Published: July 5th 2011, Roaring Brook Press
Pages: 224 pages
Part of a Series: Recurring main character
Read For a Challenge: 2011 Debut Author's Challenge**
Teaser: "Reading can ruin friendships. The thing I noticed about reading is it can become a habit, a bad habit, like smoking or forgetting to put on deodorant...
In a sentence or so: The good, the bad, and the ugly of avoiding reading -- The result of getting caught, the impossibility of keeping it up, and the hilarity of the results.
*Rating: 9.5/10
GoodReads Description:
1. Type of story: MG, Humor -- with a male narrator! (Free 1 point)
2.Consistency: Very well executed. No slips in the timeline or erroneous details. I felt I was really listening to a pre-teen boy describe a year in his life. (1 point)
3. Flesh: Real Characters: great,caring family and mature best friend who is just what Charlie Joe needs (if only he would take her advice) (1 point)
4. Flow: A typical middle school environment and a believable middle grade narrator. It feels like a boy telling the story of his past year with the right amount of enthusiasm and detail for him. (1 point)
5. Character Growth: A little, reluctantly.. (1/2 point)
6. A Point/ Purpose/ Journey: The inescapable necessity, effect and power of the written word. (1 point)
7. Witty Dialogue: Opinionated, crafty, great friend, grateful of his friends and family, hilarious, supporting. (1 point)
8. Love: This is at the beginning age for romance so there isn't any serious couple time. BUT there is friendship and family and even school faculty that is full of genuine caring for and from this boy. (1 point)
9. Evoke Realistic Images: The setting is very much this modern day. There wasn't time spent on world building, instead this world was used and words were well spent on the characters. (1 point)
10. Writing/Story telling: Hilarious and age appropriate. The main character seemed real. AND, as I ironically listened to, instead of read, this story I must mention the performance was amazing. The narrator gave just the right inflection to Charlie Joe Jackson. He was believable as this kid, wonderfully unexpected. (1 point)
Reread Worthy: most definitely! I already started re-listening while writing this review.
Recommendation: EVERYONE. This is so funny and sweet. Great for anyone who loves books, anyone who has a child who doesn't, and any of those children who are mature enough to get the message about the power of words no matter how much you try to avoid them.
*Click Rating to see post about my 10 aspects of a great book.
***Full disclosure I am tipsy so.. if anything doesn't make sense... Happy New Year's Eve!***
No comments:
Post a Comment