Unstoppable Octobia May

By: Sharon G. Flake

Narrated by: Bahni Turpin

Best-selling and award-winning author Sharon G. Flake delivers a mystery set in the 1950s that eerily blends history, race, culture, and family. Octobia May is a girl filled with questions. Her heart condition makes her special - and, some folks would argue, gives this ten-year-old powers that make her a "wise soul." Thank goodness for Auntie, who convinces Octobia's parents to let her live in her boarding house that is filled with old folks. That's when trouble, and excitement, and wonder begin. Auntie is nontraditional. She's unmarried and has plans to purchase other boarding homes and hotels. At a time when children, and especially girls, are "seen, not heard," Auntie allows Octobia May the freedom and expression of an adult. When Octobia starts to question the folks in her world, an adventure and a mystery unfold that beg some troubling questions: Who is black and who is "passing" for white? What happens when a vibrant African American community must face its own racism? And, perhaps most important: Do vampires really exist? In her most unusual and probing novel yet, Sharon G. Flake takes us on a heart-pumping journey.

©2014 Sharon Flake (P)2014 Scholastic Inc.

I adored this book.

I just love children who have old souls. It drew me in from the first chapter and kept me listening the rest of the day. Such a nice book and funny and sweet. It has enough in it to keep old and young listening. I just couldn't put it down.