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libscote's review against another edition
3.0
I received an ARC of this book from Little, Brown in return for my honest review.
Cordelia and Connor are sent to live with their aunt Marigold after the death of their parents. She lives in a town called Woundabout, where change is very much frowned upon. Routine is best. When they discover something has been stolen from the mayor's office, they try to find it and figure out how the town stays the same.
This book is about grief, and yet isn't despairingly sad. You may think you don't want things to change but not all change is bad. I am not sure this story will stay with me forever, but I did enjoy aspects like the capybara pet.
Final illustrations not seen.
Cordelia and Connor are sent to live with their aunt Marigold after the death of their parents. She lives in a town called Woundabout, where change is very much frowned upon. Routine is best. When they discover something has been stolen from the mayor's office, they try to find it and figure out how the town stays the same.
This book is about grief, and yet isn't despairingly sad. You may think you don't want things to change but not all change is bad. I am not sure this story will stay with me forever, but I did enjoy aspects like the capybara pet.
Final illustrations not seen.
missprint's review against another edition
2.0
I really, really loved Lev Rosen's "All Men of Genius," so this was pretty disappointing. While the premise - a brother and a sister move to a town that has banned 'change' - is interesting enough (for the age bracket especially), Rosen clearly should not have ventured into the middle grade sector. He doesn't seem comfortable writing for younger kids - the prose is stilted and over-explanatory. The omniscient narrator explicitly spells out characters' emotions and reactions. This comes off particularly clumsy when dealing with the children's grief over their parents dying.
At least I'm sure some kids won't mind/notice, particularly the 8/9 year-olds. (I have, after all, gone back to look at some of my old favorites, like The Boxcar Children, and been unpleasantly shocked by the writing style.)
At least I'm sure some kids won't mind/notice, particularly the 8/9 year-olds. (I have, after all, gone back to look at some of my old favorites, like The Boxcar Children, and been unpleasantly shocked by the writing style.)
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