Scan barcode
estherking_86's review against another edition
4.0
There's no doubt that this is a brilliant story. It's a marvel and Almond has created a truly 'extraordinary' character in Mina. In fact that's the only real problem I had with the book. Is there really a 10/11 year old child like this anywhere? I can imagine a child making a circle with their finger and thumb and looking up at the sky, waiting for something to appear in the nothing (it's not so different to looking for shapes in the clouds) BUT I'm not sure they would then proceed to ask all the existential questions or reflect on their experiences in quite such a self-aware way or with quite such linguistic flair. Maybe I'm just sour because I know I lack that kind of brilliance or imagination myself... or maybe it's because this book was written by a man in his late 50s...? I'm not saying he doesn't succeed with the narrative 'voice' but I think the philosophical sophistication is an issue.
Mina invites the reader to open their eyes and see the world in a new way, to be in awe and to ask questions. This is great but Mina and the conclusions she herself shares about life are so amazing it almost put me off exploring my own - they would only seem paltry in comparison. By the end I felt that Mina was extraordinary (which was never in doubt) but that I most likely was not.
Even so, once I got over my own blandness and realised that you're only as boring as you let yourself be and maybe I need to crack the concrete of my own mindset (interesting as Mina is always writing concrete poems) I really did enjoy this book. In terms of encouraging young readers though I did wonder how children would respond to this book. Do I appreciate it as (dare I say it) an older reader in a way that I probably couldn't as a young person? I guess the only way to get an idea is to recommend it to some teenagers and see what they say!
Mina invites the reader to open their eyes and see the world in a new way, to be in awe and to ask questions. This is great but Mina and the conclusions she herself shares about life are so amazing it almost put me off exploring my own - they would only seem paltry in comparison. By the end I felt that Mina was extraordinary (which was never in doubt) but that I most likely was not.
Even so, once I got over my own blandness and realised that you're only as boring as you let yourself be and maybe I need to crack the concrete of my own mindset (interesting as Mina is always writing concrete poems) I really did enjoy this book. In terms of encouraging young readers though I did wonder how children would respond to this book. Do I appreciate it as (dare I say it) an older reader in a way that I probably couldn't as a young person? I guess the only way to get an idea is to recommend it to some teenagers and see what they say!
birthdaycake_storytime_fall's review against another edition
5.0
A brilliant book that really explores the character's thoughts, ideas, and the deepest, darkest parts of her mind. When I read Skellig I wanted to know more about Mina, because her character was so interesting and captivating for me. This book will not disappoint at all.
esme's review against another edition
5.0
'My Name Is Mina' was my favourite book when I was in the last year of primary school and the first year or so of secondary, and it's interesting to revisit it and see pieces of myself in its pages. Mina McKee is everything that I wanted to be as a child - she is free, she is aware, she is spellbound by the world around her. She views schools as cages. She learns by observing the world, not by doing what she is asked. Her words move around on the page, making their own paths instead of following a plan. The nostalgia may make me biased, but this book still means a lot to me, and the five stars feel earned.
caroni's review against another edition
4.0
My Name Is Mina is a sort of prequel to the mesmerizingly fantastic book Skellig.
One of the reasons I loved Skellig was because of Mina. She is such an original and fantastic character that I literally *squeeeee* when I heard that David Almond had written a prequel with Mina as a main character. But then I had some doubts... What if I don't like the prequel? What if it ruins my love for Skellig? What if *gasp* I don't like Mina in this?
(Yes, I uselessly worry too much that way)
To be honest, I am curious as to what people who haven't read Skellig might make of this book. It is written as a diary by Mina and all the pages have different lay outs and stories to tell. I had many doubts reading it but I ultimately fell for the story. It can be read as a stand-alone, and it is different to Skellig but it is such a beautiful story to tell! I love Mina even more and the book is brilliantly written! She definitely is one of my favourite YA characters.
The book talks about Mina, and how much she misses her deceased father, and how hard it is to fit in when no one likes to see someone different. She is free-spirited and original, she dreams about being a bird and knows many random facts and she is extremely cute. Mina writes a lot in this diary, but we learn so much more about her reading through the lines.
I found that the main theme of the book is about being normal versus being considered as not normal. But what is "normality" I may ask? Mina is different from other children, she has a very personal vision of education and culture and she is eager to learn. But she is seen by her teacher and school as a disturbance. Instead of encouraging her to learn her own way, she is sometimes even bullied by her teacher (or at least that is the way she feels when she is called on by the teacher).
Mina is also bullied by other children, obviously. Other pupils make fun of her and she has no friends except another girl, who has a problem to one leg and limps. The young girl says that when she will have the operation to her leg, everything will be fine and she will have friends. She then asks Mina if she will have an operation for being strange, so she can have friends as well. I found this moment particularly sweet and revealing. Someone would need to be fixed to be like others and more importantly to be accepted and respected by them. My poor Mina! She is such an amazing character that you wonder why anyone would ever want to change her. It becomes so bad for Mina that she prefers being home schooled rather than spend her days with people who don't understand her and don't want to make any effort to. I am sure that an adult Mina will be highly praised by her peers for her intelligence, spirit and originality. It's a shame that she can't be herself from the beginning.
Grief and death are also a very important part of the book. Mina misses her father and there are several moments in the book where she does things in order to be closer to him which are all heart-breaking. Death also because her next door neighbour passed away and she often wonders about his house and maybe his ghost. She watches his house constantly trying to know who will move there - someone interesting hopefully. A family with a boy Mina's age and a little baby, perhaps.
My Name Is Mina is a sweet, fun and serious story at the same time. I am yet again impressed by David Almond's talent to get into a child or a teenager's head and create such original stories. The book reminded me a little bit of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer where a quirky young child has lost in father in 09/11 and has adventures in New York to try to find him (it is an adult novel even though the narrator is a child). I really think we should blur the adult fiction and YA/children fiction a bit more since books like My Name Is Mina would be amazing for children to read as well as for adults.
One of the reasons I loved Skellig was because of Mina. She is such an original and fantastic character that I literally *squeeeee* when I heard that David Almond had written a prequel with Mina as a main character. But then I had some doubts... What if I don't like the prequel? What if it ruins my love for Skellig? What if *gasp* I don't like Mina in this?
(Yes, I uselessly worry too much that way)
To be honest, I am curious as to what people who haven't read Skellig might make of this book. It is written as a diary by Mina and all the pages have different lay outs and stories to tell. I had many doubts reading it but I ultimately fell for the story. It can be read as a stand-alone, and it is different to Skellig but it is such a beautiful story to tell! I love Mina even more and the book is brilliantly written! She definitely is one of my favourite YA characters.
The book talks about Mina, and how much she misses her deceased father, and how hard it is to fit in when no one likes to see someone different. She is free-spirited and original, she dreams about being a bird and knows many random facts and she is extremely cute. Mina writes a lot in this diary, but we learn so much more about her reading through the lines.
I found that the main theme of the book is about being normal versus being considered as not normal. But what is "normality" I may ask? Mina is different from other children, she has a very personal vision of education and culture and she is eager to learn. But she is seen by her teacher and school as a disturbance. Instead of encouraging her to learn her own way, she is sometimes even bullied by her teacher (or at least that is the way she feels when she is called on by the teacher).
Mina is also bullied by other children, obviously. Other pupils make fun of her and she has no friends except another girl, who has a problem to one leg and limps. The young girl says that when she will have the operation to her leg, everything will be fine and she will have friends. She then asks Mina if she will have an operation for being strange, so she can have friends as well. I found this moment particularly sweet and revealing. Someone would need to be fixed to be like others and more importantly to be accepted and respected by them. My poor Mina! She is such an amazing character that you wonder why anyone would ever want to change her. It becomes so bad for Mina that she prefers being home schooled rather than spend her days with people who don't understand her and don't want to make any effort to. I am sure that an adult Mina will be highly praised by her peers for her intelligence, spirit and originality. It's a shame that she can't be herself from the beginning.
Grief and death are also a very important part of the book. Mina misses her father and there are several moments in the book where she does things in order to be closer to him which are all heart-breaking. Death also because her next door neighbour passed away and she often wonders about his house and maybe his ghost. She watches his house constantly trying to know who will move there - someone interesting hopefully. A family with a boy Mina's age and a little baby, perhaps.
My Name Is Mina is a sweet, fun and serious story at the same time. I am yet again impressed by David Almond's talent to get into a child or a teenager's head and create such original stories. The book reminded me a little bit of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer where a quirky young child has lost in father in 09/11 and has adventures in New York to try to find him (it is an adult novel even though the narrator is a child). I really think we should blur the adult fiction and YA/children fiction a bit more since books like My Name Is Mina would be amazing for children to read as well as for adults.
maylingkuo's review against another edition
4.0
i liked this one better than skellig, but it's certainly important to read skellig first to have context. mina's such a beautiful character - smart, solitary, thoughtful and wonderfully imaginative. this journal of hers really captures her spirit and gets you inside her head. she's so special and i wish more kids and teenagers felt the same kind of individual freedom to be themselves...even if it does mean that being weird and sad is part of life.
lovinthesunshine16's review against another edition
It just wasn't my kind of book. The narration was just a bit confusing
rainyoctober's review against another edition
5.0
Beautiful. Brilliant. Life-changing. I can't describe the experience that is this book; you just have to read it for yourself.
ilikebooks_okay's review against another edition
3.0
Brilliant! I loved Skellig and I loved this! I absolutely adore David Almond's stories and how his character think, wander and discover. It's peaceful at times and deep at others and I believe everyone needs to read at least one of his books :p