Book Review: Eight Keys by Suzanne Lafleur

Eight Keys by Suzanne Lafleur is a beautiful book with a great writing style⎯but what book by Suzanne Lafleur isn’t? I just finished re-reading it for like the hundredth time and it currently is my favorite book! **SPOILERS AHEAD**

The story is about a girl named Elise. Elise’s parents died when she was young, so she lives with her Aunt Bessie and Uncle Hugh. In the beginning of the book, Elise starts middle school, and suddenly everything is different. After an unfortunate incident in the woods, she has become the target for bullying and teasing at her new school, particularly by her locker partner, who finds immense fun in ruining her lunch every day. Elise always had her best friend Franklin to turn to, but now, to Elise, he seems babyish and is unintentionally embarrassing her. At the same time, her aunt’s sister Annie and her baby daughter Ava move into Elise’s house, seeming to interrupt and sometimes ruin her wonderful life with her aunt and uncle. Things just keep getting worse⎯until Elise finds a key. A key with her name on it. A key that starts an adventure of discoveries. A key that unlocks one of the upstairs rooms in the barn, rooms that have been locked up for as long as Elise can remember....

I was reading reviews on this book and it seemed to me like one thing people didn’t like was that it seemed to them like the message going over was “Telling an adult about a bully doesn’t help.” They didn’t like that message. However, I don’t see that message at all. When Elise tells her teacher, I can agree that her teacher doesn’t seem to care the first and second times; but when she tells her aunt and uncle, they do do something about it— they give her advice on how to handle it. Maybe some readers wanted Aunt Bessie and Uncle Hugh to go storm to the school and demand Elise be treated fairly. But in reality, maybe they wanted Elise to try to manage it herself, for her to have courage to stand up for herself. And that is a definite message that is sent.

Personally, I can not find anything I do not like about this book! Everything Elise endures—whether it’s good or bad—winds together and twists together to create one unforgettable story of mystery, friendships, and a few keys that happen to unlock secrets from the past. I can guarantee this is a book you will never regret reading.