Elizabeth Gail And The Teddy Bear Mystery

Grandma suddenly sounded like a very old woman. "I'm tired of fighting with Henry. He can have the farm now that he has teddy. Nothing matters anymore. Adam said he was leaving Monday so I'll go with him and stay with Larkin a while. I won't like living in town, but I'm too tired to fight with Henry a day longer. " Grandma covered her face and sobbed.

Book: Elizabeth Gail And The Teddy Bear Mystery by Hilda Stahl, Tyndale House Publishers, 1979

 

Genre: Mystery

Target Audience: Girls 11-14

Subjects: Relationships with Family, Foster Care, Love for others

Summary: For some reason, that old teddy bear is extremely important to Grandma, the neighbor to the Johnsons. Then after getting to know Libby, she asks Libby to take care of the bear for a while. Libby agrees, though she doesn't know why. But when it disappears, it seems to be the end for Grandma. She's devastated. Libby doesn't understand what all is going on, but she knows one thing: she must get that bear back!

Notes: This is a book about showing love to others. Libby goes out of her way to show kindness to an older woman and finds herself in the midst of a mystery that could completely change the life of her neighbor. It's also a book about greed and selfishness as there are those determined to take that which Grandma values most, with no thought to her feelings. It's also a picture in broken family relationships, Libby being a foster child due to her mom not being able to care for her, and the brokenness between Grandma and her son and the brokenness between Grandma's great grandson and his family. 

Recommendation Scale: 3/5

Reviewer: J:-)mi

James 1:27 - Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.