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kelleemoye's review against another edition
5.0
Love the mix of baseball and music and history--not too many books out there that can mix those three things and make such a great story.
beths0103's review against another edition
4.0
Fans of Jenni Holm's Turtle in Paradise will enjoy spending time with Theo and Anabel in Destiny.
Longer review to come.
Longer review to come.
offinherownmind's review against another edition
3.0
This was a really cute middle grade novel about a young boy who moves away from his home with his uncle who he's never met before to Destiny. There he tries to navigate a new town, new home, and the relationship with his uncle. He finds comfort in playing the piano and finding baseball facts about the town with his only friend. Overall, I thought this was a good story.
froggylibrarian1's review against another edition
3.0
After the death of his grandparents, orphaned Theo is taken in by his Uncle Raymond. Problem is, Uncle Raymond, a Vietnam War vet holds a grudge against Theo's parents and is angry about having to take in Theo. First order of business, move to Destiny, Florida. With just a few weeks left in the school year Theo struggles to fit in, get used to living with his Uncle, and find a way to stay in Destiny. Interspersed are Theo's love of music and his ability to play the piano and a baseball mystery.
I really wanted to like this. There was a lot of good potential. But...I felt that it didn't really get going. The baseball mystery with Hank Aaron and Destiny Days never seemed fully realized or even solved. The book as a whole didn't really work for me.
I really wanted to like this. There was a lot of good potential. But...I felt that it didn't really get going. The baseball mystery with Hank Aaron and Destiny Days never seemed fully realized or even solved. The book as a whole didn't really work for me.
readingthroughtheages's review against another edition
5.0
Amazing amazing amazing.
Absolutely adored this book. Theo will stay with you long after you finish the pages of the book.
Fantastic writing, lots of lines that stick to you!
Fans of Turtle in Paradise and other historical fiction novels will enjoy this one.
Absolutely adored this book. Theo will stay with you long after you finish the pages of the book.
Fantastic writing, lots of lines that stick to you!
Fans of Turtle in Paradise and other historical fiction novels will enjoy this one.
abigailbat's review against another edition
2.0
I just never felt emotionally invested and I couldn't understand the motivations of most of the characters. Theo's scooped up by a long-lost uncle after his grandparents get too sick to take care of him and for some reason, they head to Florida instead of back to Alaska where his uncle's been living (maybe Alaska is too rough for children?). At first, the only thing Theo can stand about his new town is the beautiful piano at the boarding house where he and Raymond are living. Theo is a gifted natural musician and claims that he can't stand to be separated from music (although we're never really privvy to how Theo actually feels about it. We're told many times, but never really shown).
Unfortunately, Raymond can't stand music (why he decided to live at a dance studio is never explained - maybe there are literally no other places to live?) and he forbids Theo to play the piano. Theo ignores him and plays all the time and there is never any consequence from Raymond. Raymond threatens to leave Destiny, which super bums Theo out because suddenly he loves it there and Theo's now desperate to stay in this town that he's apparently grown to adore in the space of, like, two weeks. But still, there's no real threat.
It's not that I want a child to feel threatened, but there was just nothing at stake in this book. Theo pretty much did whatever he wanted. He didn't wrestle with any guilt over his decision to play the piano when he'd been expressly forbidden. Raymond's experiences fighting in Vietnam are glossed over, as is his rocky relationship with his sister, Theo's late mother, and her objection to the war.
I dunno... people have been really liking this book, but it was "meh" for me.
Unfortunately, Raymond can't stand music (why he decided to live at a dance studio is never explained - maybe there are literally no other places to live?) and he forbids Theo to play the piano. Theo ignores him and plays all the time and there is never any consequence from Raymond. Raymond threatens to leave Destiny, which super bums Theo out because suddenly he loves it there and Theo's now desperate to stay in this town that he's apparently grown to adore in the space of, like, two weeks. But still, there's no real threat.
It's not that I want a child to feel threatened, but there was just nothing at stake in this book. Theo pretty much did whatever he wanted. He didn't wrestle with any guilt over his decision to play the piano when he'd been expressly forbidden. Raymond's experiences fighting in Vietnam are glossed over, as is his rocky relationship with his sister, Theo's late mother, and her objection to the war.
I dunno... people have been really liking this book, but it was "meh" for me.
azajacks's review against another edition
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