Writing and Illustrating for Young Readers

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Book Reviews: Wake and The Indigo Notebook

I just finished reading Wake by Lisa McMann. It wasn’t quite what I expected. I read some reviews of it, and found some pretty divergent views. What I agreed with: the book is well-written. It isn’t suitable for younger readers. After being alerted to sexual content in the dreams (one reviewer objected to the idea that every teen either has sexual dreams or falling ones) and a fair amount of the F-word, I felt that given that premise, there was less than there could have been. I found the swearing felt odd, like it had been put in for effect rather than dialogue necessity.

Still, I loved the concept, and I liked the main character. I liked her best friend even better--the friend that's sometimes a lot nicer than the mc deserves. And the skater-boy turned hottie? Well, I can see why it was a NY Times bestseller.

I also read The Indigo Notebook by Laura Raceau. I found the writing beautiful, some absolutely beautiful and fresh descriptions. That said, I found the ending pretty predictable. The theme really was about letting people be who they are. Zia changes, as a mc should, but wished the mother could have given Zia a little more stability. That probably says a lot about why I'm living in suburbia instead of traveling the world teaching English and learning new languages. I do understand getting so involved in a project that you forget about, say, cooking dinner. As I'm at the computer, my kids often have to say, "Hello? Mom? Are you in there?"

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