Firefly Hollow by Alison McGee

• Genre: Animal Story/Fantasy
• Grade Level: 3rd - 5th 
• Reading Level: 4.7
• Length: 304 pages (6 hours)
• Publisher: Atheneum (August 18, 2015)
• My Rating: 3 out of 4
• Division: 1

This book has such a winsome and attractive cover as well as illustrations inside. It reminded me of the book Apple Blossom the Possum.  It is a sweet story about some animals who get involved with people. In this case, firefly, cricket and vole  all have dreams. Firefly dreams of flying to the moon and outer space captivates her. She goes past the boundaries of the firefly tree and meets the cricket who sings "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" every night. His dream is to be able to catch a baseball. The vole wants to set sail on the river again. 

Both Firefly and Cricket leave their nations (homes) and  meet a boy named Peter (young giant as they call him) who is lonely without his best friend Charlie. Peter helps them with in making their dreams come true. Vole takes the Cricket and Firefly into his home at night since they have left their homes. 

Firefly's beloved elder dies. Peter has lost his friend, perhaps in death? It isn't exactly clear. And cricket has a cricket friend who was wounded and lamed by a falling lollipop stick. He believes if they learned to catch it would help them.  They are all very afraid of the "giants' because one false step and they can be hurt.  Lots of realistic life angst to discuss. 

This book is a book appropriate for reading to younger elementary children. Or, if younger students are strong readers, this may be a good chapter book suggestion for them. I did get a little bored with the story. It didn't hold my interest like Apple Blossom did. However, it is a good story and so I give it a 3 out of 4 rating. I kept thinking that I would love to see this book animated with the illustrations from the book.