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Losing Christina #1-3
Losing Christina Collection
Mr. Shevvington, the handsome principal. Mrs. Shevvington, the dedicated teacher. Who better for Christina and Anya to board with while attending school on the mainland? But something evil is happening at the Shevvingtons' house.
In FOG, Anya slowly starts to lose her mind and Christina knows that the Shevvingtons are behind it. Can she stop them before they turn their attention to her?
In SNOW, the Shevvingtons bring Dolly to live with them when they realize Christina is too strong for them to control. Sweet, trusting Dolly appears to be lost in a snowstorm, but Christina knows the truth. Dolly is lost inside the house, and that's much worse.
In FIRE, the final book in the series, Christina finally finds the evidence she needs to expose the Shevvingtons. Can she do it before everything goes up in flames?
- GenresYoung AdultTeen
624 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2006
3 people are currently reading
177 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
March 1, 2020
"Christina had been told that going to the mainland would be an advantage. "You will have advantages there," people said.
Advantages sounded rather dull and sturdy, like winter socks.
Fog, Snow, and Fire (Losing Christina, #1-3)
by Caroline B. Cooney
This series is eerie and creepy and absolutely made for people who like YA mysteries that are creepy, clothed in ominous Prose and drenched in eerie goings on with the sea as a backdrop and a creepy boarding school with Psychotic teachers as a front drop.
The Fog, Snow and Fire series features a smart and inquisitive female protagonist and the re is a touch of the Para normal to this story as well.
There are three books and they are best read one after another.
TRIGGER ALERT:
There is alot of Bullying in this book. In fact, when this series first came out, nobody was even writing about this subject. This is not a light read as the plot involves students being at a boarding school run by two psychopaths who loath children. No light reading here.
If you choose to read these books you will be drenched in the atmosphere of New England and Maine. Island atmosphere wrapped in a sinister bow as Christina struggles to keep herself and her classmates safe from the heads of the school. This is not over the top drama either. Nothing stabby. The terror is psychological.
I rate d it 3.5 stars. I did enjoy it but there was so much tension it was tough to get to a four rating. Still recommended though for readers of eerie little mysteries. You w ill certainly find that here.
Advantages sounded rather dull and sturdy, like winter socks.
Fog, Snow, and Fire (Losing Christina, #1-3)
by Caroline B. Cooney
This series is eerie and creepy and absolutely made for people who like YA mysteries that are creepy, clothed in ominous Prose and drenched in eerie goings on with the sea as a backdrop and a creepy boarding school with Psychotic teachers as a front drop.
The Fog, Snow and Fire series features a smart and inquisitive female protagonist and the re is a touch of the Para normal to this story as well.
There are three books and they are best read one after another.
TRIGGER ALERT:
There is alot of Bullying in this book. In fact, when this series first came out, nobody was even writing about this subject. This is not a light read as the plot involves students being at a boarding school run by two psychopaths who loath children. No light reading here.
If you choose to read these books you will be drenched in the atmosphere of New England and Maine. Island atmosphere wrapped in a sinister bow as Christina struggles to keep herself and her classmates safe from the heads of the school. This is not over the top drama either. Nothing stabby. The terror is psychological.
I rate d it 3.5 stars. I did enjoy it but there was so much tension it was tough to get to a four rating. Still recommended though for readers of eerie little mysteries. You w ill certainly find that here.
December 1, 2017
The Losing Christina series is one that I read as a child (in Elementary school) and that I was inspired to find a few years ago. Unfortunately, I did not remember much except that there "was an ocean, a girl named Christina (or something like it), and there was possible magic or suspense". It took me YEARS to find the series again, and that was only because I remembered I received most of my books as a child through the Scholastic Book Club, so I dug through their archives.
Losing Christina is the informal series name as it is a trilogy comprised of three books: Fog -- which introduces readers to Christina of Burning Fog Isle and her first year in Junior High, Snow --taking place mid-way through the year, and finally The Fire -- wrapping up Christina Romney's torturous first year of seventh grade.
For most young people, enter junior high is both a terrifying and exciting event. In this case, Christina and her friends are moving to mainland-Maine to attend school so they are in a different situation than most kids; away from their parents. The island kids find themselves boarding with the school principal and his wife: Mr. & Mrs. Shevvington. One exceedingly handsome and kind, the other, oatmeal faced and large; the visual embodiment of villany in Cooney's tale. It turns out, that the Shevvingtons are into mentally torturing young women, turning everyone against them via severe psychological techniques (specifically gaslighting) until the young women tend to break down emotionally and end up locked away (or worse, readers can only speculate).
Christina's friend and roommate Anya is the Shevvingtons next intended victim and very nearly falls victim to their scare tactics. (An aside: I find it very interesting that many of the scare tactics border on the paranormal and find myself wondering about possible "abilities" of the Shevvingtons even now, having finished the novel.) Christina is determined to save Anya --and herself-- by any means possible from the horrible house and the sea that endlessly calls to them. (Fog)
Winter comes, and Christina is feeling a bit more comfortable having foiled the Shevvingtons plot in the first book...until she learns that they are bringing her best friend from the island as their next victim. This inspires Christina to take even more desperate measures in order to prove that she is right about the evil intentions of the Shevvingtons, forcing her into worse, more dangerous and emotionally precarious situations against them. At this time, we also see the budding and fickle nature of young women in love. This story ends with a plot twist (that could have been carried into the next book but wasn't) that is quite surprising and perhaps explains the underlying motive for the torturous actions of the two adults (Snow).
Finally, Christina is turning fourteen and things are looking up. She has foiled the Shevvington's attempts twice now and there are only seventeen days left in the school year until she is free of them. Unfortunately, Christina learns something that dismays the reader as much as the characters and we are all left wondering what will happen next. Christina meets a new girl in this novel that she is determined to help, all while leading an active life (organizing school events, casually dating, etc etc... I honestly don't know where she got the time for it all!).... I cannot write more about The Fire without spoiling the end of the book, but, let me say that it is a very satisfying ending for all we have been through with the character.
Cooney is a wonderful writer. These books haunted and thrilled me as a young person, while confusing and inspiring me as an adult. Her story is simple, yet complex; sophisticated and challenging. The qualms that I had with her pacing actually made the story more to me as it (arguably) could have represented the damage of mind manipulation. I think this is a brilliant novel for young readers for many reasons, but specifically for the representation of the strength and resilience of young woman via their autonomy and (as you may expect from me) the agency a young woman has over her romantic life -- that and the fact that the romance was left open ended. I am excited to pass this series down to any young readers in my future.
Losing Christina is the informal series name as it is a trilogy comprised of three books: Fog -- which introduces readers to Christina of Burning Fog Isle and her first year in Junior High, Snow --taking place mid-way through the year, and finally The Fire -- wrapping up Christina Romney's torturous first year of seventh grade.
For most young people, enter junior high is both a terrifying and exciting event. In this case, Christina and her friends are moving to mainland-Maine to attend school so they are in a different situation than most kids; away from their parents. The island kids find themselves boarding with the school principal and his wife: Mr. & Mrs. Shevvington. One exceedingly handsome and kind, the other, oatmeal faced and large; the visual embodiment of villany in Cooney's tale. It turns out, that the Shevvingtons are into mentally torturing young women, turning everyone against them via severe psychological techniques (specifically gaslighting) until the young women tend to break down emotionally and end up locked away (or worse, readers can only speculate).
Christina's friend and roommate Anya is the Shevvingtons next intended victim and very nearly falls victim to their scare tactics. (An aside: I find it very interesting that many of the scare tactics border on the paranormal and find myself wondering about possible "abilities" of the Shevvingtons even now, having finished the novel.) Christina is determined to save Anya --and herself-- by any means possible from the horrible house and the sea that endlessly calls to them. (Fog)
Winter comes, and Christina is feeling a bit more comfortable having foiled the Shevvingtons plot in the first book...until she learns that they are bringing her best friend from the island as their next victim. This inspires Christina to take even more desperate measures in order to prove that she is right about the evil intentions of the Shevvingtons, forcing her into worse, more dangerous and emotionally precarious situations against them. At this time, we also see the budding and fickle nature of young women in love. This story ends with a plot twist (that could have been carried into the next book but wasn't) that is quite surprising and perhaps explains the underlying motive for the torturous actions of the two adults (Snow).
Finally, Christina is turning fourteen and things are looking up. She has foiled the Shevvington's attempts twice now and there are only seventeen days left in the school year until she is free of them. Unfortunately, Christina learns something that dismays the reader as much as the characters and we are all left wondering what will happen next. Christina meets a new girl in this novel that she is determined to help, all while leading an active life (organizing school events, casually dating, etc etc... I honestly don't know where she got the time for it all!).... I cannot write more about The Fire without spoiling the end of the book, but, let me say that it is a very satisfying ending for all we have been through with the character.
Cooney is a wonderful writer. These books haunted and thrilled me as a young person, while confusing and inspiring me as an adult. Her story is simple, yet complex; sophisticated and challenging. The qualms that I had with her pacing actually made the story more to me as it (arguably) could have represented the damage of mind manipulation. I think this is a brilliant novel for young readers for many reasons, but specifically for the representation of the strength and resilience of young woman via their autonomy and (as you may expect from me) the agency a young woman has over her romantic life -- that and the fact that the romance was left open ended. I am excited to pass this series down to any young readers in my future.
January 3, 2012
It's been a long time since I've read these books--I must have read them in middle or high school.
Considering just the prose itself, that is, the structure, I don't think that this is a very stellar piece of work. There are probably better YA authors. (I will say, though, that of Cooney's body of work, this is the story that I remember the best and like the most.) What makes these books really amazing is the unflinching way it addresses adult-on-child bullying, manipulation, and abuse.
The prose (though perhaps not the subject matter, depending on a parents' feelings and the child's age) is suitable for young readers. It's very easy read; I can read 70 pages within an hour no problem, probably more if I don't get distracted. Cooney works summary to keep the pace carried along at a decent clip instead of bogging the reader down with lots of dull moments and conversation, and there's a minimal amount of typos or grammatical errors to give sticklers pause. The diction is interesting; there's lots of colloquial terms that give her writing setting through voice. Characterization can be very hit or miss in this series in terms of believability--it's difficult to imagine people as disturbed as Anya not being recognized as needing help (honestly, every time I read her lines, I think of a modern-day Ophelia) or no-one recognizing the Shevvingtons as being the creepy masterminds they are. I think that the themes of each novel are emphasized in a really obvious way, and if the book was being written for adult consumption, would have been better served with more subtle influences from other literary sources (for example, more obviously linking Anya with Ophelia in Fog, or having influences from Dante's Inferno in Fire).
What really makes these books stand out is their incredibly important, themes dealing with bullying. While there is child-to-child bullying depicted in these books, this is something that many adults are aware of even if they can't relate to them anymore. I do suggest for older people or parents who have forgotten what it's like to be a kid and to be bullied or teased maliciously by your peers, to read these books to remember what it's like; Christina is a very likeable, relateable main-character and her confusion, frustration, and pain come off the page very easily. But what really stands out about this book is the way that it unflinchingly addresses the issues of adult-to-child bullying, how damaging it can be, and how willing other adults are to ignore these things.
Obviously, the Shevvingtons, who set out to break down children for no rhyme or reason other than their own sadistic pleasures, are extreme examples. But it wasn't that long ago that a mother bullied her daughter's classmate into suicide in real life. How many of us engage in "trolling" on the internet without a second-thought as to how it might hurt other people? Many of us probably know or knew teachers who either encouraged bullying or tacitly allowed it to go on by looking away. We hear stories about foster homes that destroy the kids they take in and should be protecting. And many of us probably know people who suffered from psychological and/or mental/emotional abuse for years without ever realizing it until they're adults in therapy trying to unravel the varying complexes that continue to hurt them into their adult lives. So clearly, in terms of modern-day society, these are still issues worth looking at, reading about, and seriously thinking about.
I wish these books would get a reprint; it would be much-deserved. There are a myriad of evils in this world that are perfectly preventable if we open our eyes and actually look at the things around us and give the voices of victims more weight. I certainly wouldn't say that these books should be used as a basis of trying to recognize bullying and abuse. However, they may be a spring board for discussions in classrooms about what kinds of treatments are okay from adults, and what isn't, and what kids can and should do if they are being hurt by someone. We think it's prudent to caution students about what to do is someone asks to touch or see inappropriate areas; it could be much more difficult to help to define for kids what is okay and what isn't okay as far as psychological "touch" goes.
Considering just the prose itself, that is, the structure, I don't think that this is a very stellar piece of work. There are probably better YA authors. (I will say, though, that of Cooney's body of work, this is the story that I remember the best and like the most.) What makes these books really amazing is the unflinching way it addresses adult-on-child bullying, manipulation, and abuse.
The prose (though perhaps not the subject matter, depending on a parents' feelings and the child's age) is suitable for young readers. It's very easy read; I can read 70 pages within an hour no problem, probably more if I don't get distracted. Cooney works summary to keep the pace carried along at a decent clip instead of bogging the reader down with lots of dull moments and conversation, and there's a minimal amount of typos or grammatical errors to give sticklers pause. The diction is interesting; there's lots of colloquial terms that give her writing setting through voice. Characterization can be very hit or miss in this series in terms of believability--it's difficult to imagine people as disturbed as Anya not being recognized as needing help (honestly, every time I read her lines, I think of a modern-day Ophelia) or no-one recognizing the Shevvingtons as being the creepy masterminds they are. I think that the themes of each novel are emphasized in a really obvious way, and if the book was being written for adult consumption, would have been better served with more subtle influences from other literary sources (for example, more obviously linking Anya with Ophelia in Fog, or having influences from Dante's Inferno in Fire).
What really makes these books stand out is their incredibly important, themes dealing with bullying. While there is child-to-child bullying depicted in these books, this is something that many adults are aware of even if they can't relate to them anymore. I do suggest for older people or parents who have forgotten what it's like to be a kid and to be bullied or teased maliciously by your peers, to read these books to remember what it's like; Christina is a very likeable, relateable main-character and her confusion, frustration, and pain come off the page very easily. But what really stands out about this book is the way that it unflinchingly addresses the issues of adult-to-child bullying, how damaging it can be, and how willing other adults are to ignore these things.
Obviously, the Shevvingtons, who set out to break down children for no rhyme or reason other than their own sadistic pleasures, are extreme examples. But it wasn't that long ago that a mother bullied her daughter's classmate into suicide in real life. How many of us engage in "trolling" on the internet without a second-thought as to how it might hurt other people? Many of us probably know or knew teachers who either encouraged bullying or tacitly allowed it to go on by looking away. We hear stories about foster homes that destroy the kids they take in and should be protecting. And many of us probably know people who suffered from psychological and/or mental/emotional abuse for years without ever realizing it until they're adults in therapy trying to unravel the varying complexes that continue to hurt them into their adult lives. So clearly, in terms of modern-day society, these are still issues worth looking at, reading about, and seriously thinking about.
I wish these books would get a reprint; it would be much-deserved. There are a myriad of evils in this world that are perfectly preventable if we open our eyes and actually look at the things around us and give the voices of victims more weight. I certainly wouldn't say that these books should be used as a basis of trying to recognize bullying and abuse. However, they may be a spring board for discussions in classrooms about what kinds of treatments are okay from adults, and what isn't, and what kids can and should do if they are being hurt by someone. We think it's prudent to caution students about what to do is someone asks to touch or see inappropriate areas; it could be much more difficult to help to define for kids what is okay and what isn't okay as far as psychological "touch" goes.
November 30, 2015
I'm surprised by a lot of the ho-hum reviews. How underrated this series is. I have long thought that this is among the best early YA books out there, and even as an adult I've enjoyed it while rereading.
It feels something like a fairytale- girl comes from an island where the sun in the fog gives the illusion of burning, savage villains who can destroy someone from the inside out, beautiful girls going mad, etc.
It's subtle, the finer points of this series. Cooney builds the situations so that you, too, are ready to tear out your hair with frustration because nobody will believe Christina and no matter what she does, it's clear she's trapped. It's excellently done.
The characters- most notably the girls, Christina and Anya- are incredibly memorable. There are some interesting turns of phrases, too, that are likely to stick in your mind. And then there are clever little plot bits that you remember too (SPOILER: after the Shevvingtons drive a young girl insane, they decorate a room in their house in accordance with their personality/soul; I very much liked this idea).
It feels something like a fairytale- girl comes from an island where the sun in the fog gives the illusion of burning, savage villains who can destroy someone from the inside out, beautiful girls going mad, etc.
It's subtle, the finer points of this series. Cooney builds the situations so that you, too, are ready to tear out your hair with frustration because nobody will believe Christina and no matter what she does, it's clear she's trapped. It's excellently done.
The characters- most notably the girls, Christina and Anya- are incredibly memorable. There are some interesting turns of phrases, too, that are likely to stick in your mind. And then there are clever little plot bits that you remember too (SPOILER: after the Shevvingtons drive a young girl insane, they decorate a room in their house in accordance with their personality/soul; I very much liked this idea).
May 7, 2019
I seriously need a reread of this book. It was one of the creepier books of my youth. It is actually a trilogy and A pretty good one at that, at least as far as young adult mysteries go.
In this series though, we actually know from the start who the bad guys (and lay) are.
The Shevingtons are one of the most diabolically evil couples I've ever read about. In fact they were so unpleasant it hampered the enjoyment of the book.
What I liked best was the eeriness, the fog, the windswept feeling of Maine , the slow feeling of sinister suspense that grabs you. The atmosphere in this book is almost like its own character and drives the plot.
It also was one of the first series to take on Bullying. I really have to compliment the is series for being ahead of its time. And Christina is a great Heroine, feisty, curious and smart.
For those who want a dark eerie little YA mystery series, this one will hit the spot.
In this series though, we actually know from the start who the bad guys (and lay) are.
The Shevingtons are one of the most diabolically evil couples I've ever read about. In fact they were so unpleasant it hampered the enjoyment of the book.
What I liked best was the eeriness, the fog, the windswept feeling of Maine , the slow feeling of sinister suspense that grabs you. The atmosphere in this book is almost like its own character and drives the plot.
It also was one of the first series to take on Bullying. I really have to compliment the is series for being ahead of its time. And Christina is a great Heroine, feisty, curious and smart.
For those who want a dark eerie little YA mystery series, this one will hit the spot.
July 30, 2016
The books in the series are, in order, Fog, The Snow, and Fire. Christina is from a small island off the coast of Maine. She comes to live on the mainland to begin 7th grade. She is boarding with the school principal and his wife (her English teacher) in an old inn they own. She discovers that there is something very weird and evil about the Shevvingtons - won't spoil it for you. The books get better as they go along. You begin to wonder if Christina is ever going to win her fight against evil.
November 27, 2010
This book still leaves me puzzled. Somehow I never understood the title "Losing Christina" and the writing style was especially in the 1st book "Fog" very confusing. But I really liked the idea that a respectable elderly teachers' couple is in truth terrorizing the children they should look after under the guise of charity.
September 16, 2008
This book is actually 3 books in one, a trilogy. The first book was a bit disappointing. It was so slow. The second and third were both much more exciting, and it was overall a pretty interesting story, though I think it could have used more. More what? I don't know, but something!
March 23, 2009
First time I started reading this book I couldn't finish it and had to put it back. I finally went back and finished the collection and was a little disappointed from it. I don't feeling it was one of Cooney's best works, however it was still a fairly decent novel.
July 30, 2011
Fog, Snow, and Fire made me cry, smile, and scream all at once. These stories of sadists, conflicted emotions, and the determination and loyalty made me love this book. These stories are probably one of the best I've read.
August 4, 2014
I used to love this series (Fog, Snow, Fire), and I remembered the Shevingtons scaring the crap out of my. Now, reading this for the first time as an educator, I'm horrified and disgusted. While I might have given this 4 or 5 stars years and years ago, I can't go higher than 3 stars now.
Read
July 28, 2011great book, worth reading.
August 9, 2014
This is one of those stories that leave you shivering and you don't know why.
May 25, 2013
All I have to say about this book is that yeah, it was good but it kind of made me depressed.
September 5, 2017
Mr. Shevvington, the handsome principal. Mrs. Shevvington, the dedicated teacher. Who better for Christina and Anya to board with while attending school on the mainland? But something evil is happening at the Shevvingtons' house.
In FOG, Anya slowly starts to lose her mind and Christina knows that the Shevvingtons are behind it. Can she stop them before they turn their attention to her?
In SNOW, the Shevvingtons bring Dolly to live with them when they realize Christina is too strong for them to control. Sweet, trusting Dolly appears to be lost in a snowstorm, but Christina knows the truth. Dolly is lost inside the house, and that's much worse.
In FIRE, the final book in the series, Christina finally finds the evidence she needs to expose the Shevvingtons. Can she do it before everything goes up in flames?
In FOG, Anya slowly starts to lose her mind and Christina knows that the Shevvingtons are behind it. Can she stop them before they turn their attention to her?
In SNOW, the Shevvingtons bring Dolly to live with them when they realize Christina is too strong for them to control. Sweet, trusting Dolly appears to be lost in a snowstorm, but Christina knows the truth. Dolly is lost inside the house, and that's much worse.
In FIRE, the final book in the series, Christina finally finds the evidence she needs to expose the Shevvingtons. Can she do it before everything goes up in flames?
April 29, 2024
This is an incredible book, for a variety of reasons. The characters, setting, narration, thrills...Everything you's want from a YA thriller novel is here. HOWEVER, what this book doesn't have is violence. It's wild to me that a book can be as engaging, thrilling, and entertaining without people getting picked off, left and right. Seriously, check this book out and witness a masterclass in character driven storytelling. You won't be disappointed!
March 9, 2021
For the deep disturbing terror this instilled in my teenage mind, this story cannot be beat
May 31, 2023
Re-read, 33 years after I read this series the first time. It does a pretty good job at standing the test of time.
August 6, 2016
One of my favorites... Awesome storyline and setting; so creative. There really was no boundaries it seemed. This book is wonderfully chilling- psychologically and emotionally. The suspense was severe and the manipulation and injustice was so frustrating yet thats what I loved about it. There were a few twists here and there that I didn't expect. I became so absorbed with the characters and the emotion. I would recommend this book for all ages really, but I think middle schoolers would really enjoy it.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews