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senmeow 's review for:
Juniper Berry
by M.P. Kozlowsky
As an older reader, I didn't find this book very creepy, but if I'd read it as a kid I definitely would have. A+ for that. That being said, I found the book way too preachy. I don't think most kids would notice the barely-there veneer of plot Kozlowsky is putting over the preachy message that he is trying to hammer in, but I doubt I would have liked this book much when I was in the targeted age group. The setting is weird and the way. Giles is a really weird character, to be honest. Can't even pin down why; it's not like he's unique in being weak and a victim of bullying.
There is one scene where Dmitri has some dialogue with Juniper and it feels so stiff and awkward, like a lecture straight out of a book on how to connect with your kids. Cringe.
This whole book seemed terribly out of touch to me; at times, there would be little "asides" in the narration, the kind of reminded me of how adults talk to kids in that mildly patronizing way where they say, "Oh, I get it, because I'm a cool adult." Like little odd details supposed to make the book more quirky. In my opinion, they just felt out of place. Can a narrator (like a parent) be cool while teaching a lesson? Yes, but this book didn't do it.
Even the friendship between Juniper and Giles made me wonder if Kozlowsky has ever met any fifth/sixth-graders in his life.
Reading this, I got flashbacks to my condescending English teacher in high school, who was one of the worst teachers I ever had.
There is one scene where Dmitri has some dialogue with Juniper and it feels so stiff and awkward, like a lecture straight out of a book on how to connect with your kids. Cringe.
This whole book seemed terribly out of touch to me; at times, there would be little "asides" in the narration, the kind of reminded me of how adults talk to kids in that mildly patronizing way where they say, "Oh, I get it, because I'm a cool adult." Like little odd details supposed to make the book more quirky. In my opinion, they just felt out of place. Can a narrator (like a parent) be cool while teaching a lesson? Yes, but this book didn't do it.
Even the friendship between Juniper and Giles made me wonder if Kozlowsky has ever met any fifth/sixth-graders in his life.
Reading this, I got flashbacks to my condescending English teacher in high school, who was one of the worst teachers I ever had.