Seven Stories Up

Set in 1987, Annie Jaffin visits her dying grandmother Molly in Baltimore, Maryland. Her grandmother turns out to be a mean, harsh, and unfriendly woman. The next morning, when Annie wakes up, she finds herself in 1937, where she meets her grandmother again—this time as a girl. Molly seems friendly, the complete opposite of the grandmother in 1987. Molly is trapped in the “Lonely Room” because of her physical conditions: she has asthma and has had a bout of pneumonia in the past. Soon, Annie and Molly become best friends, and often they sneak down the fire escape together and have lots of adventures. Even though Annie loves Molly, she desperately wants to get back to 1987. However, no matter what she tries, Annie cannot return to where she came from, until she realizes the reason she is there in the first place.

I liked how the author wrote this book from a first person point of view. I could really tell how Annie was feeling through different times. I also liked the author’s note about what life was like in 1937 at the end of the book.