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Shannon from REX ROBOT REVIEWS
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LAST
I adored this Middle Grade book! It deals with issues of grief and depression in a unique way.
GOODREADS REVIEW
As and adult, who loves To Kill a Mockingbird, I thought this story about the childhood friendship of Harper Lee and Truman Capote was stellar; emphasis on adult. As a Middle Grade it is a flop. The beginning is pretty dry and the only reason it held my attention was because of my interest in Harper Lee. Even after that, it was about things not all that intriguing for MG aged readers until the back half of the story. The last 25% was what the entire book should have been. It is a shame most MG readers will probably leave this book behind, because it takes too long for the story to get kid reader friendly, and the book dealt with some relevant issues, such as racism and bullying. I do however fully recommend this book for older teens and adults.
NOW
I think this book is YA, but I have also seen it listed as MG so I will have to check. I wish Netgalley would list the readership ages like Edelweiss does. Anyway, the story is okay. It is on the amateurish side in writing style. Some vocabulary words are used incorrectly: like "hypertermia" instead of "hypothermia". The premise is fresh, but the writing needs work. It deals with death, grieving, and appreciating the people in your life.
I am a fan of DeStefano's YA books, but this is a Middle Grade and there is a depiction of a suicide hanging on the first page of this story. I really feel this is not age appropriate for MG aged readers 7-12. I am not very far into the book, I picked it up because none of my Kindles were charged and needed a physical book. However, I am getting the feeling her "agenda" with this book is to say that all children should be allowed to read what they want, which I agree with, but contrary to her belief, it still needs to be age appropriate.
NEXT
This YA Contemporary (I bet the cover fooled you, ha ha) has been getting some great reviews so I am excited to start reading it. When I went to Goodreads to get the page link I saw it is also listed as Romance which intrigues me because I throughly enjoyed reading romance scenes written by Theo Lawrence for MYSTIC CITY, and I am not a romance person. I ran to Netgalley to snap up an eARC after seeing this photo the author tweeted...
What have you been reading? Tell me!
Ok now I want to try his books! That Instagram pic is hilarious! Love it! I definitely agree there are age appropriate ways of dealing with every issue and a hanging scene sounds like it crosses the line for me with a book that is truly geared MG. that's too bad about the Truman Capote/Harper Lee book. I'd love to learn more about them but it does sound a little dry.
ReplyDeleteI think you would like the Harper Lee book, actually. You should try it. I started The Serpent King this morning and I almost hate it. Hehe. It is overly dramatically descriptive. Dramatized minutiae can be okay, but it takes fineness and so far he doesn't have it. XD
DeleteYesterday I finished and reviewed Haunting Violet by Alyxandra Harvey. It's a nice YA paranormal novel. Mystery, ghost story, and a bit of romance in the Victorian British countryside. Posting about it today on Tea Time with Melody Q.
ReplyDeleteLast night I started The Dashwood Sisters' Secrets of Love by Rosie Rushton. A pretty interesting story of three teen sisters dealing with their parents divorce among other things.
~Xyra
They sound like lovely books.
DeleteHarper Lee's second book is on my to read list. :) Thank you for the recommendation.
ReplyDeleteHaha- that author really knows how to Bookstagram! As for A Curious Tale of the In-Between, I agree that description could be a little too traumatic for the MG age group. I think some books should come with content labels for parents- if a child had lost a parent or family member due to suicide, that might be a bit too much. I think suicide is often used too flippantly in fiction: personally, I hate the phrase "I'd rather kill myself than-" because it's always said without much cause. Just my two cents.
ReplyDeleteI'm still reading The Incarnations by Susan Barker- there's a lot of content/plot covered per page in this book!
~Litha Nelle
I haven't seen much about that book I will have to go check it out on Goodreads. I like really detailed plots. :)
DeleteI presume that pic was for #SockSunday, I love Instagram but my legs probably look worse than his fine pair!!
ReplyDeleteThey have #SockSunday on IG? Ha ha! I never knew. :)
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