Portia's Ultra Mysterious Double Life by Anna Hays
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(Paperback)
- Pub. Date: March 2008
- 224pp
- Sales Rank: 286,120
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Product Details
- ISBN-13: 9781416948933
- ISBN: 1416948937
Synopsis
I look at the clock: 4:23 a.m. In approximately three hours I have to wake up again to go to school, and I haven't even gone to sleep yet. How can I possibly care about pop quizzes, bad hair days, and beauty makeovers now that I've found a major clue to the true identity of my missing father?
IDENTIFYING DATA
Subject: Portia Avatar — Girl Psychoanalytic Detective
Background material: Twelve years old. Lives with earth mom, Indigo, and gray-and-white cat (who thinks he's a dog) named Frederick. To date, Portia does not know the whereabouts of her mysterious father, Patch.
Recent developments: An earthquake shakes up Portia's sleepy hometown of Palmville, California. A photograph of Patch is uncovered. Portia's life, as she knows it, is about to change forever.
School Library Journal
Gr 5-7- Portia Avatar, 12, lives in Palmville, CA, with her vegetarian mom, Indigo, and her cat. The novel covers five days, beginning with an earthquake at 3:47 a.m. Portia has created reasons that explain why her father has never been a part of her life and has given him an imaginary one. The earthquake shakes loose a photograph of him and a ring. Porti's preoccupation with her father is contrasted with her everyday experiences like checking out the effects of the earthquake, sending and receiving PDA messages to her friend Amy Clamdigger, helping right her mom's damaged health food restaurant, and doing community service. Porti's dreams and their interpretations are also included. Although the mystery of her father's absence is never solved, Portia does learn that she can rely on her mother's love and her community's support. Frequently the narrative is clever and chatty, but Portia tells readers so much about events, feelings, and other characters that it bogs down. This protagonist is lively and hip, but her story falters with the proliferation of details.-Kathryn Kosiorek, formerly at Cuyahoga County Public Library, Brooklyn, OH
Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information. More Reviews and RecommendationsBiography
Anna Hays is a writer and producer for a variety of formats and media including books, toys, theme parks, film, and television. Anna lives in Los Angeles, California, with her husband and their twin sons.
Customer Reviews
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Reviewed by Randstostipher "tallnlankyrn" Nguyen for TeensReadToo.comby TeensReadToo
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December 30, 2008:
Nothing good ever comes out of an earthquake. Objects fall and some shatter, and your pet cat becomes frightened for days. Portia totally understands all of this since her home is in California.
However, this earthquake was different from all the others. Waking her a few hours before when she was really supposed to be up, the earthquake resulted in her finding a picture of the father she always wanted to know. Her mother has been no help with Portia's curiosity about her father, since she automatically changes the subject when his name is brought up. Portia knows that this picture that was behind another picture has to be her dad.
The only moments she has with her father, Patch, are in her dreams - literally. Portia receives postcards from him whenever she dreams in her sleep, and the only thing she knows about him is that he is undercover solving a mystery. The way he looks in the picture definitely proves that he is a detective, and Portia is certain that she inherited the detective gene. Portia always keeps data about friends, family, and even strangers, and is always looking at details.
She obviously can't ask her mother about the picture, since she just isn't any help at all. So all Portia has to do is discover who her father really is, and where he is - all while surviving school, annoying friends, the "healthy" food that her mom provides for her, and even boys!?
Move over Harriet the Spy... Portia's in town.
PORTIA'S ULTRA MYSTERIOUS DOUBLE LIFE is a quick, fun, and entertaining read. Nothing can get past Portia and it definitely shows. Throughout the novel she collects observations, descriptions, and anything she deems suspicious. Anna Hays takes her readers on a thrilling ride with quirky characters and a wonderful plot. With a cliffhanger to end the book, let's just hope that another installment is in the works.
Portia's Ultra Mysterious Double Lifeby Anonymous
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October 02, 2008: After reading Anna Hays' book, I came away with compassion and support for Portia. (I'm not a middle schooler or tween, but a mother, and curious to read a new book for this age group.) Growing up with no father myself, made me hopeful with each new clue she discovered, that would help her find her father. As a family therapist, I also know the importance of a father daughter relationship, and how much more difficult it is for a child when the father is alive and unavailable, rather than if he were deceased. I loved her relationship with her mother. I loved Portia's hats and spunkiness. I loved her blooming crush. Overall, I loved the way Anna touched on the most important relationships we have in a moving, fun, creative way. Loved the recipes, too!
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