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A review by miss_h
My Life in Dioramas by Tara Altebrando
5.0
I was provided with a free copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Kate Marino loves her unusual home, with the high ceilings and the beams that run across them, even with the dead flies that they keep finding in her parents room. She loves her backyard and the stream that runs through it by the forest in the back. She also loves a square of blacktop that she calls the tennis court, where she and her friends play and ride their scooters. Oh, and don't forget her dance classes and the dance troupe that they are finally starting up at her studio.
Then her parents tell her that they are moving.
That is not okay with Kate. So she devises a plan that will turn all potential buyers away from the house. Kate decides that she will do everything in her power to make they house reek. and for a while, she succeeds.
I finished this book in three days.
This was an easy read, but it still had substance to it, even with all the fun elements.
For example, there was a bit of friendship trouble that Kate was having with her best friend Stella. For one thing, they were developing separate interests. For another, Kate was hurt when Stella didn't seem to care that Kate, her best friend, was moving and hour away.
At first I really didn't like the rivalry between the two girls, particularly because Stella was making me angry. But as the book went on, their 'fight' and characters developed more, and it then interested me, and I really just wanted Kate to stop being friends with Stella, if I am perfectly honest.
Another part of this book that I liked was that the main character danced. I also dance. Of course, my dancing is of another type and is not competitive, but I still enjoyed it.
The dance troupe in the book was another cause for disharmony between the girls. Kate decided that she wanted to do the troupe, even through she was moving and shouldn't be able to. Stella, insisted that it was selfish of Kate to do that, because Kate would be moving and if she left then the entire class would have to re-choreograph the entire routine. During this part I could see things from both sides of the characters views. I agreed with Stella, who was being practical. However, I understood that Kate wanted to participate, and who thought she could hold of her move until after the competition.
In the beginning of the book, Kate and her parents don't understand each other and she seems to feel like they are distant. On top of this, Kate's mother is going through a difficult time and their family struggles terribly with their finances. I enjoyed seeing their relationship change throughout the story.
The last thing that I want to mention that I really like is the diorama element. The book is called 'My Life in Dioramas' for a reason. Throughout this entire story, Kate is putting all her happy memories of her family and life in her house, Big Red, into the form of dioramas. She makes her yard, and every room in the house, so that she could go back and look at them once she is gone and remember her old life. For the character, it was probably a very therapeutic exercise.
This book is meaningful and deals with real problems, but manages to be so in such a way that it makes you feel happy at the end and that ensures that you have fun reading the book.
It is appropriate for all ages and I would highly recommend it.
Enter my giveaway for the book!
https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/e382fe262/
Kate Marino loves her unusual home, with the high ceilings and the beams that run across them, even with the dead flies that they keep finding in her parents room. She loves her backyard and the stream that runs through it by the forest in the back. She also loves a square of blacktop that she calls the tennis court, where she and her friends play and ride their scooters. Oh, and don't forget her dance classes and the dance troupe that they are finally starting up at her studio.
Then her parents tell her that they are moving.
That is not okay with Kate. So she devises a plan that will turn all potential buyers away from the house. Kate decides that she will do everything in her power to make they house reek. and for a while, she succeeds.
I finished this book in three days.
This was an easy read, but it still had substance to it, even with all the fun elements.
For example, there was a bit of friendship trouble that Kate was having with her best friend Stella. For one thing, they were developing separate interests. For another, Kate was hurt when Stella didn't seem to care that Kate, her best friend, was moving and hour away.
At first I really didn't like the rivalry between the two girls, particularly because Stella was making me angry. But as the book went on, their 'fight' and characters developed more, and it then interested me, and I really just wanted Kate to stop being friends with Stella, if I am perfectly honest.
Another part of this book that I liked was that the main character danced. I also dance. Of course, my dancing is of another type and is not competitive, but I still enjoyed it.
The dance troupe in the book was another cause for disharmony between the girls. Kate decided that she wanted to do the troupe, even through she was moving and shouldn't be able to. Stella, insisted that it was selfish of Kate to do that, because Kate would be moving and if she left then the entire class would have to re-choreograph the entire routine. During this part I could see things from both sides of the characters views. I agreed with Stella, who was being practical. However, I understood that Kate wanted to participate, and who thought she could hold of her move until after the competition.
In the beginning of the book, Kate and her parents don't understand each other and she seems to feel like they are distant. On top of this, Kate's mother is going through a difficult time and their family struggles terribly with their finances. I enjoyed seeing their relationship change throughout the story.
The last thing that I want to mention that I really like is the diorama element. The book is called 'My Life in Dioramas' for a reason. Throughout this entire story, Kate is putting all her happy memories of her family and life in her house, Big Red, into the form of dioramas. She makes her yard, and every room in the house, so that she could go back and look at them once she is gone and remember her old life. For the character, it was probably a very therapeutic exercise.
This book is meaningful and deals with real problems, but manages to be so in such a way that it makes you feel happy at the end and that ensures that you have fun reading the book.
It is appropriate for all ages and I would highly recommend it.
Enter my giveaway for the book!
https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/e382fe262/