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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
Despite what I'm about to say, I did like the book. Three stars is pretty strong, but "it was ok" does the book a tiny injustice. Maybe I'll bump it down later, honestly, because thinking about it in retrospect, it wasn't a great book.
Appropriate, and enjoyable, for ages 8-12 and here's the summary even though Wikipedia literally has one, so why would you want to read mine, but I wrote it out without thinking and don't want to waste my time and energy (and there aren't any spoilers, I just don't want it taking up space):
and then they go home in the morning. It does wrap up some, and tells us where everyone is in like a week, after not much has changed, but it also has some more spoilers, so I'm leaving the ending of the book at the very bottom, marked as a spoiler, if you still want to spoil it.
Overall, was left a little bit disappointed. Thought the ending was going to be predictable, was pleasantly surprised, and then it made an abrupt 360 and turned out to be just as predictable as I'd thought after all. Which was part of why I was disappointed ()
Things the book does poorly:
1. part of the writing is stilted. Hard to get into and imagine happening.
2. the writing is sloppy. Examples:
(a) She hears Tina Louise telling her instructions at the beginning of the book (which is confusing because it's written like she can see and hear TL, even though TL isn't there, so the reader knows she can't actually see her, but it's honestly written like she can. Which is confusing, creepy, and annoying), and then somewhere along the way, she completely stops hearing/seeing her. Like, just stops. Not like the character is growing and maturing and learning to figure things out on her own, nah, she just stops cold turkey. Goes from every couple pages to not at all the next chapter.
(b) The author tells us specifically Boyd's never been out on the water with his dad - but somehow as soon as it's down to brass tacks not only does he know how to start it, but he knows how to drive it. And he's never even been on it. Motorboat driving isn't picked up in one day, in a couple minutes, under extreme pressure.
3. Boyd's emotions are confusing (especially for a 12-year-old boy). Why does he cry about lying, in front of the girl he lied to? I just don't understand why he got all cut up about letting her believe (not even saying, so was he technically even lying...?) it was her uncle who tied him up, not the three bullies.
4. leaves a lot of questions and loose threads. For example:
(a) who is Mr. Librarian? I assumed he would come into it at the end, since he plays a p big role throughout the book. And I assumed since he acted secretive and knowledgeable, that he actually HAD secrets and knowledge, but ig not ?
(b) what was the point of him scaring her
(c) sorry this is a spoiler for those of you tryna decide whether to read this or not. I can always save you the trouble if you want to read the spoiler at the v bottom of this review.
(d) Boyd has a mortal terror of the water, but it never really explains why - just that he does. And he gets over it v quickly.
(e) never explains why Lizzie was always tired and sleeping, though it hints that (a) it was because of her husband's death, and (b) it wasn't because of her husband's death. But it never clarifies which one it actually is.
(f) ...is the uncle a rat, or not? When she sees him in the library, she makes it seem like he's 100% a man-turned-rat. However, the book makes it very clear that he's a human, so which is it? Even while reading I was pretty confused whether he's supposed to strongly resemble or actually BE a rat. And why?
(g) How does that happen, anyway? Because the story of how he turned rat was given to the reader through the comic book, and we know the comic is fictionalized (eg: there's no Drowning Ghost), so we never get to know how or why he turned into/goes as a rat.
(h) Boyd has this hero worship of Ratt dude, but unlike most stories, he never gets to tell Ratt. Or even talk to him, in the story. Obviously he does talk to him, bc, but it would have been nice to READ ABOUT, instead of making it happen off page.
(i)
5. frustrated at the lack of resolution or character growth in this book. And the author thinking little things fix big things. Specifically, this part in the book:
Margaret never really apologizes for what she said at the library on page 196. She flies off the handle, rips into him, exposes his insecurities, while belittling them and him. He's really hurt but doesn't say anything, just keeps going with their plan even if he'll have more fallout from it going wrong than she will, and she never says anything even though she knows all this, and how much she hurt him. So... ? So what? Nothing comes of it, so why did that even happen? Like, neither one of them grows from that. Nothing happens. She says she's really sorry about what she said (pg 221), but she never tells him 1) she was speaking out of anger 2) not all of that is true and 3) not all of the things that are true are true to the extent that she was making them out to be. If that makes sense. He mumbles, "don't worry about it" and then she tells him she eats her lunches in a bathroom stall. And apparently that fixes all hurt feelings bc he goes back to normal, friendly, old Boyd, and it's never brought up again. So yeah she's sorry, but if he thinks it's all true then it's still going to hurt him and embarrass him and make him more shy and insecure than he already was. So saying sorry didn't really do anything. But the writer apparently believes telling someone about an insecurity of yours makes all their thousand insecurities that you just exploited and exposed and ripped apart and made worse...is all going to go away? Because you shared something about yourself that you're not proud of? I'm sorry, but ...okay? ...big deal? ...who cares? and how in heck does that change anything? Notice that he's still obsessed with the comics at the end, so it's not like the author was using that to bring maturity and showing a kid growing up and moving on to real life. Nah, she just wanted to make Margaret have a little mean time.
6. I've read a lot of books that do this, and I hated it every time, because it's so unrealistic and relationships don't work this way. And because it slows down the book and delays so many things that don't need to be delayed (and hinder the progress of the characters bc of it). OKAY so here's what it is: the kids hide the randomest stuff from each other because of dumb fears they have. So both the stuff they're hiding isn't worth hiding, and the reason they're hiding it doesn't justify hiding it in the first place. That happens multiple times in the book:
(a) Boyd hides the fact that the Threes tied him up, not the uncle. He can't bring himself to tell Margaret that he lied about it, and he stalls her while he's tryna get up the courage to tell her. So he slows her down from rescuing her sister (both believe that if they don't go soon, she'll be killed) and then decides in the end to not even tell her anyway so what was the point. Also not sure why the author felt the need to constantly talk about his fear of telling her that it was the Threes, especially since when he does get over his fear, it's incredibly quick and takes about a sentence to wrap up so why all the hype. Super unnecessary and just took up valuable page space that could have been used for character growth or progress. Also not sure why he's crying about it in the boat. If you've read the story, you'll probably know the part. If you haven't, basically he almost tells her and then just can't, so he starts crying while starting up the boat that will take them out to Sophie.
(b) Margaret hides what she saw in the library, and the fact that it's her uncle who's been writing about the two boys, and that it's her dad who was the ghost (p215). Why? Because "what does that make her?" Uhhh, idk, related? (fr, I'm not sure what she's worried about will happen if she tells Boyd her uncle is the Ratt dude.)
7. (pg 255) When everything's gone down, and they're looking for Ratt, she gets in a boat to go back to shore, and she sees Sophie grinning at her - obviously, at that point,.
Things the book does well:
honestly just a bunch of quotes.
-
Never done this before, and might start doing when the books aren't worth reading, but if you want to spoil the book for yourself:
Appropriate, and enjoyable, for ages 8-12 and here's the summary even though Wikipedia literally has one, so why would you want to read mine, but I wrote it out without thinking and don't want to waste my time and energy (and there aren't any spoilers, I just don't want it taking up space):
Spoiler
Basically, Margaret's dad and uncle liked taking garbage and changing it into cool stuff. Her granddad dies and leaves the house to the brothers. Her dad gets married and moves, uncle becomes reclusive bc he's either turning into a rat or just looks like one and likes imagining he actually is one bc he's slightly weird - idk, book doesn't really explain that. Complaints are filed bc he's rooting through ppl's trash and Margaret's parents decide he should move in with them and sell the house. Dad goes to talk to uncle about it, they go out over the water one last time, bc uncle's plan is to pretend to drown so he can live alone and unbothered (and fsr he thinks the dad needs to see or the dad will feel guilty ? idk.) but the plan backfires bc the dad goes in after him and then, even tho the dad is a champion swimmer, somehow he manages to drown himself. So uncle thinks he's just calling for uncle (even though when you drown you're swallowing water, so you can't make sounds, but okayyy) and by the time uncle realizes, it's too late, he's dead, and uncle's full of guilt. Uncle becomes even more recluse and starts making comic books abt it, bc that's how he deals with his grief apparently, unlike his sister in law who basically sleeps all the time bc that's how she deals with hers, or smth along those lines. Then things unfold, Margaret winds up looking for answers, uncle doesn't like that bc he wants to be left alone and he's mad at Margaret's mom for putting the house up for sale. Not sure why she would since she knows uncle still lives there, but ok. Margaret's younger sister Sophie also winds up at the house and uncle takes her out to the water to show her the spot and explain the story to her. Why he doesn't explain to Margaret who's been actively seeking out answers, idk. Book doesn't explain that either. Margaret thinks he's tryna kill Sophie, she goes out with a newfound friend who is obsessed w the comics, and they try getting Sophie back. Stuff happens, Sophie falls in the water and can't swim so Margaret jumps in after her but the water's so cold she does nothing helpful, so uncle jumps in and gets Sophie out, has a lil heart to heart with Margaret but at the same time manages to say nothing important or helpful and neither does Margaret, so they don't really have a heart to heart, maybe just a mouth to mouth, since they're both talking about nothing? Then ppl w searchlights come and he's upset that ppl are looking for the kids, even tho he's the one who called the mom and told her the kids were gone in the first place, so it's really him who did all this, but fsr he blames it on Margaret. Okay. It's not that important apparently bc it never gets brought up again, and for all we know Margaret doesn't even think about it bc that's how much time is spent on the subject. Why even bring it up, idk. But he says that stuff and then just...slips under the water. Margaret's rly upset bc even tho she knows virtually nothing abt this rat man, she still rly wants him alive. Search party takes her back to Boyd's house, while they continue to search for the uncle. Actual spoiler:Spoiler
Don't find him, everyone's sad, the mom has a heart to heart with Margaret and Boyd, tho it's just meant for Margaret,Overall, was left a little bit disappointed. Thought the ending was going to be predictable, was pleasantly surprised, and then it made an abrupt 360 and turned out to be just as predictable as I'd thought after all. Which was part of why I was disappointed (
Spoiler
I think it honestly would have made for a better ending if the uncle had died. Otherwise what's the point.Things the book does poorly:
1. part of the writing is stilted. Hard to get into and imagine happening.
2. the writing is sloppy. Examples:
(a) She hears Tina Louise telling her instructions at the beginning of the book (which is confusing because it's written like she can see and hear TL, even though TL isn't there, so the reader knows she can't actually see her, but it's honestly written like she can. Which is confusing, creepy, and annoying), and then somewhere along the way, she completely stops hearing/seeing her. Like, just stops. Not like the character is growing and maturing and learning to figure things out on her own, nah, she just stops cold turkey. Goes from every couple pages to not at all the next chapter.
(b) The author tells us specifically Boyd's never been out on the water with his dad - but somehow as soon as it's down to brass tacks not only does he know how to start it, but he knows how to drive it. And he's never even been on it. Motorboat driving isn't picked up in one day, in a couple minutes, under extreme pressure.
3. Boyd's emotions are confusing (especially for a 12-year-old boy). Why does he cry about lying, in front of the girl he lied to? I just don't understand why he got all cut up about letting her believe (not even saying, so was he technically even lying...?) it was her uncle who tied him up, not the three bullies.
4. leaves a lot of questions and loose threads. For example:
(a) who is Mr. Librarian? I assumed he would come into it at the end, since he plays a p big role throughout the book. And I assumed since he acted secretive and knowledgeable, that he actually HAD secrets and knowledge, but ig not ?
(b) what was the point of him scaring her
(c) sorry this is a spoiler for those of you tryna decide whether to read this or not. I can always save you the trouble if you want to read the spoiler at the v bottom of this review.
Spoiler
there's not much resolution, and they never even talk to the uncle, so ig he's still going to live his life with guilt over his brother except now with un-estranged relatives ?(d) Boyd has a mortal terror of the water, but it never really explains why - just that he does. And he gets over it v quickly.
(e) never explains why Lizzie was always tired and sleeping, though it hints that (a) it was because of her husband's death, and (b) it wasn't because of her husband's death. But it never clarifies which one it actually is.
(f) ...is the uncle a rat, or not? When she sees him in the library, she makes it seem like he's 100% a man-turned-rat. However, the book makes it very clear that he's a human, so which is it? Even while reading I was pretty confused whether he's supposed to strongly resemble or actually BE a rat. And why?
(g) How does that happen, anyway? Because the story of how he turned rat was given to the reader through the comic book, and we know the comic is fictionalized (eg: there's no Drowning Ghost), so we never get to know how or why he turned into/goes as a rat.
(h) Boyd has this hero worship of Ratt dude, but unlike most stories, he never gets to tell Ratt. Or even talk to him, in the story. Obviously he does talk to him, bc
Spoiler
Ratt's on the boat with him(i)
Spoiler
Why does the uncle go out with Boyd just to touch Lizzie's hand? Assuming Margaret's right, and it's just to let them know he's alive and it wasn't their fault, wouldn't he just send them smth and then they come visit? Or anything less cryptic, dramatic, and extra?5. frustrated at the lack of resolution or character growth in this book. And the author thinking little things fix big things. Specifically, this part in the book:
Margaret never really apologizes for what she said at the library on page 196. She flies off the handle, rips into him, exposes his insecurities, while belittling them and him. He's really hurt but doesn't say anything, just keeps going with their plan even if he'll have more fallout from it going wrong than she will, and she never says anything even though she knows all this, and how much she hurt him. So... ? So what? Nothing comes of it, so why did that even happen? Like, neither one of them grows from that. Nothing happens. She says she's really sorry about what she said (pg 221), but she never tells him 1) she was speaking out of anger 2) not all of that is true and 3) not all of the things that are true are true to the extent that she was making them out to be. If that makes sense. He mumbles, "don't worry about it" and then she tells him she eats her lunches in a bathroom stall. And apparently that fixes all hurt feelings bc he goes back to normal, friendly, old Boyd, and it's never brought up again. So yeah she's sorry, but if he thinks it's all true then it's still going to hurt him and embarrass him and make him more shy and insecure than he already was. So saying sorry didn't really do anything. But the writer apparently believes telling someone about an insecurity of yours makes all their thousand insecurities that you just exploited and exposed and ripped apart and made worse...is all going to go away? Because you shared something about yourself that you're not proud of? I'm sorry, but ...okay? ...big deal? ...who cares? and how in heck does that change anything? Notice that he's still obsessed with the comics at the end, so it's not like the author was using that to bring maturity and showing a kid growing up and moving on to real life. Nah, she just wanted to make Margaret have a little mean time.
6. I've read a lot of books that do this, and I hated it every time, because it's so unrealistic and relationships don't work this way. And because it slows down the book and delays so many things that don't need to be delayed (and hinder the progress of the characters bc of it). OKAY so here's what it is: the kids hide the randomest stuff from each other because of dumb fears they have. So both the stuff they're hiding isn't worth hiding, and the reason they're hiding it doesn't justify hiding it in the first place. That happens multiple times in the book:
(a) Boyd hides the fact that the Threes tied him up, not the uncle. He can't bring himself to tell Margaret that he lied about it, and he stalls her while he's tryna get up the courage to tell her. So he slows her down from rescuing her sister (both believe that if they don't go soon, she'll be killed) and then decides in the end to not even tell her anyway so what was the point. Also not sure why the author felt the need to constantly talk about his fear of telling her that it was the Threes, especially since when he does get over his fear, it's incredibly quick and takes about a sentence to wrap up so why all the hype. Super unnecessary and just took up valuable page space that could have been used for character growth or progress. Also not sure why he's crying about it in the boat. If you've read the story, you'll probably know the part. If you haven't, basically he almost tells her and then just can't, so he starts crying while starting up the boat that will take them out to Sophie.
(b) Margaret hides what she saw in the library, and the fact that it's her uncle who's been writing about the two boys, and that it's her dad who was the ghost (p215). Why? Because "what does that make her?" Uhhh, idk, related? (fr, I'm not sure what she's worried about will happen if she tells Boyd her uncle is the Ratt dude.)
7. (pg 255) When everything's gone down, and they're looking for Ratt, she gets in a boat to go back to shore, and she sees Sophie grinning at her - obviously, at that point,
Spoiler
Sophie didn't know Ratt wasn't alive. And she knows they're looking for him - ig she thinks they'll find him alive and save him ? but in that case, why is she all happy, wouldn't she be worried? Besides, she gets p upset when they say they're taking her back, and she's like "but I want to stay", so why she all happyThings the book does well:
honestly just a bunch of quotes.
This is silly, I said to myself. Go downstairs and wait for morning. But even as I said it, I knew I wouldn't. It wasn't some test of bravery or even curiosity anymore. It was just that if I turned around and went downstairs, it would mean there was smth to be afraid of. And if there was smth to be afraid of, then how would I be able to spend the rest of the night in that house?
(p131)
"This is all your fault," I said to my mother. "Your fault." I didn't mean it, really. I knew there was a lot I would never understand - like what it must have been like to have two small kids and a dead husband. But I wanted to hurt someone as much as I hurt. And I wanted it to be her.bt, dt.
(page 265)
This isn't just my story, and where it beings and ends for me isn't where it begins and ends for anyone else.
(p276)
I will say this. People leave their stories everywhere. On tiny scraps of paper and initials scratched in wooden benches. In bits of conversation overheard at a bus stop or floating out from a second-story window on a warm, summer day. In what they throw away but shouldn't, and in what they should throw away but can't. Even on grocery lists, if you squint your eyes and look at them long enough.And it does have a satisfying explanation for all the "Editor's notes" and who's behind writing the book, that's one thing I liked about the ending.
(page 281)
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Never done this before, and might start doing when the books aren't worth reading, but if you want to spoil the book for yourself:
Spoiler
While on the ferry, going home, a speedboat comes and it's Boyd and the rat dude, so everyone is happy that everyone is alive, and more or less not traumatized or emotionally scarred by all this. And that's where it ends, ish. If you're not satisfied, reading the book isn't going to help, because unsatisfied was the feeling I had when I finished it.
How to Disappear Completely and Never Be Found by Sara Nickerson
I was given this as a gift by my Nan when I was younger. It was a brilliant read and just scary enough without going overboard. I also loved the comic strips inside the book, great idea!
I was given this as a gift by my Nan when I was younger. It was a brilliant read and just scary enough without going overboard. I also loved the comic strips inside the book, great idea!
I picked up this book as a throwback to elementary school to see if it would hold up 10+ years later, and I was surprised and delighted to find that it was just as good as, if not better, than before. You can tell that it's geared towards younger audiences and it's a fast read (2.5 hours) but an entertaining one. Even remembering some of the twists and reveals from before, the plot moves quickly and with enough suspense that it kept my attention to have me reading it cover to cover in one sitting.
Nickerson manages to convey the story of a 12 year old girl trying to figure out where she fits in in her family in a way that is both dark and lighthearted at the same time, dealing with topics like her mother's depression and the mystery of her deceased father. All in all, a book that holds up no matter how old you are when you read it.
Nickerson manages to convey the story of a 12 year old girl trying to figure out where she fits in in her family in a way that is both dark and lighthearted at the same time, dealing with topics like her mother's depression and the mystery of her deceased father. All in all, a book that holds up no matter how old you are when you read it.
"There's that moment, right before you blow out the candles on your birthday cake, that moment you have a fleeting sense of something not so happy and not so birthday. Maybe it comes from understanding the order of things, because I know Sophie doesn't feel it yet. When I was her age, I didn't feel it, either. But once you understand the order of things, you know that when the presents are opened, you'll never again be able to wonder what they might be. And when the candles are blown out, it's time to eat the cake. And when the cake is eaten, there's nothing left but to say thank you and send everyone home. I still like cake and I still like presents. It's just that now, there's one little moment of sadness right before I blow out the candles - that one little moment where I peek into the future and say good-bye to another birthday, even before it's over."
This book has been on my to-read list forever, and to be honest, I can't remember why I added it. It might have been because the author is from Washington or because I stumbled on it while looking for a different book and thought it sounded interesting. This is a middle grade read, but it never talks down to the reader and even tackles some important issues - divorce, death and depression of a parent. In this book, Margaret's mother sleeps all the time after the death of her husband - a death that Margaret and her sister, Sophie, know barely anything about. This book took me on an interesting adventure that I wasn't expecting, and I couldn't predict much of it either. I especially like the revelation at the very end of the book on who the narrator was. I was definitely recommend this book to those interested in middle grade.
This book has been on my to-read list forever, and to be honest, I can't remember why I added it. It might have been because the author is from Washington or because I stumbled on it while looking for a different book and thought it sounded interesting. This is a middle grade read, but it never talks down to the reader and even tackles some important issues - divorce, death and depression of a parent. In this book, Margaret's mother sleeps all the time after the death of her husband - a death that Margaret and her sister, Sophie, know barely anything about. This book took me on an interesting adventure that I wasn't expecting, and I couldn't predict much of it either. I especially like the revelation at the very end of the book on who the narrator was. I was definitely recommend this book to those interested in middle grade.
challenging
mysterious
reflective
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
I OVERCAME MY DEBILITATING RAT PHOBIA JUST IN TIME TO FALL IN LOVE WITH THIS WEIRD, WHIMSICAL, TOUCHING STORY
adventurous
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No