First Line Friday No. 30

Well, I was going to introduce you to a very exciting middle-grade novel set in the state I'm living in, but I found out today that it isn't technically "out" until the end of next month.  So...I'll do a review of it later next month.

However, I do have another middle-grade novel that promises to be just as exciting, and it begins thusly:

"The house was a mansion, the lake was a pool, Kitty was a dog, and Juniper Berry was an eleven-year-old girl.

And like many eleven-year-old girls, she couldn't wait until her parents returned home from work.  She sat at the top of the stairs, binoculars in hand and directed out the two-story front window, waiting to see the golden gates of her home slowly open.  Tonight was Italian night and the three of them were supposed to make pizzas for dinner.  This was part of their weekly schedule, only Juniper couldn't remember the last time they actually followed through with it.  For a while now, everything, including her, had been neglected.

Still, she never gave up hope.  One of these days her parents would come home from work and be thrilled to see her.  The rest of the day and every day after would be spent in each other's company, not a minute wasted, not even a single second, just like it was years ago."

-- from Juniper Berry by M.P. Kozlowsky

There are some books that just have it, whatever "it" is, from the beginning.  This is one of those books.  It creates an atmosphere instantly, with the first sentence.  It's mysterious, a bit creepy, and promises a very, very interesting time.

Reasons to keep reading:

1. The names!  Kitty for a dog and Juniper Berry for a girl?  Amazing!
2.  Why is she (and everything else) being neglected?
3.  What's wrong with her parents?
4.  What happened to make this change?
5.  ...What are the other theme nights on their schedule (yes, I am actually curious about this!)?

What do you think about Juniper Berry?  Curious?