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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
The Whispers is, by turns, tender, sweet and confusing. 11-year-old Riley is confused and sad and we know right from the beginning he has secrets to which he is holding tightly, afraid to reveal them to anyone--even himself. Floundering in his own mind NOT to think about those secret thoughts that try to break out of the space in his head where has locked them down, Riley latches onto the old story of The Whispers that his mother told him when he was small. In the story The Whispers are magical fairies who will grant you your heart's desire if you leave them a tribute (a gift). Four months before we meet Riley, his mother has disappeared. Riley and his mother had been nearly inseparable. His deepest wish is to bring her back.
Riley begins to consider that maybe The Whispers are real and the only way to get his mother back is to try and find them so they will grant his wish. As he tries to find The Whispers, Riley is also trying to come to terms with aspects of who he is, based on his own thoughts and feelings, the behavior of his father and brother, and what he has been told in church.
Here's what I loved about The Whispers: (1) Riley is an authentic, fully developed character; (2) the story of Riley's gradual acknowledgement and tentative (or implied) acceptance of his homosexuality is written beautifully, offering those of us who have never experienced it an empathetic window into this often painfully difficult--due to others' reaction and judgment--path; and (3) the compassionate way in which his friends and family surround him when he finally allows himself to think about the things he has kept pushed aside.
Despite these positive attributes, however, there were bigger issues for me in the plotting of Riley's story. The reader discovers in the beginning that Riley is keeping some information back about his mother's disappearance. My problem with this device is that, for me, when it is revealed at the end of the story (although I realized what it was early on in the novel) it feels disingenuous on the part of the author. (I don't think it was; I think the author was trying to use a literary device to make the final impact of his story bigger.) It felt, to me, similar to when the author of a mystery purposely skews the information the reader receives in order to lead us in a specifically wrong direction. Although I didn't buy this implied direction for very long, I still resented the fact that the author tried to do it. My second issue with this same aspect is that I feel like it distracts from Riley's actual story, which is quite moving and important to tell. My third issue with The Whispers is the way in which the author transitions into the climactic scene: instead of finding a way for Riley to move with the reader through the difficult moment of discovery, the author chooses to have Riley lose consciousness and everything just begins falling into place in his mind once he regains it. I also did not like the death of a character that I felt was unnecessary, but the author clearly thought was a convenient device to position Riley's character where he needed to be to achieve the ending the author intended.
While The Whispers is really the best (and maybe only) book I have ever read that so clearly and compassionately tells a young boy's realization and acceptance of his sexuality as simply a part of who he is as a person, some of the heavy-handed plot devices put unnecessary barriers between Riley and myself as a reader. I prefer stories that allow me to either journey with a character, or be allowed to be present in all aspects of his/her story as an observer. For these reasons, The Whispers was only a 3 star read for me.
Riley begins to consider that maybe The Whispers are real and the only way to get his mother back is to try and find them so they will grant his wish. As he tries to find The Whispers, Riley is also trying to come to terms with aspects of who he is, based on his own thoughts and feelings, the behavior of his father and brother, and what he has been told in church.
Here's what I loved about The Whispers: (1) Riley is an authentic, fully developed character; (2) the story of Riley's gradual acknowledgement and tentative (or implied) acceptance of his homosexuality is written beautifully, offering those of us who have never experienced it an empathetic window into this often painfully difficult--due to others' reaction and judgment--path; and (3) the compassionate way in which his friends and family surround him when he finally allows himself to think about the things he has kept pushed aside.
Despite these positive attributes, however, there were bigger issues for me in the plotting of Riley's story. The reader discovers in the beginning that Riley is keeping some information back about his mother's disappearance. My problem with this device is that, for me, when it is revealed at the end of the story (although I realized what it was early on in the novel) it feels disingenuous on the part of the author. (I don't think it was; I think the author was trying to use a literary device to make the final impact of his story bigger.) It felt, to me, similar to when the author of a mystery purposely skews the information the reader receives in order to lead us in a specifically wrong direction. Although I didn't buy this implied direction for very long, I still resented the fact that the author tried to do it. My second issue with this same aspect is that I feel like it distracts from Riley's actual story, which is quite moving and important to tell. My third issue with The Whispers is the way in which the author transitions into the climactic scene: instead of finding a way for Riley to move with the reader through the difficult moment of discovery, the author chooses to have Riley lose consciousness and everything just begins falling into place in his mind once he regains it. I also did not like the death of a character that I felt was unnecessary, but the author clearly thought was a convenient device to position Riley's character where he needed to be to achieve the ending the author intended.
While The Whispers is really the best (and maybe only) book I have ever read that so clearly and compassionately tells a young boy's realization and acceptance of his sexuality as simply a part of who he is as a person, some of the heavy-handed plot devices put unnecessary barriers between Riley and myself as a reader. I prefer stories that allow me to either journey with a character, or be allowed to be present in all aspects of his/her story as an observer. For these reasons, The Whispers was only a 3 star read for me.
This book was not at all what I expected. Riley believes in the Whispers, a story his mom told him growing up. When she disappears mysteriously, he holds onto the belief that they can tell him where she is. This story also deals with Riley’s intense guilt about being gay in a small, religious town. Overall I’d give it 3.5 stars. Ages 10 and up.
I somehow totally didn't see the ending coming, and what a heartbreaking and healing one it was. But the voice (and maybe this had more to do with the audiobook narrator, not the actual voice of the text) felt too childish at times for the character's age.
Holy moly. This book is a beautiful representation on how kids deal with grief and the loss of a parent. I recommend this to everyone regardless of age, it really puts you into the perspective of the main character and how important it is to be there for young children in difficult times
Riley is missing his mother, and doesn't mind going to supernatural lengths to get her back. Tired of being a disappointment to his distant father and confused by ongoing police investigations, Riley knows he's different. He's terrified that someone will find out about his "condition" - his attraction to other boys, and that his mother is really gone for good. Convinced the Whispers - mythical creatures who can grant your deepest wishes- will be the answer to his problems. His mother told him the stories, and Riley's ready to do whatever it takes to find them. A sensitive look at loss, and coming to terms with one's own identity, this is a compelling middle grade read.
Cried like a baby. Multi layered with sadness and complexity all being written in a simple manner for young adults to understand. I picked this up in a target children's section for my nine years old son. It didn't float his boat as the topics were a bit heavy. I think in a few years he would genuinely appreciate it. I think it needs to be marketed to older kids. But I loved it. As a teacher, as a mom, as a newbie learning the dimensions of allyship of LGBTQ+ children and adults I fully enjoyed this story.
Riley's story had me engaged right from the start, with the first pages being the exact same magical story his mom had told him. Then it became a story about a sweet, thoughtful, smart young kid making sense of his world and some dramatic changes he is experiencing. This book has humor, intelligence, mystery, authentic emotional portrayals and real relationships. I am happy I just went along with Riley as his story played out. In the beginning I started to have a more analytical approach to it, trying to see if there were clues I should pay attention to so I knew what this all meant. Turns out, when a kid is telling you a story from his perspective, your job is just to listen and stay right where he is in the telling. The author makes that incredibly easy with this book. Characters, plot, dialogue and sense of place are all strong in this story. Thanks, Greg Howard, for sharing this book with us, and thank you,my sister, for gifting it to me.