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ekkihugsa's review against another edition
Chronique sur Sous ma Couverture
I don't know what to think about this book. I don't know what I was looking for.
I don't know what to think about this book. I don't know what I was looking for.
lightvstairs's review against another edition
4.0
4.25⭐️
È un libro fantastico.Non ho mai letto skelling,in generale non ho mai letto alcun libro di Almond e devo dire che le mie aspettative erano davvero bassissime.E invece sono stata piacevolmente sorpresa.Bello bello bello.Infondo ognuno di noi è come Mina e vorrei tanto aiutarla.Merita tanto amore e soprattutto una persona che la comprenda.
È un libro fantastico.Non ho mai letto skelling,in generale non ho mai letto alcun libro di Almond e devo dire che le mie aspettative erano davvero bassissime.E invece sono stata piacevolmente sorpresa.Bello bello bello.Infondo ognuno di noi è come Mina e vorrei tanto aiutarla.Merita tanto amore e soprattutto una persona che la comprenda.
bogdanalovesmarigolds's review against another edition
5.0
One of my favourite books growing up was Skellig by David Almond. I would read that book over and over, as though it was Neosporin to my inner cuts. This book follows the secondary character Mina from Skellig. The homeschooled, wonderfully odd girl that befriends Michael when he first moves into the new house with his parents and baby sister.
This book follows just the first few days/past weeks before Michael moves in and only from the perspective of Mina herself. It is written in a sort of journal format and is at times interspersed with messages and activities for the readers. I will say that if you haven't read Skellig you will find this book incredibly odd and you may not understand the full story. But any reader of Almond will see his authentic writing from his own character's point of view. Whilst I think most writers seek to write as their characters think and feel, I love that Almond stays true to Mina's voice as well as her characteristics in her writing. He embodies her beautifully and wholesomely, which is saying something as I believe she is only ten years old here. Maybe eleven. But he also never dumbs down the writing just because it is a child's perspective. He holds great integrity to the character and her life.
This is a beautifully written book and I'm so happy I found it when I did. Thank you Almond.
This book follows just the first few days/past weeks before Michael moves in and only from the perspective of Mina herself. It is written in a sort of journal format and is at times interspersed with messages and activities for the readers. I will say that if you haven't read Skellig you will find this book incredibly odd and you may not understand the full story. But any reader of Almond will see his authentic writing from his own character's point of view. Whilst I think most writers seek to write as their characters think and feel, I love that Almond stays true to Mina's voice as well as her characteristics in her writing. He embodies her beautifully and wholesomely, which is saying something as I believe she is only ten years old here. Maybe eleven. But he also never dumbs down the writing just because it is a child's perspective. He holds great integrity to the character and her life.
This is a beautifully written book and I'm so happy I found it when I did. Thank you Almond.
minacaitlin's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
my rating for this is 80% because it’s a prequel for a book i’ve never read
piperbunny's review against another edition
3.0
Mine likes words. Mina likes writing these words over and over again. She would make a lovely creative writing teacher in the future... but an author... no way.
Mina is different and has a sweet vulnerability which I did like. But I just didn't like the book. It did get better once Mina started telling her story (about half way through!), about her old school, what happened after that, and the whole build up to where she meets the new neighbours.
It makes me want to read Skellig again (although I've read it once before as a child and can't remember it now!).
Mina is different and has a sweet vulnerability which I did like. But I just didn't like the book. It did get better once Mina started telling her story (about half way through!), about her old school, what happened after that, and the whole build up to where she meets the new neighbours.
It makes me want to read Skellig again (although I've read it once before as a child and can't remember it now!).
charlotteamy1's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
dandelionfluff's review against another edition
5.0
For those who read [b:Skellig|24271|Skellig (Skellig, #1)|David Almond|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1320460285s/24271.jpg|960], this is an amazing prequel. It's about (you guessed it) Mina. Because it's written as a journal, the fonts and format changes constantly. Sometimes there are poems, sometimes black pages with white writing, and sometimes there are blank pages. Blank pages are very important for Mina because she knows that a blank page is filled with possibilities, so it's never empty. And, oh, what possibilities are here.
Some people might become impatient with Mina's special-snowflake mentality, especially at the beginning of the book. She's very aware of being a "misfit," but uses it as a defense mechanism and justification for haughty behavior. My first impression was that this is a very damaging mindset to have; it isolates you from others because you simply don't see what could possibly make them so much like you. You're the brilliant one, the imaginative one, you get to sink into romantic self-pity because no one understands you.
But haven't we all felt this way? Mina grows throughout the novel, eventually peeking out from her shell to at least entertain the notions that her teachers weren't quite that bad, and that maybe the girls who rejected her are actually fairly strange, too. (Now, why she would bother with them after they treated her so poorly is beyond me, but it's a step forward.)
Overall it's an extremely insightful, heartfelt novel (gosh, that sounds so cliché) that makes the reader reflect on the beauties of their own life. Mina gives some Extraordinary Activities to do, which… really, everyone should do. Look at the stars. Write a sentence that lasts a page long. Pretend you're an egg. And, write a blank page.
Spoiler
Some people might become impatient with Mina's special-snowflake mentality, especially at the beginning of the book. She's very aware of being a "misfit," but uses it as a defense mechanism and justification for haughty behavior. My first impression was that this is a very damaging mindset to have; it isolates you from others because you simply don't see what could possibly make them so much like you. You're the brilliant one, the imaginative one, you get to sink into romantic self-pity because no one understands you.
But haven't we all felt this way? Mina grows throughout the novel, eventually peeking out from her shell to at least entertain the notions that her teachers weren't quite that bad, and that maybe the girls who rejected her are actually fairly strange, too. (Now, why she would bother with them after they treated her so poorly is beyond me, but it's a step forward.)
Overall it's an extremely insightful, heartfelt novel (gosh, that sounds so cliché) that makes the reader reflect on the beauties of their own life. Mina gives some Extraordinary Activities to do, which… really, everyone should do. Look at the stars. Write a sentence that lasts a page long. Pretend you're an egg. And, write a blank page.
abbeyjfox's review against another edition
4.0
There's not much I love more than a brilliant young female protagonist. Mina is complicated, creative, and immensely wonderful. This is a quick read as it's written as Mina's journal.
lenuestupenda's review against another edition
4.0
3. Un libro de un autor que nunca habías leído (PopSugar Reading Challenge 2015 #40)