Scan barcode
A review by lmurray74
I Will Save You by Matt de la Peña
5.0
Damn! I did not see the ending coming. As I got close I found myself getting anxious about what was going to happen, what we see happening at the beginning of the story, and then BAM
I Will Save You is the story of Kidd and the summer he works at a campsite in southern California. Kidd was living in a group home before heading down there. At the campsite Kidd meets Olivia, a girl from a wealthy family, and they bond over a short amount of time.
The narrative is first person but it shifts from recall; to entries in a book Kidd has: his philosophy of life; and 'dreams' that come to him as he lies in solitary confinement. The variety in narrative styles add depth and variance to this tale of summer love, of redefining yourself and your life. It's a heartbreaker too. At one stage Kidd is told he can do whatever he wants, Mr. Red, the campsite director has faith in Kidd's talents. On the inside though Kidd feels as if he is going to mess this up. I'm a teacher with kids a lot younger but these words were cutting and it's made me think about how we use those words, but it's not as easy as that.
The campsite is by the beach, and there is peace that comes with that, along with the underlying tension, like the undertow. It also took me back to summers I spent by the beach in Australia, but my childhood was not at all fraught like Kidd's. There is the universal within the harshly personal. Matt de la Peña is one of my favorite YA authors, especially when it comes to realistic fiction, and he really knows how to capture an audience.
I Will Save You is the story of Kidd and the summer he works at a campsite in southern California. Kidd was living in a group home before heading down there. At the campsite Kidd meets Olivia, a girl from a wealthy family, and they bond over a short amount of time.
The narrative is first person but it shifts from recall; to entries in a book Kidd has: his philosophy of life; and 'dreams' that come to him as he lies in solitary confinement. The variety in narrative styles add depth and variance to this tale of summer love, of redefining yourself and your life. It's a heartbreaker too. At one stage Kidd is told he can do whatever he wants, Mr. Red, the campsite director has faith in Kidd's talents. On the inside though Kidd feels as if he is going to mess this up. I'm a teacher with kids a lot younger but these words were cutting and it's made me think about how we use those words, but it's not as easy as that.
The campsite is by the beach, and there is peace that comes with that, along with the underlying tension, like the undertow. It also took me back to summers I spent by the beach in Australia, but my childhood was not at all fraught like Kidd's. There is the universal within the harshly personal. Matt de la Peña is one of my favorite YA authors, especially when it comes to realistic fiction, and he really knows how to capture an audience.