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3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Spoilers? If you can even be spoiled for a book where (spoiler alert) very little happens and nothing is revealed.
I am editing this review to say the following: After a friend of mine read this book and found the same problems I did, I went to research the deal on Publishers Marketplace and was appalled to find out that this was sold in a major two-book deal. That's at least $500k. For one book that is just a vague prologue, really, and for another that I will definitely not be reading because this should have been one book so that there was actual momentum.
Surely no one thought this was going to compare to Brian Selznick, right?
Back to the review: Okay, I wanted to give it two stars because the illustrations were competent enough, but they didn't help add any intensity to the story and the story was a huge, huge problem. So though the palette was nice and the lighting was nice, I just... don't think of them. I think of how I was cheated out of a story.
This is a one star book. Not because of anything particularly horrific or bad, but because I just didn't get a sense that anything... happened. The title must reflect the feeling you're supposed to get while reading this for 340 pages, because otherwise it doesn't make much sense. Yes, Oliver's father's paper is The Doldrums Press, but other than that, it's just kind of arbitrary.
Because, okay, yes, Archer is locked in his house... Only in the sense that he's allowed out of it for school (where he goes out on the town to meet with Adelaide and Oliver) and freely continues sneaking to visit his two child neighbors. Almost every day. Without ever being caught.
So, really, he's certainly not trapped.
Also, I do not understand, and it is never fully justified, why Archer's mother decides to "trap" her young son inside, and why his father just goes along with it. I mean, it makes no sense at all. His grandparents were presumed lost on an iceberg. How a nine to eleven-year-old boy would meet a similar fate and therefore need to be locked up (except for school) is beyond me. His mother doesn't seem irrational or upset. She doesn't even seem to like Archer's grandparents, for reasons vaguely explained in the last chapter.
Overall, Archer's being trapped feels very forced. His mother never even checks on him, allowing him to journey across town with his friends, and return, without being noticed.
Since we never find out anything substantial regarding Archer's grandparents, I guess the real antagonist in the novel is Aunt Marge Trunchbull Mrs. Margery Murkley? Who is really a mishmash of other, better-developed nasty characters and serves less of a purpose.
Because I didn't feel that Archer was really trapped, and that there weren't any real antagonists that might really do something to interfere with plans that were so outlandish and only developed in the last third of the book, I didn't feel any tension.
In fact, at first I thought, okay, the book will cover the summer and Archer's attempts to get out of the house. But no, summer ends very quickly and he never gets out of the house (well, with permission) and it's never addressed again. We instead move into the new school year and the arrival of Mrs. Murkley/Aunt Marge/Trunchbull, who may or may not have a past with the Nice Librarian Character (I was going to laugh hysterically if it was revealed they were related... but nothing was revealed).
Let's just chronicle the things that were not revealed in this 340 page book:
1.) Precisely why Ralph and Rachel Helmsley were not welcome in their own house, to visit their grandson. They are seemingly just a pair of explorers who got lost. A quick paragraph in the final chapter, vaguely talking about how OTHER people in Ralph and Rachel's circle were... strange? isn't enough to make things satisfying. I mean, there's no allusion to magical worlds or nefarious associations, apart from two old sea dog types who knew them.
2.) Mrs. Marge Murkley Trunchbull's past, regarding why she left her previous school.
3.) What her relationship may or may not be with the librarian.
Okay, so, those are actually the only mysterious plot points in the novel. And not one of them was given a satisfactory explanation.
I've said it before and I'm going to say it again: there is a serious First Novel of a Series problem going on in current MG and YA. Regardless of a novel's series potential, it needs to stand alone, with just enough left to make the reader wonder what will happen next. The reader should not be reading onward because the author never explained what was going on in the first book.
That's not how this works! That's not how any of this works!
Think about the first Harry Potter book. It ends very neatly. Yes, obviously we know the Voldemort problem isn't really solved, and Dumbledore gives us answers that we only later learn are half-truths. But we don't feel they are half-truths at the time. Rowling is not trying to create cliffhangers. Why Harry survived, for example, is provided to us. Voldemort is vanquished for the second time. The school year ends. The reader may or may not want to see what happens in the second year, but everything they read in the first book was wrapped up.
Think about if, instead, the first HP book was entirely about the Dursleys being paranoid about Harry and Harry wondering why he does these weird, seemingly magical things. Then, in the final chapter, Hagrid appears and the Dursleys are forced to vaguely allude that they know something is going on but we still never find out what Harry is. And then it ends.
I feel like this is the structure being used to start series now, and it's making me crazy.
I am editing this review to say the following: After a friend of mine read this book and found the same problems I did, I went to research the deal on Publishers Marketplace and was appalled to find out that this was sold in a major two-book deal. That's at least $500k. For one book that is just a vague prologue, really, and for another that I will definitely not be reading because this should have been one book so that there was actual momentum.
Surely no one thought this was going to compare to Brian Selznick, right?
Back to the review: Okay, I wanted to give it two stars because the illustrations were competent enough, but they didn't help add any intensity to the story and the story was a huge, huge problem. So though the palette was nice and the lighting was nice, I just... don't think of them. I think of how I was cheated out of a story.
This is a one star book. Not because of anything particularly horrific or bad, but because I just didn't get a sense that anything... happened. The title must reflect the feeling you're supposed to get while reading this for 340 pages, because otherwise it doesn't make much sense. Yes, Oliver's father's paper is The Doldrums Press, but other than that, it's just kind of arbitrary.
Because, okay, yes, Archer is locked in his house... Only in the sense that he's allowed out of it for school (where he goes out on the town to meet with Adelaide and Oliver) and freely continues sneaking to visit his two child neighbors. Almost every day. Without ever being caught.
So, really, he's certainly not trapped.
Also, I do not understand, and it is never fully justified, why Archer's mother decides to "trap" her young son inside, and why his father just goes along with it. I mean, it makes no sense at all. His grandparents were presumed lost on an iceberg. How a nine to eleven-year-old boy would meet a similar fate and therefore need to be locked up (except for school) is beyond me. His mother doesn't seem irrational or upset. She doesn't even seem to like Archer's grandparents, for reasons vaguely explained in the last chapter.
Overall, Archer's being trapped feels very forced. His mother never even checks on him, allowing him to journey across town with his friends, and return, without being noticed.
Since we never find out anything substantial regarding Archer's grandparents, I guess the real antagonist in the novel is Aunt Marge Trunchbull Mrs. Margery Murkley? Who is really a mishmash of other, better-developed nasty characters and serves less of a purpose.
Because I didn't feel that Archer was really trapped, and that there weren't any real antagonists that might really do something to interfere with plans that were so outlandish and only developed in the last third of the book, I didn't feel any tension.
In fact, at first I thought, okay, the book will cover the summer and Archer's attempts to get out of the house. But no, summer ends very quickly and he never gets out of the house (well, with permission) and it's never addressed again. We instead move into the new school year and the arrival of Mrs. Murkley/Aunt Marge/Trunchbull, who may or may not have a past with the Nice Librarian Character (I was going to laugh hysterically if it was revealed they were related... but nothing was revealed).
Let's just chronicle the things that were not revealed in this 340 page book:
1.) Precisely why Ralph and Rachel Helmsley were not welcome in their own house, to visit their grandson. They are seemingly just a pair of explorers who got lost. A quick paragraph in the final chapter, vaguely talking about how OTHER people in Ralph and Rachel's circle were... strange? isn't enough to make things satisfying. I mean, there's no allusion to magical worlds or nefarious associations, apart from two old sea dog types who knew them.
2.) Mrs. Marge Murkley Trunchbull's past, regarding why she left her previous school.
3.) What her relationship may or may not be with the librarian.
Okay, so, those are actually the only mysterious plot points in the novel. And not one of them was given a satisfactory explanation.
I've said it before and I'm going to say it again: there is a serious First Novel of a Series problem going on in current MG and YA. Regardless of a novel's series potential, it needs to stand alone, with just enough left to make the reader wonder what will happen next. The reader should not be reading onward because the author never explained what was going on in the first book.
That's not how this works! That's not how any of this works!
Think about the first Harry Potter book. It ends very neatly. Yes, obviously we know the Voldemort problem isn't really solved, and Dumbledore gives us answers that we only later learn are half-truths. But we don't feel they are half-truths at the time. Rowling is not trying to create cliffhangers. Why Harry survived, for example, is provided to us. Voldemort is vanquished for the second time. The school year ends. The reader may or may not want to see what happens in the second year, but everything they read in the first book was wrapped up.
Think about if, instead, the first HP book was entirely about the Dursleys being paranoid about Harry and Harry wondering why he does these weird, seemingly magical things. Then, in the final chapter, Hagrid appears and the Dursleys are forced to vaguely allude that they know something is going on but we still never find out what Harry is. And then it ends.
I feel like this is the structure being used to start series now, and it's making me crazy.
My enjoyment of this was definitely tempered by the fact that I was reading an ARC version that didn't include many of the full-color illustrations. I bet the actual hardcover edition is beautiful.
The actual story left a bit to be desired. I love stories of children wanting to find adventure, but it took a while for anything to start happening and I didn't really connect with Archer. His mother seemed to act insanely overprotective for no real reason. I also didn't care for the multitude of fat jokes and insinuations, either.
The ending was fun and finally got to the point I was hoping for. Late middle-grade readers might enjoy this.
The actual story left a bit to be desired. I love stories of children wanting to find adventure, but it took a while for anything to start happening and I didn't really connect with Archer. His mother seemed to act insanely overprotective for no real reason. I also didn't care for the multitude of fat jokes and insinuations, either.
The ending was fun and finally got to the point I was hoping for. Late middle-grade readers might enjoy this.
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a fun middle grade. There was a promise of adventure, and there was, but it wasn’t the kind of adventure I was expecting or hoping for. A few adult characters were incredibly frustrating, but the kids weren’t particularly lovable themselves. I did enjoy the overall narrative voice of the book, as it was a bit wry and cheeky, which added a lot to the book itself. I can’t say that I loved the first half of the book behind complete set up, though. I really wished we got down to the main plot points faster.
3.5*
A charming book with incredible illustrations, all about quirky kids who decide to go on an adventure. What made it stand out was how quaint and adorable it was. When you're about eleven or twelve, you're starting to realise that life isn't exactly like Narnia, or the Famous Five, or whatever. And it's a pretty sad thing. This helps restore some of the magic. It's got serious Peter Pan London vibes...if Peter Pan never arrived, and the Darlings just kept playing make-believe. A quick afternoon read, for when you want to feel like an eleven-year-old who wants to escape the sameness of life :D <3
A charming book with incredible illustrations, all about quirky kids who decide to go on an adventure. What made it stand out was how quaint and adorable it was. When you're about eleven or twelve, you're starting to realise that life isn't exactly like Narnia, or the Famous Five, or whatever. And it's a pretty sad thing. This helps restore some of the magic. It's got serious Peter Pan London vibes...if Peter Pan never arrived, and the Darlings just kept playing make-believe. A quick afternoon read, for when you want to feel like an eleven-year-old who wants to escape the sameness of life :D <3
I really liked this book. The illustrations and the writing were fabulous. I think the story was very interesting. It is a children's adventure book with a more realistic end. It deals with children who are not prepared and can't really achieve their plan going on an adventure.
adventurous
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
This was a really fun middle grade book. I liked the characters and there were some really great descriptions in parts of the story. But the illustrations- they are beautiful. This was a book I bought because of the cover and the illustrations. I didn't know anything about it but I was drawn to it. I am glad it didn't disappoint. I want to read more! I hope the next book gives us more about the grandparents. Kids will love this.
I read this aloud to my five- and eight-year-old daughters. We liked it. It was a bit long and seemed to drag at times. But it was a cute story and there were several LOL moments, which I always love. I like books that make my girls giggle at times. That's how I know they're paying attention. And that they like it. I would definitely read other books by this author.
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated