on it,she decided to wait to unlock it. When she did unlock the room, she unlocked a door to her past.

My opinion on the book would be a 5 out of 5 star review. My first reason is because it was an ICCA book. It was awarded and I agreed it should be too. Also, you have to trust the people who awarded it. This book always wants to make you not stop reading. Once you want to stop it will be too good you will be so attached to it you won’t want to stop. And there is a lot of mystery. You will have to figure out a lot of stuff and so did Elise.

You will have to find out what she unlocks.

The book Eight Keys is interesting because it takes the life of a typical middle school aged girl, and chronicles her trials and tribulations of being a middle schooler. Her best friend Franklin stands by her regardless of what is happening. The story does include tones of death as the young girl discussed her folks and and it is revealed through the novel why she lives permanently with her aunt and uncle.

Elise's middle school experience isn't starting off well. She feels overwhelmed in a big new place with lots of unfamiliar kids, and she and her best friend are being targeted for being too babyish because they let it slip that they play an imaginary game together. Elise finds herself nervous about school and angry with her friend.

When Elise's twelfth birthday arrives, she is greeted with another jarring change in her life. She is given the last letter from her father. Elise's mother died in childbirth and then two years later her father was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Luckily Elise's aunt and uncle were able to take her in and love her, and every year on her birthday she's received a letter from her father, written in the time when she was a toddler and he was dying. This is the last letter, the last link to her parents broken.

Or is it? Just when Elise feels like she is floundering, she finds a key with her name on it. There are lots of locked rooms in the upstairs of the barn where her uncle does woodworking. Could there be mysteries for her behind all of those doors?

I liked the concept of this story, the idea of having these rooms full of secrets. I thought Elise's fight with Franklin was realistic and reasonable, although Franklin himself was a bit of a cliche. Her aunt and uncle were also pretty two-dimensional characters, although likable enough. Elise's problems with Amanda seem to make sense. These characters felt younger than sixth grade to me, though, and I was disappointed that there wasn't resolution and peace between Elise and Amanda in the story. Especially after Elise witnessed Amanda's behavior when she was picked up from school, it seemed as though that would come into play at some point later in the story.

Though contemporary middle grade isn't my thing usually I found the idea of the keys and the mystery behind them intriguing. While Eight Keys didn't turn out to be a favorite, I did enjoy it.

Elise is going through some hard times in making the transition from elementary to middle school. She's a little unsure about what to do with herself, the mean girl in school, her old best friend, and all the new things thrown at her.
She doesn't handle any of it very well at first. In fact, she's kind of terrible about it all to everyone around her. Despite how mean and annoying she was being, I could completely understand what she was going through. And in the end, she comes out a better person, so that was nice to see.

The eight keys didn't turn out to be some great big mystery, but they were interesting all the same. I love the idea of a parent who knows they aren't going to make it that long inventing this elaborate thing to help their child later in life. Plus, it was interesting to see how Elise dealt with some of the things that likely would have disappointed most kids.

The Nutshell: Eight Keys is a quick read about life in that awkward 11-12 years stage of life with the added complication of having neither parent. I liked being about to watch Elise grow and become a more mature person while still keeping the child-like air about her.

Near Miss

In spite of everything adults do to cushion the culture shock that occurs in most children's lives, making the transition into middle school is painful. Suzanne LaFleur uses this part of Elise Bertrand's life to tell the story of her father's love and a conspiracy of secrets.

Because Elise's parents are both dead, she has a bunch of unanswered questions plaguing her. (Her aunt and uncle adopted her after her father's death. They give her lots of love and attention.) What she doesn't have is answers. The "Eight Keys" unlock doors and provides answers that help Elise adjust to the loss of her parents and to middle school.

Ms. LaFleur's experience as a public school teacher shines in the details as Elise adjusts to school. Elise's problems, efforts to fix them, and the changing dynamics of her friendships feel real and relevant.

The plot, flow and character development integrate beautifully to form a seamless story. In my opinion, the only flaw in the story displays our instant gratification culture: Elise solves all her problems and makes a hug leap into a new level of maturity in less than one school year. Let's hope the girls who read this book don't expect the changes to occur that quickly in their own lives.

When I picked up LaFleur's debut title, Love, Aubrey, the plot summary immediately put me in mind of another earlier book called Everything Is Fine. by Ann Dee Ellis. Regardless, LaFleur's prose and delivery were satisfying. The plot summary of her follow-up book, Eight Keys, immediately brought to mind Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life by the charming Wendy Mass. But once again, LaFleur brings her own lovely prose and well-timed delivery to a tear-jerker of a story.

Elise's mother died in childbirth. A year later, her father was diagnosed with cancer and given a year or two to live. Since she was three years old, Elise has been raised by her Aunt Bessie and Uncle Hugh. Every year, on her birthday, she is given a letter from her father.

But just before her twelfth birthday, everything changes. Her locker partner teases her, her best friend, Franklin, is considered babyish and her Aunt's sister - with newborn baby in tow - comes to live with the family. Suddenly, Elise stops doing her homework, she frequently misses the bus and soon, Franklin and she are no longer friends.

Then Elise finds a key with her name on it. She soon discovers it opens one of the eight locked doors in her Uncle's barn. What she finds will lead her into her past and allow her to solve her current crisis.

Though the keys (and the contents behind the locked doors) propel Elise toward discovery, the outstanding aspects of this novel are found in the portrayal of the bullying Elise suffers under, her change in disposition, the doubts begin to plague her and her struggles to be accepted. LaFleur evokes complex emotions without over-explaining. She writes about various topics in easily understandable and concise prose. While I was tearing up, the story itself is not overly maudlin. To some, this may seem a simple coming-of-age-story but I found it enjoyable and appropriate for those about to enter middle school.

Clayton Talley

Elise lives with her Aunt Bessie and Uncle Hugh. Her Mother and Father are dead.
Elise's mother died at child birth or shortly thereafter. Frank is Elise's next door neighbor, almost the only neighbor; they live out in the country. Elise has such a nice group of parent substitutes. Elise's Dad, who is dead, made out birthday letters to Elise, one for each of her birthdays. Elise's uncle gives her one at the end of the day on her birthdays.
Elise discovers eight locked doors on the second floor of the barn. Slowly she acquires the keys to each door.
Her father had placed special stuff in each room. He gave her a lot of GREAT stuff! Her friend (Frank) is opening her up to bulling and she started it and new it was wrong so she stopped shortly after. Elise hurt A LOT of people with her bulling!

Elise struggles through middle school with a best friend who still plays make believe games and a bully who smashes her lunch daily and calls her names.
Her best friend Franklin doesn't understand why Elise won't just do her homework and accept the fun of his make believe games after school and Elise won't tell an adult about the bullying. When her aunt & uncle, who she lives with, find out she hasn't been doing her work and her teachers call they tell her to make it a priority. About that time a mysterious key catches her attention and it has her name on it. She finds it goes to locked rooms in her family's barn. Her dad, who died of cancer years ago, left behind keys for her to discover life lessons he wanted to share with her as she grew older. She finds family pictures, a library full of books and learns about herself as well as how to treat friends and why they are important.

I really enjoyed this story, especially Elise with all her character flaws and great qualities. The cover gives the book a somber impression, but I don't think the cover fits the story. Great read for elementary kids with a lot of food for thought and situations they can relate to.

This is a beautifully written book. I am amazed that the Accelerated Reader level is 3.8. It's such a thought provoking book that deals with a young girl who has many challenges in her life. The honesty of emotion and self reflection is refreshing. I will be reading this author's other books.