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A review by bargainsleuth
Dear America: Behind the Masks by Susan Patron
1.0
This is the second of the newer Dear America books that I've read and disliked. The original books were much better because they gave the reader a glimpse of what life was like during a specific time period, entries weren't long, and the writer was believable as a child. These new books have really long diary entries making it read as a novel. The author didn't write the way a child wrote, at best this came off as more YA than a children's book. There are so many subplots, it is hard to keep track of them all.
I guess this book was supposed to teach kids what life was like in a gold mining town in 1880, but it really didn't, except to spend a lot of time talking about gambling and brothels, not exactly something I expect to find in a children's book. I wouldn't want to have that conversation with a 9-year old. Again, maybe for a YA book. And then there's the ghost that appears in the story and is seen by no less than 4 people. An explanation is never given. I didn't think it fit in a children's historical fiction, where the reader is supposed to be reading about history. It would, however, fit in a YA book.
So, really, this book is written for an older audience, who might not want to read it because the rest of the Dear America books are aimed at the 8-12 year old range and are found in the children's section.
I guess this book was supposed to teach kids what life was like in a gold mining town in 1880, but it really didn't, except to spend a lot of time talking about gambling and brothels, not exactly something I expect to find in a children's book. I wouldn't want to have that conversation with a 9-year old. Again, maybe for a YA book. And then there's the ghost that appears in the story and is seen by no less than 4 people. An explanation is never given. I didn't think it fit in a children's historical fiction, where the reader is supposed to be reading about history. It would, however, fit in a YA book.
So, really, this book is written for an older audience, who might not want to read it because the rest of the Dear America books are aimed at the 8-12 year old range and are found in the children's section.