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A review by celjla212
The Other Normals by Ned Vizzini
3.0
Perry Eckert is a pretty typical nerd--he has a weird obsession with a role playing game, he is teased at school, he pretty much only leaves home to go to a comic book store. So his parents think it will be beneficial to send him to summer camp to make some friends and get outdoors.
But once Perry gets to Camp Washiska Lake, he finds much more than he bargained for. The camp houses a portal to a parallel world--the world of The Other Normals. With frog-headed ladies, octopus-tentacled sheriffs, and blue-haired girls, Perry kind of feels like he's stepped into the game world he loves so much. But his world is very real--and Perry may be the only one who can save it.
I had high expectations going into this novel. I was a bit disappointed. For the most part, the story is very original, but there were plenty of things I could have done without.
I know this book is about a 15 year old boy, and kind of reads like a middle grade/younger teen novel--but I would almost have to recommend it for older teens! I thought the amount of cuss words, sexual references, drug, and alcohol use were way too much for a book such as this.
Perry isn't altogether unlikable, but he does tend to complain a lot. In all fairness, his divorced parents have all but neglected him, and his brother is an alcoholic who's in a band. Perry keeps to himself playing Creatures & Caverns, and thus doesn't have any friends.
Once the book gets into the world of the Other Normals, it starts getting a bit more interesting. We learn of all the different, unusual types of animal hybrid creatures that live there, and Perry begins to feel more at home there than he ever did in his own world. In the unfamiliar place, Perry must confront many dangers with the help of his friends Mortin and Ada. During their journey, Perry develops skills he never though he could, and comes back home a more mature guy.
I didn't dislike this book, but there wasn't really anything about it that kept me enthralled, either. Some parts were kind of funny, but some were just weird. I appreciate the author's originality, though. This was definitely different than anything else I've read lately.
But once Perry gets to Camp Washiska Lake, he finds much more than he bargained for. The camp houses a portal to a parallel world--the world of The Other Normals. With frog-headed ladies, octopus-tentacled sheriffs, and blue-haired girls, Perry kind of feels like he's stepped into the game world he loves so much. But his world is very real--and Perry may be the only one who can save it.
I had high expectations going into this novel. I was a bit disappointed. For the most part, the story is very original, but there were plenty of things I could have done without.
I know this book is about a 15 year old boy, and kind of reads like a middle grade/younger teen novel--but I would almost have to recommend it for older teens! I thought the amount of cuss words, sexual references, drug, and alcohol use were way too much for a book such as this.
Perry isn't altogether unlikable, but he does tend to complain a lot. In all fairness, his divorced parents have all but neglected him, and his brother is an alcoholic who's in a band. Perry keeps to himself playing Creatures & Caverns, and thus doesn't have any friends.
Once the book gets into the world of the Other Normals, it starts getting a bit more interesting. We learn of all the different, unusual types of animal hybrid creatures that live there, and Perry begins to feel more at home there than he ever did in his own world. In the unfamiliar place, Perry must confront many dangers with the help of his friends Mortin and Ada. During their journey, Perry develops skills he never though he could, and comes back home a more mature guy.
I didn't dislike this book, but there wasn't really anything about it that kept me enthralled, either. Some parts were kind of funny, but some were just weird. I appreciate the author's originality, though. This was definitely different than anything else I've read lately.