You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
Middle grade mystery. This book didn’t resonate with me. The characters seemed flat and the mystery was hardly mysterious. Additionally, the characters’ ages were problematic. I might have bought in more readily if they had been slightly older and more vividly drawn. Also, the actions of the adults, especially the parents, gave me a lot of pause. They didn’t feel authentic. Maura’s grandfather suffers a stroke, is comatose, and is admitted to the hospital, but Maura’s mother decides to go home a short time later because she’s tired and really, what could she do? Even though her own father is unresponsive and in ICU. Then, even though there’s no way for her to communicate with the hospital, she decides not to go back the next morning because she’s low on gas in her car and there might be long lines or shortages to get gas. So, in the midst of city wide blackout and civil unrest, she sends her eleven year old daughter on her bike to check in? And, she only grudgingly shares food with Luis and doesn’t want to give him a ride home? Not that I can’t appreciate her selfishness and concern for herself and her family but this was not a zombie apocalypse. The blackout was limited. Other places, not too far away, were not affected. Life as we know it was not about to be eradicated. Shortages were of an inconvenient and short term nature, not permanent. So why be stingy? It smacked of something else, honestly.
Maura and Luis are supposedly best friends but it never feels like it. They’re pretty antagonistic towards one another. Luis’ parents are absentee parents, partly plausible given their work schedules, but also described as self absorbed partiers with little parental involvement or caretaking. He’s eleven. Not that these circumstances don’t seem real, they are for many kids, but in this story it felt more convenient than real. When Luis’ parents do finally show up, two days into the blackout, to say they are getting out of the city for awhile, Luis tells his mom he’s not going with them to his aunt’s house, he can take care of himself, thanks. And his mom is like okay, if you’re sure. Bye. Huh?
The narrative was flat for me. We need diverse characters from diverse backgrounds with heroes journeys but we also need strong narratives with great prose to breathe them into life. The science seems sound to describe the cyberattack and how electricity works, but it also seemed rote and uninteresting. I skimmed a lot of that. The pieces just didn’t fall together for me with this novel. I found the note to the reader and resources at the end the most enjoyable part of this reading experience.
Maura and Luis are supposedly best friends but it never feels like it. They’re pretty antagonistic towards one another. Luis’ parents are absentee parents, partly plausible given their work schedules, but also described as self absorbed partiers with little parental involvement or caretaking. He’s eleven. Not that these circumstances don’t seem real, they are for many kids, but in this story it felt more convenient than real. When Luis’ parents do finally show up, two days into the blackout, to say they are getting out of the city for awhile, Luis tells his mom he’s not going with them to his aunt’s house, he can take care of himself, thanks. And his mom is like okay, if you’re sure. Bye. Huh?
The narrative was flat for me. We need diverse characters from diverse backgrounds with heroes journeys but we also need strong narratives with great prose to breathe them into life. The science seems sound to describe the cyberattack and how electricity works, but it also seemed rote and uninteresting. I skimmed a lot of that. The pieces just didn’t fall together for me with this novel. I found the note to the reader and resources at the end the most enjoyable part of this reading experience.