A Ceiling Made of Eggshells by Gail Carson Levine

Slowly, Loma grew up, and while I knew she loved to count and spend time with her nieces and nephews, and she was intimidated by Belo and his friends, I didn’t know what her motivation or struggle was, as a character. To be honest, I couldn’t tell where it was going. Once that inner conflict was gone, it took me a while to get pulled back into the story. The story continues to show Belo’s developed interest in Loma and the daily lives of the Spanish Jews, but besides that, there isn’t any real conflict for almost 150 pages. Unfortunately, this inner conflict is resolved within a few chapters. I was pulled into the story almost right away, wondering how this guilt, based on a superstition, would consume her as she grew up and how it would affect her relationship with Belo, whether or not he, too, blamed her for Bela’s death. Loma is consumed with guilt-she believes that, having “taken” the amulet from Bela, it is her fault Bela died.

Belo, not nearly as kind and sympathetic as Bela, watches Loma recover, trying to understand why Bela loved her so much. While Loma survives the plague, Bela, tragically, does not.

Her grandmother, Bela, gave Loma her amulet, as she believed it would protect her granddaughter from evil spirits. The story starts with six or seven year old Loma catching the plague. As a Protestant Christian myself, I have a fondness for the Jews as God’s chosen people, so I enjoy learning more about their history when I can. Levine’s father was Jewish, so she wrote this as well as one of her first novels, Dave At Night, to explore her Jewish heritage.

I’ve never read a story that takes place during the Spanish Inquisition (and I’m honestly not even sure I learned about it in school-or if I did, I don’t remember it), so the subject matter really intrigued me. I now had access to Levine’s newest book six months before anyone else! I was so excited to start reading it over Christmas break. I was surprised when my request was accepted and the book arrived in the mail a week later. So when I saw she was sending out ARCs for her latest book, A Ceiling Made of Eggshells, I jumped at the chance to request it. She is easily my favorite middle grade author. Anyone who knows me knows I love Gail Carson Levine.

A Ceiling Made of Eggshells by Gail Carson Levine