Book Review: Eight Keys by Suzanne LaFleur

Title: Eight Keys

Author: Suzanne LaFleur
Series: N/A
Pages: 216
Publisher: Puffin
Date of Publication: 11th August 2011
Source: Publisher
Synopsis from Goodreads: Elise and Franklin have always been best friends. Elise has always lived in the big house with her loving Uncle and Aunt, because Elise's parents died when she was too young to remember them. There's always been a barn behind the house with eight locked doors on the second floor.

When Elise and Franklin start middle school, things feel all wrong. Bullying. Not fitting in. Franklin suddenly seems babyish. Then, soon after her 12th birthday, Elise receives a mysterious key left for her by her father. A key that unlocks one of the eight doors upstairs in the barn...

My Thoughts:
This book is one of the cutest books I've ever read. It's adorable!

Elise is just starting middle school (I think?) and she's finding it difficult to adjust. She lives with her Aunt and Uncle, because sadly her parents passed away when she was very young. She's finding it difficult to fit in at school, and everyday her lunch gets squished by the school's mean girl, and her best friend Franklin is making things even more hard for her by telling everyone that she still plays games, making her seem like a baby.

I really liked Elise. I thought Suzanne really captured the voice of a twelve year old girl, and I really felt for her. I could relate to her feelings of not fitting in, and even though at times she was annoying and a little bit whiny, I really enjoyed reading about her story. Also, she changed and grew up so much in the book - at the beginning she was young and a little naive, and by the end she was becoming a young adult, and once she realised that she didn't have to be what everyone else expected her to be, she could just be herself, I really thought that she could do great things with her life, if she were real.

And then there was Franklin. I really liked him, and I felt that Elise treated him really badly for most of the book, so I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. He was a really good friend to Elise, and he stood up for her, even when perhaps he shouldn't have. He was sweet and funny and I'm so glad that Elise had a friend like him, to play with her and help her with the keys and everything a good friend should.

Speaking of the keys... What an AWESOME idea! It was great fun to read about, and SO cute :) Elise's father passed away when she was three years old, and he wrote her 9 letters just before he died, one for each birthday. But, when they ran out, Elise found a key, that opened one of eight rooms that had been locked her whole life. In each room her dad had left something that would teach her a life lesson, and each one was so true. I won't spoil what was in the room or the lesson learned from it, but I think they could be applied to our lives now, whether we are twelve, twenty, or older.

Overall, I'm so glad that I got the chance to read Eight Keys. I wasn't sure what it was going to be like, but I really enjoyed it. I'd recommend it to anyone who loves cute, coming of age novels, or anyone looking for a good summer read. I'll definitely be reading Love, Aubrey, and anything else that Suzanne publishes in the future, as I'm sure they'll be just as fun, and just as cute as this one.

*Thank you to Puffin for sending me this, by accident! :) In no way has this affected my opinion of the book. :) 

My Rating:

I give it 4 Feet!

Challenges:
2011 100+ Reading Challenge #66