Liesl lives in a tiny attic bedroom, locked away by her cruel stepmother. Her only friends are the shadows and the mice, until one night a ghost appears from the darkness. It is Po, who comes from the Other Side. Both Liesl and Po are lonely, but together they are less alone.
That same night, an alchemist's apprentice, Will, bungles an important delivery. He accidentally switches a box containing the most powerful magic in the world with one containing something decidedly less remarkable.
Will's mistake has tremendous consequences for Liesl and Po, and it draws the three of them together on an extraordinary journey.
Recommended: Infinitely yes. This is a worthy Middle-Grade book for certain!
About Liesl & Po
Recommended Ages: 9 and Up
Hardcover: 307 pgs.
Published: October 4th 2011 by HarperCollins
For This Review: *Signed Hardcover copy won from a book blog giveaway*
Oh my gosh! I am ecstatic to present you this book! First off I hardly knew what I was getting myself into with this book. The only thing I knew was that it was Middle-Grade and I was quite excited for that since I loved my first Middle-Grade experience with Anne Ursu's Breadcrumbs.
From the first moment of reading Liesl & Po, I was in wonder. The way Lauren Oliver writes is this. She uses metaphors and similes expertly quite a lot and this enriches her writing. Makes it come alive and if that wasn't enough even the simplest lines are coming off at you as poetic. It's hard to pinpoint exactly what makes it poetic when it comes to the more simpler lines but there is this quality her words have. And it kind of drives me crazy that I can't pinpoint it exactly. Why, Lauren Oliver? You're a tough cookie to crack.
It's really, really good and I loved that Lauren Oliver switches from first person point of view to omniscient point of view with frequency. Something that might confuse readers who don't pay attention but for me that was the best thing to happen. It only added novelty. Should you ever be looking for a Middle-Grade Read make this, the one. You'll be wondering at the utter creativity of the story of a ghost who goes to great lengths to help a young girl kept locked away. All the while there are other characters with their own stories weaved throughout making for a build of many smaller-scale stories that stand on their own and the way they all fit together is utterly remarkable, if not fun.
Overall: Amazing read! 
Genre: Middle-Grade
About the Author
Lauren Oliver is the author of Liesl & Po. Her first novel was the New York Times bestseller Before I Fall, a Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year. She followed that up with her thrilling Delirium, which debuted on the New York Times bestseller list and is the first in a trilogy.
Liesl & Po is Lauren Oliver's first novel for younger readers under the genre of Middle-Grade. You can visit her online on her website or Twitter.
About the Illustrator
Kei Acedera is the art director and co-owner of Imaginism Studios. She is known for her imaginative character designs for Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland.
