Elektra's Adventures in Tragedy

April 1, 2018
Grades 7-10 Why is Elektra's mom making an improbable journey to a new life on a houseboat in California, taking Elektra and her sister, Thalia, with her? There's little explanation for the wrenching change, and Elektra feels shattered. Their new community is a cluster of sorry-looking derelict hulks stuck in the mudflats of Guadalupe Slough, outside San Jose. The wacky residents are nothing like the solid community Elektra knew in the Mississippi college town where her dad is a noted professor of classics (a profession that prompts many of the mythological references in this journey tale). And yet, over time, the new neighbors prove to be a remarkable crew. Elektra's scheme to embark on her own odyssey back home turns bittersweet when her father turns out not to be the hero she thought he was, and her mother's reason for a radical break begins to make sense. Although the language is strong for younger readers, this unique coming-of-age story features appealing characters and nuanced resolution.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)