The Time of the Fireflies

by Kimberley Griffiths Little

Critically acclaimed author Kimberley Griffiths Little spins a thrilling story of one girl's race to unravel the curse that has haunted her family for generations.

When Larissa Renaud starts receiving eerie phone calls on a disconnected old phone in her family's antique shop, she knows she's in for a strange summer. A series of clues leads her to the muddy river banks, where clouds of fireflies dance among the cypress knees and cattails each evening at twilight. The fireflies are beautiful and mysterious, and they take her on a magical journey through time, where Larissa learns secrets about her family's tragic past--deadly, curse-ridden secrets that could harm the future of her family as she knows it. It soon becomes clear that it is up to Larissa to prevent history from repeating itself and a fatal tragedy from striking the people she loves.

With her signature lyricism, Kimberley Griffiths Little weaves a thrilling tale filled with family secrets, haunting mystery, and dangerous adventure.

Genres: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Mystery, Fiction, Time Travel, Childrens, Adventure

368 pages, Hardcover

First published July 29, 2014

About the author

Kimberley Griffiths Little was born in San Francisco, but now lives in New Mexico with her husband and their three sons.

For such award-winning middle grade novels as When the Butterflies Came, The Last Snake Runner, The Healing Spell, and Circle of Secrets, her writing has been praised as "fast-paced and dramatic," with "characters painted in memorable detail" and "beautifully realized settings."

Kimberley adores anything old and musty with a secret story to tell and makes way too many cookies while writing.

She's stayed in the haunted tower room at Borthwick Castle in Scotland; sailed on the Seine in Paris; ridden a camel in Petra, Jordan; shopped the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul; and spent the night in an old Communist hotel in Bulgaria.

Her amazing, filmed-on-location book trailers are right here on Goodreads. https://www.goodreads.com/videos/list...

Awards: Southwest Book Award, Whitney Award for Best Youth Novel, Bank Street College Best Books of 2011 & 2014, Crystal Kite Finalist, and New Mexico Book Award Finalist.

Reviews

[Kimberley Little · Rating 5 out of 5]

How can I not rate this gorgeous book anything but 5 stars? It's got mystery, magic, time-slipping, and family secrets/curses. :-) The cover alone is 10 stars!

[Olga Godim · Rating 3 out of 5]

I might’ve liked this book better if I was 30 years younger. Age and constant reading add experience, and what might’ve flown for a silly child doesn’t satisfy a mature reader.
The book starts well. The heroine, twelve-year-old Larissa, lives above an antique store with her parents, who own the store. When one of the ancient telephones for sale at the store suddenly rings, even though it’s not connected to anything, Larissa picks up the receiver. What she hears on that phone sends her on a journey of magic, time-travel, and self-discovery.
The story promises to be an engrossing escapade, but that promise fizzles out fast. The middle of the novel sags. Larissa is hurtled from one time period to another, witnessing tragic events in her family’s past without order or need. She hears every word of everything everyone says and sees everyone too, while they only notice her when it’s convenient for the plot. I don’t quite believe it.
The end is preachy, didactic in its insistent explanations of the obvious. The writer wants to make absolutely certain her message gets across, and like any qualified teacher, she repeats it several times, using different words. The technique is probably useful for teaching middle grades but it’s not suitable for storytelling.
Like the story, Larissa starts out as an interesting character, but her transformation along the story arch seems forced, more in line with a morality lesson than a work fiction. In the beginning, she behaves like a living girl, flawed but convincing. By the end, she becomes a goody-good, a teaching prop to demonstrate the writer’s point of view.
The writing is clean and professional, flowing effortlessly, and I read the story to its conclusion. I wanted to know how it ended, so that’s a plus. But I don’t think I want to read this writer again. I dislike being preached at.

[Kirsten Werk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kimberley Griffiths Little has written another beautiful, mysterious, and captivating story set in the bayous of Louisiana. Great if this is your first of Little's books you are reading and even
better if you've read the companion books, The Healing Spell, Circle of Secrets, or When the Butterflies Came. Time of the Fireflies tells two stories simultaneously as Larissa travels back in time through the help of some fireflies to see events unfold of her family's ancestors that help her solve the problems in her present-day family's life. A mysterious antique doll plays a curious part in it all as well. Little's strength is always her strong development of the characters in her stories and she does not disappoint again in Fireflies. You care about each of the people for better or worse which keeps you turning the pages. Little is also a master at building mystery and suspense. The ending of Fireflies is climactic and satisfying in every sense. After reading Fireflies I found myself wanting to look into my family history to find out the secrets it may hold! Read Fireflies for yourself. Makes a great book club choice too!

[Aeicha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mysterious phones calls + a very creepy doll + time travel + buried family secrets + one determined and courageous young heroine = a thrilling middle-grade adventure full of addicting mystery, captivating storytelling, and immensely felt heart...Kimberley Griffiths Little’s The Time of the Fireflies is all this and more!

Haunted by a near-death accident, young Larissa Renaud is not having an ideal summer. When she receives a mysterious phone call, from an unplugged, not hooked up to anything antique phone in her parents’ antique shop, she’s sure it’s just a prank. Follow the fireflies. Trust the fireflies the voice on the other end says. And when she does find and follow the fireflies they lead her across time and straight into her family’s tragic, mysterious past. A creepy doll and family curse are determined to ruin Larissa’s family once again, but, with the help of a surprising friend, Larissa must find the courage to end the curse and right some heavy wrongs.

Beautifully and hauntingly atmospheric, with rich, lyrical writing, The Time of the Fireflies is a book that grabs hold and doesn’t let go! Kimberley Griffiths Little weaves a lovely tale that is equal parts heart-warming, heart-wrenching, and heart-pounding. From the moment Larissa receives that mysterious phone call and the creepy, eerie Anna Marie doll is introduced, I just knew this was going to be deliciously spine-tingling, and it was! A jumbled antiques shop, abandoned island, and several different time periods, make for a spellbinding setting. The haunting, vivid atmosphere Little creates really is superb and there’s a genuine spookiness to the whole story...but a fun, delightful spookiness! The awesomely sinister Anna Marie doll is frighteningly fascinating in a way that younger readers will go crazy for. The Time of the Fireflies isn’t all fun scares though; Larissa’s time-travel adventures are full of poignancy and thought-provoking moments as well. Little does a wonderful job of exploring topics like grief, bullying, prejudice, and acceptance.

I so enjoyed following the fireflies and solving the hundred year mystery with Larissa! Larissa, with her determination, courage, and compassion is an admirable, yet completely relatable young heroine. And she’s surrounded by an eclectic group of characters, both in her present and the past. Little crafts complex, compelling characters, with a lot of personality, intrigue, and heart.

My Final Thoughts: The Time of the Fireflies has it all- magic, mystery, time-travel, thrills, chills, and engaging characters! Kimberley Griffiths Little’s beautiful writing and storytelling will entertain and dazzle young readers.

[Half_Fictional · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I think EVERYONE should know before you read this book, is that, if you don't like creepy dolls, don't read this book. Other than that, it was a very good book and I would recommend it to ages 10-12.

[Alex Baugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's summer vacation and Larissa Renaud, 12, isn't really looking forward to it. Her best friend is off to Paris with her grandmother and Larissa hasn't any other friends. But what she does have is a serious scar running down the side of her face, gotten when she almost drowned in the Bayou Teche a year ago after falling from the broken bridge that once crossed over it on a dare. Ironically, her Aunt Gwen had actually drowned the same way.

Now, living over the antique shop her parents had opened in Bayou Bridge, LA, her mother's childhood home, Larissa's summer prospects don't look interesting, at least not until an old disconnected antique phone rings and the voice on the other end tells Larissa to not only find the fireflies but to trust them as well. After all, it's a matter of life or death.

Sure enough, later that day, Larissa finds the fireflies at, of all places, the broken bridge where she almost drowned. As they swarm around her, enveloping her in their bright light, the bridge suddenly appears to be whole and safe. Cautiously, Larissa crosses over it and by the time she reaches the other side, she has time-slipped back to 1912.

Larissa can't believe what she is seeing - her great great grandmother Anna Normand as a young girl surrounded by family and servants. Anna's Uncle Edgar had just returned from the Caribbean where he had bought gifts for everyone, including a young African American servant named Dulcie who received a beautiful Victorian doll. Anna, who received a pony, asks to hold the doll and never gives it back. Larissa recognizes the doll as one her mother owns, kept locked on a display case, the doll whose eyes seem to follow her whenever she is in the same room.

As Larissa receives more mysterious phone calls from disconnected old phones and travels back to the past again and again with the help of the fireflies, she learns more and more about her family's tragic past and the beautiful doll that great great grandmother Anna had taken from Dulcie, its rightful owner, and who seems to always be present when tragedy strikes. Is it possible that doll is cursed? And could Larissa's mother and the baby she is expecting become it's next victims?

I should have known the minute the doll was mentioned that I was in for a creepy doll story. And what better place to set a time-travel, creepy doll story than in a Louisiana Bayou, which always seems to have an aura of sinister mystery about it, anyway (at least, in books). And Kimberley Griffiths Little does capitalize on that and has created a delightfully haunting coming of age story in which place is one of the best characters in the book.

Larissa is an OK character. She's totally focused on her scar and tries to hide it as much as possible with her hair. But, she is also so wrapped up in her anger at the two girls who dared her to stand on the edge of the broken bridge, that she has never let anyone explain how she was saved that day. Solving the mystery around the creepy doll does help to pull her out of her self-pity so that she can see things more clearly - past and present.

And the mystery is interesting, though I thought too much time was spent in 1912, so that time travel episodes to other, later ancestors felt a bit rushed. I did like the story of the doll, made by doll makers in the Dominican Republic at a place called the Island of Dolls, though I wish there had been a little more said about the doll's voodoo roots.

Despite my few grumblings, The Time of the Fireflies was a fun read, compelling and exciting. I was pulled into the story immediately and read it in one sitting, wanting to find out what happens. If you liked Doll Bones by Holly Black, you are sure to enjoy this creepy doll mystery.

This book is recommended for readers age 9+
This book was borrowed from the NYPL

This review was originally posted at Randomly Reading

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

What should I talk about? I don't want to spoil the mystery... Okay. Oh my gosh, the creepy doll. I didn't expect to be spooked by this book, but creepy dolls do it every time. Still, this story has so much more - real heart, real problems in the family, and the continuation of a story I was dying to read. So glad I got to read this one early!!

[Gretchen Shuler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a delightful story!!! I loved it! It's spine chilling and heart warming at the same time!!!!! I definitely recommend this book! Five stars!!!!

[Ana · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was an amazing book and has a permanent place on my shelf and a special place in my heart.
I feel that what our main character Larissa goes through in this book is very relatable and I felt myself tearing up at some points in the story as she went through so much to save her family.
To me it was a take on real problems that people go through with a magical twist that is used to both draw people in as well as bring forth different points about the world.
I won't spoil the book here though, I insist if you are a fan of this author's previous stories or just love books in general you MUST find yourself a copy of this book and sit down with a nice cup of whatever your comfort drink is and enjoy this story, you will not be disapointed.
Kimberley Griffiths Little has truly out done herself with this heartwarming tale of a young girl's quest to save her family.

[zapkode · Rating 5 out of 5]

{My Thoughts} – Larissa is your average twelve year-old girl. She has a mother and a father and soon is going to become a big sister. However, she also lives in an antique shop that is very strange and she is getting off phone calls from dead phones with no connection.

A year ago she almost drowned, she doesn’t recall much of the situation or what had happened during that time period but she does know that she came awfully close to death. She also knows that her aunt Gwen had tragically died in a similar manner.

Larissa starts getting really strange phone calls that change her whole life. A girl on the other end of the phone tells her to find the fireflies, trust the fireflies. She does what the voice says even though she is scared out of her mind.

Her family has secrets that have been buried and the fireflies help her to learn what those secrets are. They help her to put together the puzzle that can help her make things right that had been done wrong in the past. They help to show her how to save her family.

This book is incredibly well written. It transitions so nicely that it is flawless on all accounts. If you want to learn more about Larissa and her family, how she nearly died and how her aunt Gwen had died, how she saves her family in the end and makes things right, you should get this book. It isn’t what I would call ordinary by any means, but it is a wonderful read and you will fly through the pages just like I did. Larissa is a very lovable character.

[Rosalyn Eves · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kimberley Griffiths Little's Time of the Fireflies is a charming middle grade story that combines creepy (a weird voodoo doll) with a lovely family saga.

Twelve year old Larissa is struggling with life in the town where her family lived for generations, but where she is a relative newcomer. Sensitive about the scar on her face and worried about her mother's pregnancy (past ones haven't gone well), Larissa is just trying to get through the summer, spending her days helping her parents at the family antique shop. But then a strange girl calls on one of the antique phones in the store (one without a functional wire), and tells her to follow the fireflies.

When a swarm of fireflies surrounds her near the bayou, Larissa follows them across the broken bridge where she got her scar and finds herself miraculously transported into the past, to a time when her great-grandmother was a girl.

But there's a reason she's been drawn to the past, and a family secret that Larissa will have to uncover and heal to save herself, her mother, and her unborn baby sister.

Although I guessed the identity of the unknown caller pretty early on, other elements of the story surprised and charmed me. I particularly liked the glimpses of the past and the way they helped inform Larissa's growing understanding of herself and her place in the world.

Now I need to go check out the companion novels to this!

[Fran · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great read! I have to admit that it is true what they say ... "You can't judge a book by its cover." The cover is okay, but the story is magnificent! Larissa Renaud finds herself helping her parents run their antique store in the town where her mother grew up. She's had an accident with local kids that nearly cost her life. Things feel really strange, because her mother's sister lost her life in nearly the same way. A spooky pattern seems to emerge day by day. There is an old doll that's a family heirloom that Larissa suspects is haunted or cursed. The doll seemingly follows her with its eyes and at times even displays a hint of a smile. The air seems charged already, but when Larissa receives a call on an antique phone that's not even connected, she becomes quickly aware that everything is about to change. The voice on the other end of the phone tells her to "Find the fireflies." Larissa has no idea what this means, but she can't just ignore the message. Soon, she finds herself traveling through time, picking up clues, and ultimately solving a curseful mystery that will save her family in more ways than one. I strongly recommend this book for children ages 9 to 12, especially girls. It lends itself to being read aloud and could be coupled with a history unit on the Civil War or to the study of ghostly happenings in the state of Louisiana.

[Aliza Purificacion · Rating 5 out of 5]

Larissa is a young girl who is not other girls. She is not like other girls because her face has a scar. The scar is basically from where a girl pushed Larissa off a bridge. Which is called the Bayou Bridge. When Larissa gets a unfamiliar phone call. The phone is talking about her family's history and how they had a bad past with this doll. The doll has been passed through several generations from Larissa’s family. Larissa thinks that the doll is cursed.

I would recommend this book to some of my classmates because it teaches everybody a lesson. For example on how not to judge people on what people did in the past. I love it how the author puts the character in some conflicts on what some of us are going through. I would continue this book if it has a serious because I like the book really well. On how the author puts some of the chapters in the past and some right now.

[Amy Lou · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. I am absolutely astonished. The back of my copy says it is fit for fourth to seventh graders. I think fifth to eighth would be more appropriate. Don't get me wrong, the story wasn't inappropriate, but some of the content might be a little too creepy for fourth graders. I loved it! However, if you were looking for a cute story (like I was expecting) about a little girl going out to the quiet lake and spending time with the beautiful fireflies, who talked, and became friends with them, you are totally wrong! Believe it or not, this was a ghost story! Many tragic events occur, and I came incredibly close to crying quite a few times. Despite all of this (and the fact that I have always hated ghost stories and all things creepy), I definitely recommend it. This was a wonderful tale about learning to accept your past and move on. I hope you get to enjoy it.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magical thinking and intelligent deductions mark the protagonist on the edge of leaving childhood. That, more than anything, makes this book worthwhile reading.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good! I can't described how good it is so good and it teaches you something! So good! love it! wish I had a copy of the book!

[Elisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

It never got boring and I couldn't put it down

[Kirsten Phang]

In this book Larissa Renaud receives mysterious phone calls from a strange girl. She goes back and forth between the past and present getting clues from this person. She hides in the past but it's hard not to get caught. She then learns not to mess with things she is not part of. She alters some things in the past meant to be kept the same. The mysterious voice on the phone is actually her in the future trying to help her past self.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a rather quick read when I actually had time to sit down and read it. As a middle grade book, I expected to move through it at a decent pace and I was not disappointed. It flowed well.

The seeing was the South, Louisiana I believe. I have only been there once, and that was to New Orleans, but the book took me back. The diction was flavored with word usage and placement that sounded Southern to me. Full confession time, I'm a Yankee, born, bred and raised, so the book may not be "true" Southern, but it convinced me.

I could feel the moist, almost breathing, heat and could easily see the bayou in my mind as it was being described. The place felt real to me.

The characters were realistic. They had their strengths and weaknesses. They weren't perfect, they were human.

*Spoilers after this point!*


I enjoyed the time travel aspect of the book and really did feel like I was with Larissa in 1912, seeing how Miss Anna treated the servants. She was a little terror, though it could be argued that she did end up paying for it in the end, as did her descendants.

What I DIDN'T like were what seemed to be conflicts in the story. As you get to the end, you come to find out that Larissa had the doll with her when she fell into the bayou, yet she doesn't mention it getting dirty or her getting into trouble with her parents after the accident. She doesn't mention them finding it in her bag, nothing.

Also, she mentioned MULTIPLE TIMES that the doll creeped her out, that it seemed to smile in an evil way at her, that it's eyes seemed to follow her as she moved in the room, etc. Yet when she was going to rest, she took a book into the room the doll was in and started to read and then fell asleep, until she felt the eyes of the doll on her and woke completely up and left the room.

Another thing that I had an issue with is the fact that Larissa and her mother both felt the evil and hatred the doll was oozing out at them. They both saw the eyes move, the evil smile and it moving once in a while. Yet they BOTH said nothing, for fear of being thought crazy.

I hate how mental illness is seen as a fault or a failing, like it's something that can be controlled by the person if they just tried hard enough. It's not the person's fault, it's an illness, a chemical imbalance in the brain. Yet the stigma is so bad, that fear of being thought crazy is used as a reason for not sharing feelings of unease with others. This book perpetuates the stigma of being "crazy".

To be fair, the characters were dealing with something supernatural, so I guess it's natural to be afraid to share that information with others since the supernatural is not normal. It was annoying though, because the characters didn't trust themselves enough to take a stand and say, "no, I'm not imagining things, this is really happening." Denial doesn't help anyone.

One more complaint. Why did 16 year old Larissa wait so long to contact her younger self to break the curse? She had twin brothers that died after birth a year or so prior to the events that happened in this book. I presume the evil doll was responsible for that. So what, it was ok for the two boys to die, but not the soon to be younger sister? Maybe they had to be back in the mother's home town so 12 year old Larissa could do the time traveling thingy and put the pieces together, but if the boys were killed by the evil doll, why did it allow Larissa to be born in the first place if it was into infanticide?

The book does have a good moral to it and it can feel a bit in your face at times, but it didn't distract me too badly. I liked the family saga aspect to it, how one bad decision can affect not just one person, but the following generations as well.

I wanted to see more of Larissa's getting to know the girl she blamed for her accident. You see a little of the growth by the end of the book, but not a lot. It would have been nice to see more of it.

This isn't a bad book. It moved quickly, the characters were realistic and the time travel was interesting. I am a sucker for a HEA and we did get one. Yay! I would recommend this for middle readers. It may be a bit young for the YA crowd, as the MC is 12, but I enjoyed it and I'm a bit older than the target audience. A solid 3.5 star book.

My thanks to NetGalley and Scholastic for an eARC copy of the book to read and review.

[Candy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Time of the Fireflies
Kimberley Griffiths Little
Fantasy/ Mystery

Review: Larissa Renaud has just recently turned twelve and she feels like her life cannot get any worse. A year ago her family moved back to Bayou Bridge where her mother grew up and where tragedy has struck her family time and time again. The newest tragedy was Larissa’s and it almost cost her life. Now Larissa is getting mysterious calls from a girl who only gives her vague answers on a telephone that isn’t even connected. The girl on the other end of the line tells Larissa it is up to her to save her unborn sister and mother before it is too late and to trust the fireflies. When Larissa follows the mystery girl’s advice she is transported back in time where she must solve the mystery of why her family keeps having tragedy after tragedy.
I truly enjoyed this book. I thought it would be another one of those books that I would figure out in a few minutes flat and be bored for the rest of the story. Thankfully, I was wrong and this book held my attention right until the end. Larissa was a bit hard to like in the beginning since she cannot seem to let go of the past and forgive those who wronged her a year ago, but as the story progressed so didn’t Larissa and she became a very charming girl. The mystery was well plotted and delivered. I kept having to change my ideas on why the family was cursed and the final answer actually was very intriguing and made me have to go and do some research. Also I loved how well the author, Kimberley Little did with the setting. When Larissa traveled to the past I felt like I was there and I agreed with Larissa that I would love to live in a house like her ancestors did. A house older than the Civil War with a beautiful wrap-around porch situated on an island of its own. Who wouldn’t love to live in a place like that?
I recommend this to young readers who enjoy a bit of fantasy and love a good mystery. I have read other books similar to this in the past and this one was the best yet by far.
I received a free ecopy of this book from Netgalley for my honest review.

[Susana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Arc provided by Scholastic through Netgalley

Normally I don't have any problem reading the so called "Middle Grade" books. In fact I have been lucky enough to have been reading some amazing well written, and spell binding stories that could place the so called adult ones, to shame.

Now _DUE TO THAT _ I may have temporarily forgotten that middle grade books are intended for middle grade...readers. Which I am most definitely NOT.

I am currently thirty five years old. Therefore I am afraid that I'm no longer this book' intended audience. :)

The only reason I am mentioning this, is that although I can't in all honesty give this book a higher rating, I can't help admitting that its intended audience will probably like it more than I did!

This has a fluid writing, and what starts as an interesting concept.

A twelve year old girl answers a call from a disconnected phone....

However _for me _ the whole time travel....process (lol) felt a little too bland and simplistic.

The main characters could have been more developed...although I understand that due to the number of people that end up joining the story, that could prove a little too much for the intended audience...

The plot however _despite the time travel thing _ felt nicely done. The author was able to keep all those "balls in the air"_the cursed generations thing_, and was able to perfectly interwove all the lose threads.

The mystery of the mysterious caller wasn't that much of a mystery though, lol.

And although I couldn't well grasp the concept of quite a number of things_ too basic and simplistically done which allowed for quite a number of interpretations_ it was nice the inclusion of a cursed SPOILER!! creepy doll in the plot, and the basic idea behind the story.

Bottom Line: Don't steal...and don't make fast judgements.

A fast easy read for much younger readers.

[Jennifer_E1 · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book Time of the Fireflies written by Kimberly Griffiths Little, is about this girl, named Larissa. Her family was cursed by a doll which was the family heirloom. Larissa's baby brothers and sisters was all killed by this doll at birth. Her yet to be born baby sister Emily was going to be next. On a rainy humid night, while her parents fought about the huge amount of loans that they had made because of moving around. Larissa accidentally found a way to travel back in time and learned about her family's history, the doll, why it's cursing everyone. Spoiler alert! Larissa managed break the curse right before her baby sister was born and saved her baby sister from dying. I really loved this book, and I recommend this book for people who love reading about fantasy, about cursing dolls, and tragedies. The book described the scenes so lively, I almost thought I was actually standing there, watching it happen! I also really loved the idea of the story, traveling back in time to learn about your family, solving a mystery of a cursing doll, this would definitely be the book of your choice if you like these topics.

[Jette Y · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book at the beginning of the year and it was my favorite. Larissa Renaud is an average girl who has a huge scar on her face from when mean kids pushed her from under a dock, since has a huge scar on her face she doesn't really have any good friends except for her best friend. Her parents own an antique shop with lots of strange and peculiar stuff such as This old doll that they've had since forever or at least that's what they think. When she gets a call from a disconnected phone, she gets very scared but the phone says to find the fireflies and trust them, she does what she goes back in time and sees the island (which her family used live and where her moms younger sister died) 100 years before then and realizes that her family took a old doll that her great uncle gave to a slave girl, and has to return it because she's cursed with it, and her baby sisters life (who's not born yet) is on the line. Will she ever save her family or will she continue the evil curse that is destroying their lives?!?!?!?

[Heather Jensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to my mom for giving me the book. Even if she did forget it in our hometown and so I had to read it on her Kindle.
Thanks, anyway. At least I got to read it.
SOOO! I loved this book. Like, a lot.
Larissa felt very real to me as a character, and I loved her development as a person. The plot was very tight, and interesting. The only thing that I felt was kind of strange was the whole thing with Alyson.
*SPOILER ALERTS*
See, if I knew that Larissa hated me, I would tell her that I rescued her. But maybe Alyson and Tara are more humble than we are lead to believe.
**SPOILER ALERT OVER**

So, yeah, I loved the book.

[The Library Lady · Rating 2 out of 5]

As others have said, if I were a kid I'd probably like this more. As an adult I can see that the plot is hokey, full of holes and coincidences. The end is perfect to an unbelievable degree--every problem solved, every possible happy thing happening. The writing itself is good, and Larissa herself is pretty believable--that's what kept me reading, if not believing in this book.

P.S. I was curious about Larissa's dad calling her "Shar", and looked it up. Perhaps this is some obscure variation of the Cajun endearment "sha" or "cher", but I haven't been able to find a source for it yet. Just saying....

[Fred · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a sweet and tender read, poignant with love of family and rich with the mystery of the past. Larissa is a charming character, resilient and brave. Which is good, because she's going to need all her gumption once she begins receiving those mysterious whispery phone calls, and hanging out with some fireflies with an agenda. A great story, with lovely themes of redemption, looking beneath the surface, and self-acceptance. The writing is poetic and lovely too. A great read, especially good for smart young readers.

[Kristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Time of the fireflies, is exciting, mysterious, CREEPY, and so much fun! I especially love the exploration of family history in this book and the lessons Larissa learns through her connections to the past. I love the lesson that our life is bigger than the present and there is so much to be gained by looking both back and forward.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

All of Little's bayou books are fantastic! While THE TIME OF THE FIREFLIES isn't my favorite of them (that would be THE HEALING SPELL or CIRCLE OF SECRETS), it's definitely worth picking up. With a lush, vivid setting; an intriguing family mystery; and some fun magical elements, it's a great read for both kids and adults. Good luck not getting sucked into it and the whole series!

[anna bitonti · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is like my favorite book ever! Really, I was looking for a book to read, and I came across it, so I took a look, and couldn't put it down!
I didn't realize that the other books came first.
Even my sister came over and asked about it, and she wanted to read the telephone part. I think I creeped my brother out by the doll, but oh well

[Emmi · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE TIME OF THE FIREFLIES is a wonderful, mysterious read!!! At first it's not as captivating, but as you read on it gets better and better and better!!! Wonderfully written book!!!