A Clatter of Jars

A Tangle of Knots #2

by Lisa Graff

In this companion to A Tangle of Knots, it's summertime and everyone is heading off to camp. For Talented kids, the place to be is Camp Atropos, where they can sing songs by the campfire, practice for the Talent show, and take some nice long dips in the lake. But what the kids don't know is that they've been gathered for a reason--one that the camp's director wants to keep hidden at all costs.

Meanwhile, a Talent jar that has been dropped to the bottom of the lake has sprung a leak, and strange things have begun to happen. Dozens of seemingly empty jars have been washing up on the shoreline, Talents have been swapped, and memories have been ripped from one camper's head and placed into another. And no one knows why.

Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade, Audiobook, Magical Realism, Childrens, Juvenile, Fiction

217 pages, Hardcover

First published May 24, 2016

About the author

Lisa Graff is the critically acclaimed and award-winning author of the National Book Award nominee A Tangle of Knots, as well as Lost in the Sun, Absolutely Almost, Double Dog Dare, Umbrella Summer, The Life and Crimes of Bernetta Wallflower, The Thing About Georgie and Sophie Simon Solves Them All. Originally from California, she lived for many years in New York City and now makes her home just outside of Philadelphia.

Reviews

[Pariya · Rating 4 out of 5]

کتاب عجیب و جالبی بود. فکر می‌کنم اگه سنم کمتر بود حتما می‌رفت توی لیست کتاب‌های خیلی خیلی مورد علاقه‌م. شخصیت‌های داستان هیشکدوم پرفکت نبودن و همین نقص توی کاراکترها خیلی داستان رو باورپذیر و جذاب کرده بود. حتما سراغ ادامه‌ش میرم.

[Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this whimsical children’s fantasy, the sequel to the highly acclaimed A Tangle of Knots, readers are transported back to Lisa Graff’s magic-filled world where children have special “Talents”: Lily is a “Pinnacle” who has the ability to move things with her mind; Renny has a reputation for being a “Recollector” (i.e., the ability to transplant memories from one mind to another); and, Chuck, much to her own surprise, is about to uncover her own secret Talent.

As the most remarkable children in the world gather at Camp Atropos for summer camp, little do they know that the camp’s director, Jo, has brought them together with her own purposes in mind. When a jar containing a mysterious talent is dropped in Lake Atropos, it sets off a series of events that will change the children’s and the camp director’s perspectives of their Talents forever.

A Clatter of Jars is a delightful fantastical tale weaving together the themes of family, forgiveness, jealousy, and self-acceptance. The story is told through the eyes of four characters (3 children and 1 adult), each of which is struggling with their own issues concerning their family. Children will likely be able to identify with the thoughts and emotions experienced by at least one of the characters, although the change in perspectives may be difficult for some children to follow. I also thought the inclusion of recipes for some yummy summertime drinks was an added bonus!

Also of note, I would recommend reading A Tangle of Knots prior to picking up A Clatter of Jars as I think it would have helped orient me to the story. The Prologue in particular was confusing for me and felt disconnected from the rest of the story. I also felt like it took a bit of time to get into the story, but once it got rolling, it was very enjoyable.

My Bottom Line: I recommend A Clatter of Jars to fans of magical realism looking for a fun adventure and a story with themes which are significant and meaningful to the target audience, 8 to 12 year old children.

* This book was provided to us by the publisher free-of-charge in exchange for our honest reviews. All opinions expressed are our own.

[Carla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too many plot lines, too many characters, and too many jars of talents flying around for me to completely enjoy this book. I like Graff's writing style but I got a lost in the characters and their talents (especially when they started changing). I loved a tangle of knots, but this one just felt messy.

From School Library Journal:
Gr 4–7—When Liliana Vera arrives at Camp Atropos for Singular Talents, she does so with a heavy heart. Her brother Max should be with her, but three weeks before, she accidentally hurt him. No one knows it was her fault. Now Liliana is stuck dealing with the guilt, her secret about what really happened, and her annoyingly perky stepsister, Hannah. Camp Atropos is for kids with "Talents," abilities that are beyond what a human can normally accomplish. Lily can lift objects with her mind. Hannah makes drinks that evoke memories for people and bring them back to a moment clear as day. Not everyone has a Talent, though, and for many of the Fair, having a Talent is a lifelong dream. There is a black market of sorts, and the director of Camp Atropos is in over her head with dealing and stealing Talent rip-offs. If she's not careful, she may endanger her campers and change the Talented world forever. Readers may remember other Talented characters from A Tangle of Knots, but it's not necessary to have read it to keep up here. Camp director Jo is a complex and sympathetic villain, making an original story even more unique. The tale comes full circle sweetly, with a fun twist that connects lives from both books in an unexpected way. There is, perhaps, an overabundance of characters, each with his or her own special Talent, and a few too many plot lines, making the story a little hard to follow at times. Still, most readers who enjoy magical fantasy set in an otherwise realistic world will likely embrace these new characters. VERDICT Graff is a master of the magical realism genre, and this offering is worthy of a spot in any middle grade collection.—

[Holli · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

I found this to confusing and can't even imagine a child trying to follow the logic. It really seemed as tho all the rules for talents was turned on it's ear and turned sideways. :\.

We were dumped into each scene without a bit of a set up at first. I never felt as tho I was at camp and alongside each character during the journey. I think it needed strong editing. Maybe another 100 pages and clarification. I kept wondering whether chuck was a girl or a boy. Simply stating that Chuck was a nickname and then stating the full name could easily have clarified the matter and left a stronger impression. Things like that would have made it better.

I was confusedbetween what a recollect or was, why talents were mimicked when it only made sense that talents were stolen, etc.

[Arghavan · Rating 4 out of 5]

فانتزی‌هایی که جادوی نرم دارن همیشه موردعلاقه‌م بوده‌ن. این هم. بسیار روون و خوش‌خوان و جذاب بود و شخصیت‌هاش، بچه‌های ده دوازده ساله، بسیار دوست‌داشتنی و ملموس. عاشقِ مایلز اوتیستیک و «پیوند برادری»‌ش با رنی شدم و عاشقِ چاک که بعد از سال‌ها استعداد خودش رو کشف کرد. شاید تعدد خطوط داستانی و تعدد شخصیت‌ها و مشکلاتشون برای بچه‌ی هشت نه ساله گیج‌کننده باشه و نثرش اندکی ثقیل (من این رو از کتاب‌خونه‌ی دبستان برداشتم، هرچند به نظر کتاب نوجوان ه در اصل) ولی منِ ۲۴ ساله بی‌نهایت کیف می‌کردم وقتی یکی از خرده‌معماها حل می‌شد. و کاش کاراکترهای دیگه رو در جاهای دیگه و کتاب‌های دیگه ببینیم باز، چون هماکنون و پس از یافتن کتاب روی گودریدز هم فهمیدم که این جلد دوم یک کتاب دیگه ست، «کلاف پرگره»، که به نظر همین‌قدر جالب می‌رسه با همین مدلِ جادوی نرم و ای کاش این رو می‌دونستم و هر دو رو با هم امانت می‌گرفتم از مدرسه.

السو توروخدا «فان فکت» رو ترجمه نکنید «حقیقت خنده‌دار». ممنون می‌شم.

[Genna · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an awesome book. Adventures of the characters that will lead you to a wonderful ending. I was a bit confused at the beginning because of the Talents of the characters. I can't remember all. But towards the story you will identify each one of them and what are their Talents. The struggle of being a Fair (the one who doesn't have any Talent) is really hard. You are living in a world with everyone has a special thing that they can do and you don't have any. It's a bit frustrating watching everyone around you being patronize because of the special Talent he/she has. You will bargain anything just to get a single Talent even though what you are doing will harm anyone. But I still believe that each person can always brings out the best out of him/her regardless of what he/she has.

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Graff's books are always full of fun and fantasy, and this one is no different. I enjoyed the story, but I worry that the multiple narrators combined with all the talent-swapping and memory-mixing will confuse some of my student readers. Sometimes I even had trouble keeping track of who could do what and who remembered what. A fun little fantasy, but muddled at times.

[Reyhoooneee · Rating 3 out of 5]

دنبال کتابی بودم که بشه چندساعته خوندش و خب فکرکنم گزینه مناسبی بود. بیانش از زبون چند شخصیت اوایل ممکنه برای خواننده‌‌های سن پایین گیج کننده باشه اما شخصا علاقه خاصی به کتابایی دارم که از چند زاویه روایت میشن. داستان کاراکترها و گره‌هایی که در طول داستان باز می‌شد هم جالب بودن.
در مجموع...دوست داشتنی بود.

[Jess · Rating 2 out of 5]

A Tangle of Knots had charm and fun but unfortunately for me this one lacked both. I hated the willy-nilly tossing around and selling of talents (to be fair, I hate Comedy of Errors style mix ups). Too many plot lines with characters we only kind of get to know. Repetitive--numerous descriptions of sunsets, an overload of sound words/songs, characters complaining about the same thing every time they show up [Lily, our tween martyr, does nothing but touched her guilt bracelet and complained about her stepsister existing].

Where's the whimsy? This is the sort of book that should be full of whimsy instead of awful people stealing talents. Talents should be fun, not something the camp director is selling on the black market.
2.5

[Em · Rating 5 out of 5]

I definitely want to read more of Lisa Graff’s books.

[Mrs. Hickey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book, but I was kind of confused. I need to go back and read the first book, Tangle of Knots-that might help me.

[Michael Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the underlying concept, but the writing has some problems.

I am rarely a fan of the multiple-perspective novel and this wasn't done especially well. Maybe as part of that, there wasn't good continuity. It was like starting over every chapter. Annoying repetitions of the same phrases (many straight from the first book) are frequently found ("swampy yarn" (whatever that is), "A glass jar, sample-size, no larger than a Ping-Pong ball, with the words Darlington Peanut Butter embossed on the bottom," "Focusing her thoughts at the bridge of her nose," "kelly green hi-tops," Flick-flick-flick-flick-flick!, the Spanish song - lyrics reproduced in full every single time - and more). It felt mechanical.

There are also some things that just don't ring true: a glass jar the size of a ping-pong ball that contains only a bracelet made of embroidery thread would float, not sink, in a lake. I'm uncertain how such jars would respond to heat. And these campers are shockingly unsupervised - I can't fathom how two kids could somehow not show up to a campwide bonfire. Also - co-ed cabins? I think not. I also didn't buy the touchy-feely drama of the overwrought sibling rivalries. It just feels fake. There was a Big Message presented at the end, and that annoyed me. Such a book works much better as just a story.

There are a lot of characters in this book - maybe too many. Maybe it would have been better to have re-read the first book before digging into this one, but I kind of think it's the responsibility of a sequel to refresh the reader's memory in the first chapter. The first book created mystery by not explaining who everyone was and how each was involved. That was good - but it is not the same for a sequel. Here, I honestly didn't remember who I had or hadn't encountered before and didn't know whether I was supposed to have some knowledge and understanding of this or that particular character based on what happened in the first book.

[Carol Royce Owen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although Camp Atropos used to be a camp for Fair Children, it is now a camp for kids with special talents. If you have read Lisa Graff's earlier book, A Tangle of Knots, you know a talent is something you are really good at, better than anyone else. But you better watch out. There are those who would love to steal your talents, to make money off of them.

So, while a camp for kids with special talents may seem innocent enough, the director has plans. Using an artifact she had since childhood, she has the ability to mimic each child's talent, and then sell those talents. Of course she makes money doing this, but the kids retained their talents, so no real harm done. Right? All goes well until she discovers that one of the campers has a special talent that she wants for her own, a talent that will help build a bridge between her and her estranged sister. As she goes after that talent, chaos erupts in the camp when everyone's talents are mixed up and a special talent that has fallen into the lake puts them all in peril.

One cabin of campers, however, cabin eight, may be the only hope to saving everyone's talents and stopping the camp director from stealing what isn't hers. In order for this to happen, however, the cabin mates have to learn to get along with one another. There are two sisters, known as the frog sisters, who have the ability to identify every kind of frog imaginable, and one even claims she can talk to frogs; two brothers, one who is allegedly able to read peoples minds, and the other who seems to be a fair child (talentless), and then finally Lilly, a Pinnacle, a girl who can levitate items, and who wants nothing more than to be first in her brother's heart. But with a recent accident that she caused, and a step sister who has the exact same birthday as her brother, she finds she's being pushed aside and forgotten too often. Can the differences between these campers be set aside to save the campers?

[Becky · Rating 2 out of 5]

The second book in a row I've read lately that sort of dwells in the "supernatural" and doesn't do it so well . . . Probably aimed toward older elementary students, the premise of this story is somewhat interesting: some children are born with a "talent" (we're not talking about run of the mill stuff like being good at soccer or playing the piano) that makes them very unique. But right away the premise gets a little strange as you find out some of the talents are interesting and desirable, like being able to "lift" things with your mind, being able to read other people's minds, being able to transfer one person's memories to another person, etc. but some of the talents are strange and laughable, like being able to cook asparagus well, being able to tell how many frogs are in the area, etc. The story takes place at a summer camp that is for children with these "special" skills and the story is woven with the children at the camp, and the dramas they bring, along with the darker drama of the life history of the camp director. Although the dramas are somewhat interesting, they are a little distressing/depressing in some cases, especially where they pertain to the children, and it's a little difficult to see with all the bits and pieces of different kids (the story is told from the perspectives of each character) where the whole story is going and whether things fit together. In the end things do come together in a fashion, but I was left feeling a little confused and annoyed by trying to keep track of everything. Not one I'd recommend first of the many books I've read in this age group or genre . . .

[Chris Go · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are a lot of key characters in this story, and many of them get to share their point of view. I think you may need to keep a pen and paper handy to try and keep things straight -- there are a lot of connections to follow.

The writing in this book is beautiful and well crafted. There are many great descriptions. The author even manages to turn the sunset on the lake into a mocktail (recipe included if you would like to try for yourself -- perfect for a book club).

The story is set in a world a bit different from our own. In it, some people have one unique talent (while others apparently have no talent). Unique talents vary quite a bit. They can be more every day (like cake baking) to magical (like taking someone's memories and putting them inside someone else's mind). Most of this story takes place at a summer camp for kids who have these unique talents. The focus of the story is on the campers in Cabin 8, many of whom are siblings. That said, one of my beefs with the story is that we skip a week of camp. Sure camp can become monotonous, but this just seemed odd to me.

As you might expect in a such a world, there is a black market for unique talents. That's where the jars come into play. I don't want to say much more because it might give something away.

If you enjoy a mystery and trying to figure things out, this is a great read.

[Elevetha · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly, I just didn't care about this at all. And the rest of the time I was baffled. I might not be the brightest bulb in a modern chandelier, but I can't imagine being a kid and trying to make sense of this book. There were a few clever moments where it all tied together pretty nicely, but the rest of the time I had no idea what was going on in anything more than a very general sense. There were names dropped I was wondering if I was supposed to know who they were, so many things went unexplained, and there were way too many POVs oh my goodness.

[Jackie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm always on the lookout for books to recommend or read with friends or my grandchildren. I just couldn't finish this one. Yes, I know it has received rave reviews. It just couldn't hold my interest. Too many characters to keep track of, with little help to keep them identified/differentiated.

I should probably try to read one of the author's other books, and maybe I will. I had high hopes for this one. Sorry. It just didn't do it for me.

[Laura Phelps · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a big fan of Lisa Graff and her writing never lets me down. I found, though, that the many threads of this were really hard to follow and I couldn’t figure out if that was due to a somewhat murky nature of the story or if it was because I wasn’t remembering details that I should have from A Tangle of Knots.

[Niki Dhawan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book. I liked the fact that it showed everyone's perspective because sometimes I don't understand the characters. Though I got confused sometimes because there were too many perspectives, characters, and talents. I don't think that this book is fantasy because it could happen but not likely. It was a good book.

[Mary Pettit · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disappointing sequel. I loved a Tangle of Knots and had such high hopes for this book. The characters were hard to follow and the plot developed slowly. I felt myself thinking about the next book I wanted to read. Sadly, I abandoned it.

[Wendy Darling]

Sampled Ellen Archer's narration, which is most definitely not for me. Looking forward to reading the book, though.

[Mahsa Faghani · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn’t understand anything...

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Almost, but not quite, as good as A Tangle of Knots.

[katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better than expected! I saw a lot of reviews that said this book wasn't as good as the first one, but I liked it. There were a lot more characters, and each of them had their own arcs, and to me, they felt complete. Or at least, they all went somewhere.

This book had a very sad feel to it. I felt bad for most of the characters. Jo was the only one I didn't really feel bad for because well, her greed was kind of the reason for this entire mess. She really just ruined her sister and friend's happiness out of jealousy because Juan could be happy without a Talent, but Jo couldn't understand and didn't seem to try to. She just kind of ruined it and was so convinced it had been the right thing to do that she never apologized?. I could actually relate a lot to some of the characters, even though I'm a lot older than them (they're about 11ish right?)

I really like the writing style of this book, and kind of wish Graff would write some books for older people because generally I don't like middle grade books? The characters just seem so little and childish. That's just my personal opinion, and I really hope that that feeling won't eventually shift to YA books because that's like the only thing I read. But anyway, I thought it was pretty good. It was pretty satisfying and I was happy for the kids by the end of the book. Also, I'm really confused about the knot man? Who goes around in this book and the first book and was like, just kind of there? He wasn't really in this one but he just really confuses me, like what is he doing and who is he and does he have a purpose?

Anyway, I enjoyed this book overall. I wasn't dying over it, but it was a short, pleasant, easy read

[Bridget · Rating 3 out of 5]

Soooo I didn't know this was a companion novel, and I see a number of reviewers all: read Tangle of Knots first. But whatever, I didn't have any trouble getting into the world or understanding the rules of the talents, so I think it's fine to read this first. Or only. Because let's be real, I have a million things to read, so I'm probably never going back to the first one.

Anyway, this was a wonderful look at siblings and decisions they make and lies they tell, with lots of heart and really pretty writing. It's got mystery and adventure and magic and summer camp. I loved the characters, and I really enjoyed the audiobook narrator's singing. If you're in the mood for a great summer read, I'd pick this one up. Plus it's got delicious sounding beverage recipes throughout, and I'm super excited to make some this summer!

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is more going on that meets the eye at a summer camp for kids with extraordinary Talents. Now is the time for the campers to really show what they're made of (beyond just their talent) if they can manage to overcome the secrets and regrets that are holding them back.

It's not a unique concept, but I will probably always be intrigued by stories about magical abilities. This is very much in the vein of Ingrid Law's Savvy, where Talents can range anywhere from the mundane (like multitasking or twisting a cream-filled cookie just flawlessly) to X-Men level superhuman feats like the ability to freeze or boil liquid at a touch or even the ability to transfer memories. I love that kind of juxtaposition, and though I love Savvy, I do prefer Graff's characters for the most part. As we all know from Spider-Man (and Uncle Ben) "With great power comes great responsibility" but in Savvy, more often than not, missteps are played for hijinks. There are serious consequences at play here and we see a little bit more of the dark side of Talent without understanding and nurturing/support and the impact on those kids.

When the story is dealing with the individual campers and their struggles or triumphs it shines. Unfortunately, it tends to falter is when it gets too tangled up with its own terminology and world-building. The more terminology is thrown in and the more history, the muddier it actually feels. I'm still not 100% sure I have a complete understanding of the difference between an Eker and a Coax, which is kind of a necessary distinction. Graff is really great at setting a scene. I just wish she would trust that a little more and not be so heavy-handed with the mechanics. There's a great modern fairy tale in here somewhere if the trappings could ease up a bit. I would recommend with some qualifiers but might be interesting for fans of the 13 Treasures books or the Grimm Legacy.

[Dale Safford · Rating 1 out of 5]

What was the point of this book? The characters were uninteresting, and the whole premise was crazy. For some reason though, I read it. Hoping something meaningful was going to take place, I guess.

Campers are gathered for the summer at Camp Atropos, special young people with Talents. Teh lake has old peanut butter jars which fill with Talents, and the camp director collects the jars as they wash ashore, evilly looking for the one Talent that will trump all others. Identical twin girls Chuck and Ellie can identify any species of frogs by individuals. Camp Director Jo plays a special harmonica that produces colors. All are working towards having a killer act in the end-of-season talent show.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

The cover is beautiful, but it doesn't look like the jars in the story. They only had one glowing ball of purple and yellow in each jar. And the name of the peanut butter factory was on the bottom.

This was just as entertaining as the first book. I love how the characters are connected, but you don't know how until close to the end. Lisa did that with the first book as well. :)

I love the "talents", it's like these people have superpowers.
These characters were quirky. Especially Miles with his fact recitation.
This camp was crazy lol... So much went on. Glad it was all sorted out in the end.
I like how even the people without a talent were helpful and important to the story.
(Please be a 3rd book) I bet the next one will be even better!

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lili has special talents. This summer, she, her brother and many other children are going to a special camp made for kids with talents. Everyone is special.
Soon, the camp is close, memories are being swapped and they find themselves with different talents! Does this mean that the children become someone else or do they stay the same person and just with different talents
However, what the kids do not know is that the camp director, Jo, is mimicking their talents and stealing them for herself. The kids at the camp must work together to catch her red-handed and get their talents back.
I recommend reading this book a lot.
It's very funny

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

This has to be one of the most confusing books I've ever read (and I completely understood the first book of the series--and found it interesting enough to want to read this one). We've got people with Talent. People without Talent. People have one but hide it. People who don't have one but pretend they do. People who seem to share a Talent. Talent is bought and sold and copied and stolen. Talents are being swapped or lost or rejected...it made me a bit dizzy. Then there were the various sibling squabbles making matters worse. I just feel accomplished that I actually finished the book.