Twelve-year-old Isobel is unhappy about spending the summer of 1918 at her aunt's home in Hollywood with her mother and sister until her cousin Ranger involves the girls in creating the perfect film and, when her father returns from the war, his serious injury becomes their inspiration.
Paperback
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Summary
Twelve-year-old Isobel is unhappy about spending the summer of 1918 at her aunt's home in Hollywood with her mother and sister until her cousin Ranger involves the girls in creating the perfect film and, when her father returns from the war, his serious injury becomes their inspiration.
Description
Isobel is on a quest to create the perfect film in bustling WWIera Hollywood-now in paperback!Our story begins in a dusty little town in California, a bustling place called Hollywood...Isobel Ransom is anxious. Her father is away treating wounded soldiers in France, leaving Izzy to be the responsible one at home. But it's hard to be responsible when your little sister is chasing a fasttalking, movie-obsessed boy all over Hollywood! Ranger is directing his very own moving picture... and wants Izzy and Sylvie to be his stars.Izzy is sure Mother wouldn't approve, but scouting locations, scrounging film, and "borrowing" a camera turn out to be the perfect distractions from Izzy's worries. There's just one problem- their movie has no ending. And it has to be perfect - the kind of ending where the hero saves the day and returns home to his family. Safe and sound.It just has to.The Wild West atmosphere of early Hollywood and the home front of a country at war form a fascinating context to award-winning author J. B. Cheaney's new novel about the power of cinema in helping us make sense of an unexpected world.
Critic Reviews
"The novel is packed with cameos by Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, and Charlie Chaplin...fascinating tidbits about the early days of film, and a relentless series of action scenes. Set dressing and quick pace aside, as narrated by Isobel, the story relies on-and delivers-solid characterization to drive it forward. Impressive on all fronts." - Kirkus, Starred review
About the Author
J. B. CHEANEY was born in Dallas, Texas, sometime in the last century. In school, her favorite subject was making up parts for herself in imaginary movies and plays. Fortunately, her second-favorite subject was history. All that daydreaming and history-loving paid off with five published novels, including Somebody on This Bus Is Going to Be Famous. She lives and daydreams in Missouri with her husband. Visit her at
Ages 9 to 12 years Isobel is reeled into the bustling beginning of the film world when she's shipped off to WWI-era HollywoodWhen Isobel is dragged on an extended vacation to Hollywood, she anticipates nothing but homesickness--especially with her father away at war. But that's before she meets Ranger, her fast-talking, movie-obsessed cousin. Ranger ropes Isobel and her sister Sylvie into helping him create the perfect film, but their adventures come to a screeching halt when the girls' father returns home with a serious injury.While Isobel and Sylvie struggle with their grief, Ranger uses the real-life tragedy as inspiration for his epic film, which might be just the thing to help the family heal.
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