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A review by annettebooksofhopeanddreams
Best Nerds Forever by Chris Grabenstein, James Patterson
3.0
I'm not entirely sure why I added this book to my wishlist. However, last week I all of a sudden saw that there was an Amazon deal to get this book for about 5 euros and therefore I decided to order it and give it a go. This afternoon, when I was 1/3rd into an epic fantasy and got a little tired of all the names and politics, I decided to grab this middle grade to power through it. About 90 minutes later I finished the book.
This is not the kind of middle grade that also has something special for adults reading the story. There are no symbolic hidden layers or messages that will fly over the kids heads. It's actually quite a simple story. Finn dies and he is not ready to leave this earth behind until he deals with his unfinished business. In his case he has to try to find the driver of the car chasing him and forcing him to make a capital error.
Since Finn is easily distracted by anything and everything it takes quite some time before he actually tries to find some clues regarding his accident. Although I understand that a lot of thirteen year olds really are like that, I had some trouble really connecting with Finn throughout the story. After all, watching a Ghost play playstation or binge-watch series isn't the most interesting thing ever. It was only when he met Isabella that the story got a lot more interesting.
However, along the way Patterson did some great things when it comes to moving on and mourning. Since Finn was actively watching his friends and parents, he saw that after some time they stopped mentioning him in all their conversations. He saw that they were moving on and life continued, one way or another. Finn also learned that life can be over at any moment and that actually he forgot to enjoy it. However, especially the latter message felt a little forced and unnatural.
Most likely the book is very entertaining for kids, but it's not that entertaining for adults.
This is not the kind of middle grade that also has something special for adults reading the story. There are no symbolic hidden layers or messages that will fly over the kids heads. It's actually quite a simple story. Finn dies and he is not ready to leave this earth behind until he deals with his unfinished business. In his case he has to try to find the driver of the car chasing him and forcing him to make a capital error.
Since Finn is easily distracted by anything and everything it takes quite some time before he actually tries to find some clues regarding his accident. Although I understand that a lot of thirteen year olds really are like that, I had some trouble really connecting with Finn throughout the story. After all, watching a Ghost play playstation or binge-watch series isn't the most interesting thing ever. It was only when he met Isabella that the story got a lot more interesting.
However, along the way Patterson did some great things when it comes to moving on and mourning. Since Finn was actively watching his friends and parents, he saw that after some time they stopped mentioning him in all their conversations. He saw that they were moving on and life continued, one way or another. Finn also learned that life can be over at any moment and that actually he forgot to enjoy it. However, especially the latter message felt a little forced and unnatural.
Most likely the book is very entertaining for kids, but it's not that entertaining for adults.