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4.13 AVERAGE
4.13 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was a super popular book last year among fifth graders, and I put it in this year's Summer Stash. The survival story told in verse was very compelling, but I felt like it needed a little tighter editing. The last third of the book dragged, and then the ending was just too abrupt and tidy. Part of me thinks it's good that the author never really addresses the "imminent threat," but another part of me thinks that was a kind of a cop-out.
Meh. I have a lot of critics about this book. If you have read it, I’d love to talk to you about it. Some books might just be met for a 10 y/o and no one else. That’s my take-away from this book. It’s a quick read but it could have been so much better!
adventurous
medium-paced
Readers of survival stories will love this one. Maddie is left behind in suburban Denver when there is an imminent threat and she sleeps through it after sneaking out to her grandma’s apartment for a sleepover with her friends that never happened. She endures so many challenges that I would never have been able to face, thanks to her dad’s training and their hikes together. Her only companion is the neighbor’s dog that she saves. Just when it seems like things can’t get worse, they do, but the story wraps up in a neat little bow when her family flies in to save her on a Chinook helicopter. Good story, but it dragged a little long for me and ended too quickly.
This is the best book I’ve read this year. So engrossing and atmospheric and just so so good.
An upper middle-grade adventure/survival story with some real emotional depth. I was feeling everything right along with Maddie: anxiety, confusion, despair, fear. Some parts were definitely heavier than what I expected. It was an excellent choice for the author to tell this type of story in verse.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated