November Book Log - Reviews

Still catching up.

When You Reach Me ~ Rebecca Stead
middle grade
I really liked this book. It's interesting because I generally don't feel that strongly about middle grade books. Usually they're just enjoyable or not, but I thought this one was very good. It is set in the late seventies and features latch-key kids, A Wrinkle in Time, time travel, and $20,000 Pyramid. What's not to love? Some of the reviews say that there are parallels between When You Reach Me and A Wrinkle in Time, but I haven't read the latter in ages. Maybe I will revisit it. It reminded me of the kind of books I read when I was younger as well as my own experience growing up. I definitely recommend it for kids and grown-ups who like kids books.

Jellicoe Road ~ Melina Marchetta
Young Adult
This book started out confusing as hell. Switching viewpoints, switching times, not enough info, too much to sort out. I liked the prose though, so I stuck with it. I'm glad I did because it did eventually become easier to follow and I liked it well enough.

Set in Australia, the story revolves around the boarding school kids, the town kids, and the Cadets, who are all at war with each other. The main character was abandoned a long time ago by her mother and sent to live at the boarding school. Throughout the book, she uncovers more and more of the mystery of her own life and that of her mother's generation. As the story goes on, you see how the past has shaped the present and how the characters are entwined, though they don't know it.

I had some trouble with the aspect of there being far too much tragedy for one small group of people to have endured (making it somewhat unbelievable for me) but that was an integral part of the story, so it's not like it would have been the same without it. It was just something you had to accept, I guess.

Overall, pretty good, though it takes some effort.