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4.23 AVERAGE
4.23 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Minor: Racism
A beautiful, beautiful book. Before Ivan. And I didn't know K Applegate had written a novel in verse. A gem, really lovely.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A really lovely (I feel like I'm using that word too much lately) novel-in-verse about a fifth grade boy who comes to Minnesota from Sudan. I wasn't sure, at first, if the story really needed to be told in verse, but by the end I was completely convinced that it was the perfect way for Kek to tell his story. The characters really shone through, and the way Kek interacted with language and the new world around him. His sense of not deserving to be the one who survived, as well as his cousin's initial apathy, were convincing. While a finely written story in its own right, this would also be a great way to introduce children to issues driving present day immigrants/refugees from places like Sudan - and the issues they face once they get here. There's definitely heavy subject matter mentioned, but it's never graphic.
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I can't rate this book with stars yet because I'm still figuring out what I think about it... I am not a fan of a white, American, female author writing this book from the perspective of a young, Sudanese, male immigrant. While the book had heart-warming moments and a compelling plot, and I have loved several other books that Applegate has written, I don't think this was her story to tell.
Also, her use of verse to support the broken English narrative style was incredibly offensive.
Also, her use of verse to support the broken English narrative style was incredibly offensive.
Sweet look at what it's like to be a stranger in a strange land: Kek is a new immigrant from Africa, a refugee from a war that took the lives of his brother and father and separated him from his mother. Now he's in the U.S., staying in the home of his aunt and cousin, trying to learn English and figure out how to do everyday things in America that he has never encountered before, like washing machines, and escalators. He does find a cow, however, on a lonely little farm, and that is very familiar to him. Caring for the cow helps him cope. Has moments of humor, "fish out of water" type incidents like what he does with the washing machine!
I am not a huge fan of free verse novels, but it did seem to work for this book. With the exception of the rather abrupt ending, I enjoyed this book. It is interesting to see the familiar through unfamiliar eyes and it brings to mind my own year as a foreign student in Germany - many things seem like missteps. I would like to have seen a bit more, but I suppose the story is really about family and not about being a stranger in a new land.
