A review by brookebookshelf
Our Only May Amelia by Jennifer L. Holm

2.0

I really wanted to like this book... historical fiction, based in the Pacific Northwest, an outdoorsy tomboy main character - these are ingredients that say it's a perfect book for me (and my daughter). Sadly, neither of us liked it that much. 2.5 stars was what we decided. First, I just don't understand why the author chose to use no punctuation (or any indication at all, actually) for dialogue. It was confusing and did not add anything to the story. Second, I don't think the story flowed well. It felt choppy. Third, because of the flow issues the sad and scary parts felt abrasive - particularly for a children's novel. Extremely mean characters, murder, disease, SIDS... the horrors of life in 1900 outlined in this book are many and without context and balance. So, we won't be reading the next one.