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A review by lissysadventures
The Whispers by Greg Howard
5.0
5 stars!
TW: homophobia, death, child abuse (physical), alcoholism (mentioned), drug abuse
This book gets a 5 star rating from me simply because I cannot think of anything I think could have or should have been done differently. The writing style was impressive and moved the story at a good pace. This was a middle grade novel that did not feel like it was "dumbing things down" for younger readers, in fact, like the main character, it focused on using a larger vocabulary and talking plainly.
The characters are all so real. It is very easy to imagine and picture each of them, from the unlikeable Sister Grimes to Tucker everyone's favorite family dog.
This is a story about loss and acceptance, which is a very painful process and was treated well and presumably accurately. When Riley's mom goes missing, and it feels like he is the only one still looking for her, he becomes determined to seek out the only thing that can help him find her and bring her home now, The Whispers. The book opens with the story of the Whispers just as Mama told it to Riley before bed many nights when he was younger. We then watch Riley in his everyday life and eventually on his search for the Whispers.
I recommend this book to fans of Patrick Ness as I found Greg Howard's style to be quite similar and easy to read. I think this is one of those middle grade books that is good for both children and adults alike, which I think speaks to its value.
TW: homophobia, death, child abuse (physical), alcoholism (mentioned), drug abuse
This book gets a 5 star rating from me simply because I cannot think of anything I think could have or should have been done differently. The writing style was impressive and moved the story at a good pace. This was a middle grade novel that did not feel like it was "dumbing things down" for younger readers, in fact, like the main character, it focused on using a larger vocabulary and talking plainly.
The characters are all so real. It is very easy to imagine and picture each of them, from the unlikeable Sister Grimes to Tucker everyone's favorite family dog.
This is a story about loss and acceptance, which is a very painful process and was treated well and presumably accurately. When Riley's mom goes missing, and it feels like he is the only one still looking for her, he becomes determined to seek out the only thing that can help him find her and bring her home now, The Whispers. The book opens with the story of the Whispers just as Mama told it to Riley before bed many nights when he was younger. We then watch Riley in his everyday life and eventually on his search for the Whispers.
I recommend this book to fans of Patrick Ness as I found Greg Howard's style to be quite similar and easy to read. I think this is one of those middle grade books that is good for both children and adults alike, which I think speaks to its value.