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3.25 AVERAGE
3.25 AVERAGE
Admittedly, I took a risk in reading this novel because I am NOT a James Patterson fan. I figured that I would give this book a try because he is partnered with a different writer. I also love reading novels about sisters.
The Runaway's Diary is a story about Eleanor trying to find her sister that ran away to Seattle. Fortunately for Eleanor, her parents never have the brilliant idea of tracking her phone that she brings with her, so she spends a LONG time in Seattle. Yet, things in Seattle aren't going as Eleanor planned: her sister isn't answering her phone calls, she barely has any money, and she struggles to find a place to stay. Along the way she meets a homeless boy Jesse who takes pity on her, showing how to live off the streets (we will get to him later, cause I have things to say).
I will start off with the things that I did like about this book. I loved how the author portrayed homelessness. Although things could have been a lot worse, the novel never glorifies this side of the story. As a reader, we fully understand that Eleanor is making horrible choices that puts her in danger. She is not a hero. She is fifteen. She. Should. Go. Home.
Now for the not so good things. Did Eleanor really learn any lessons? Did she really learn not to lie? Did she learn that her actions placed her in severe danger? Did she learn that it is okay to ask for help from an adult? Although there are some horrible adults in this book, not all of them were bad. She kind of ends with the things might be okay and tells us something she has been lying to the reader about, but it felt hollow. It felt like Eleanor didn't take anything away from this experience and I'm still worried about her.
The sister plot disappointed me. The novel kind of sold itself on it being a book about sisterly love, yet we got virtually none of this. I felt like I hardly knew Sam, Eleanor's sister. All we really know about Sam from the book was that she partied a lot and was supposedly close with Eleanor. We hardly had any flashbacks that told a memory, just tidbits on what kind of person Sam was. I hardly cared about Sam or knew why Eleanor and her were so close. Did Sam look after her in school? Did she eat lunch with her? Did they play music together or dance around to the Beatles? Did Sam push Eleanor's bully down the staircase? Did Sam allow Eleanor to hang out with her friends? Because these kinds of things would make Eleanor idolize Sam. Just having small surface level conversations in their bedroom is not enough for sisters to become best friends.
Throughout the diary we know that Eleanor is hiding something she had done to her sister. She also believes the wrong she had committed sent Sam packing, which never made sense because she still sent a postcard to Eleanor (kind of showcasing that she's not mad at her). The secret felt very lame and anti-climatic.
All of this brings me to Jesse, who learns Eleanor's true reason for running after Sam. To be fair to Jesse, he has shown her a lot of kindness. He gives her a place to stay, gives tips for finding food, and acknowledges that even in their hard circumstances they shouldn't give up hope. I love those qualities in him, however, I am not blinded by the fact that he is imperfect. The only problem is the writer doesn't seem to see his imperfections as imperfections. He is portrayed as a hero throughout the entire book and the one person Eleanor thanks on her journey. He is never casted in a gray light or seen apologizing for his actions when in fact he does things that he should apologize for.
Needless to say this was a very disappointing read for me.
The Runaway's Diary is a story about Eleanor trying to find her sister that ran away to Seattle. Fortunately for Eleanor, her parents never have the brilliant idea of tracking her phone that she brings with her, so she spends a LONG time in Seattle. Yet, things in Seattle aren't going as Eleanor planned: her sister isn't answering her phone calls, she barely has any money, and she struggles to find a place to stay. Along the way she meets a homeless boy Jesse who takes pity on her, showing how to live off the streets (we will get to him later, cause I have things to say).
I will start off with the things that I did like about this book. I loved how the author portrayed homelessness. Although things could have been a lot worse, the novel never glorifies this side of the story. As a reader, we fully understand that Eleanor is making horrible choices that puts her in danger. She is not a hero. She is fifteen. She. Should. Go. Home.
Now for the not so good things. Did Eleanor really learn any lessons? Did she really learn not to lie? Did she learn that her actions placed her in severe danger? Did she learn that it is okay to ask for help from an adult? Although there are some horrible adults in this book, not all of them were bad. She kind of ends with the things might be okay and tells us something she has been lying to the reader about, but it felt hollow. It felt like Eleanor didn't take anything away from this experience and I'm still worried about her.
The sister plot disappointed me. The novel kind of sold itself on it being a book about sisterly love, yet we got virtually none of this. I felt like I hardly knew Sam, Eleanor's sister. All we really know about Sam from the book was that she partied a lot and was supposedly close with Eleanor. We hardly had any flashbacks that told a memory, just tidbits on what kind of person Sam was. I hardly cared about Sam or knew why Eleanor and her were so close. Did Sam look after her in school? Did she eat lunch with her? Did they play music together or dance around to the Beatles? Did Sam push Eleanor's bully down the staircase? Did Sam allow Eleanor to hang out with her friends? Because these kinds of things would make Eleanor idolize Sam. Just having small surface level conversations in their bedroom is not enough for sisters to become best friends.
Throughout the diary we know that Eleanor is hiding something she had done to her sister. She also believes the wrong she had committed sent Sam packing, which never made sense because she still sent a postcard to Eleanor (kind of showcasing that she's not mad at her). The secret felt very lame and anti-climatic.
Spoiler
Calling the cops on her sister probably wasn't the best course of action to help her sister. However, I still wanted more conflict. Sure, Sam was upset when she found out about Eleanor, but it would have been more exciting if Eleanor had truly done something vicious and had a huge falling out with her sister. It would have made their reunion more climatic on trying to figure out if Sam would still be mad. I also wanted to plug in the "resolution" between the two sisters never felt like it had a complete ending. They never truly talk about the events that transpired before Sam left. All Sam says about it was that she didn't leave because of that. Sam did look visibly upset about Eleanor's confession, but she didn't dive into the feelings clearly expressed on her face. I really felt like I needed more of a conversations between both sistersAll of this brings me to Jesse, who learns Eleanor's true reason for running after Sam. To be fair to Jesse, he has shown her a lot of kindness. He gives her a place to stay, gives tips for finding food, and acknowledges that even in their hard circumstances they shouldn't give up hope. I love those qualities in him, however, I am not blinded by the fact that he is imperfect. The only problem is the writer doesn't seem to see his imperfections as imperfections. He is portrayed as a hero throughout the entire book and the one person Eleanor thanks on her journey. He is never casted in a gray light or seen apologizing for his actions when in fact he does things that he should apologize for.
Spoiler
First, Jesse bails on Eleanor two times. He takes her to a drug house then goes to his room without an explanation. It left Eleanor feeling scared in a group of strangers, who clearly did not care for her well being. Eleanor eventually leaves feeling like Jesse bailed on her. Which he did! Why take her to a place full of strangers and then go to your room without explanation? At least TELL her where you are going! But the worst part of it is he never apologizes for this. He just defends himself saying that she needed to calm down he was just in his room. MY DUDE! You brought her to a crack house introduced her to people who said some not so good comments (which you were in the room to hear) then left without telling her you'll be upstairs. This is crappy behavior. Secondly and lastly, he never empathizes with Eleanor's secret for why she is trying to find Sam. Mind you, she empathized with his reason for homelessness! But after she tells him that she called the police on her sister, Jesse tells her "so what? I have seen people who died." Jesse, this isn't a contest. She's really struggling with this and she's worried. She's also fifteen and these are worries an average fifteen-year-old would think and care about. My point is just because Jesse is "hardened" by the streets does not mean that people who have never experienced homelessness have illegitimate problems. But the topping on the cake was that Eleanor went to HIM to apologize. She had nothing to apologize for and Jesse never follows it up with his own apology. At the end I really began to hate Jesse. At first I was a fan, but I am not a fan of the way he cannot live up to his own problems. .Needless to say this was a very disappointing read for me.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Just ok. Interesting plot line. Good illustrations. Not very dynamic.
Not what I was expecting. An ok story about a teenage girl who runs off to find her missing sister.
Believe it or not, this is the first James Patterson book I've read! I suppose the clichéd tagline for this book could be, "She ran away to find her sister, and found herself." Eleanor runs away to Seattle from some unknown place 500 miles away, to find her sister, who Eleanor herself may or may not have driven away with some unknown act. Eleanor is 15 and alone in the city with little money, but not without personal resources. She is naive, but sort of lucky -- she encounters the kinds of scary situations you'd expect a teenager alone in a big city to encounter, but finds herself in the reluctant protection of others (the human spirit is essentially kind, after all), and sees a little of how other people manage to survive harsh circumstances. A constant monologue runs in her head (and out of her mouth) as she works on coming to terms with her sister's disappearance, and her own role in that event, which is gradually revealed. I both loved and hated the suspense in this graphic novel, wondering if Eleanor will find her sister, whether she will be injured in the process, what she will discover about herself and the world around her. Based on the buildup, the climax is ... unexpected (I will say nothing more than that). But, because I pretty much couldn't put it down from the time I picked it up (except when I really had to go to sleep), this will be my first 5-star book of the year. Maybe I have more James Patterson in my future.
Ew no bad vibes.
It’s giving not like other girls.
The main character irritated me.
It’s giving not like other girls.
The main character irritated me.
I felt like this one just wrapped up way too neatly
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It was okay. I don’t think it really addressed the dangers that would face a young woman living on the street, and the “twist” on the last page kind of felt cheap. It took me two attempts to complete this book, which is super unusual for graphic novels. James Patterson as a person and author is kind of eh in my book, so I don’t think I’ll purchase this for the middle school library.
Eleanor runs away from home to find her older sister who also ran away from home. Through her, we learn how difficult life can be for a teenage runaway: relying on the kindness of strangers, begging (or in Eleanor's case telling stories) for money, finding a safe place to sleep. Eleanor won't give up on finding her sister, but it looks like her sister doesn't want to be found. Will she go home or go all in? #TheRunawaysDiary #NetGalley