Release Date: February 3, 2015
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Pages: 240
Source: eARC from publisher(Thanks!)
Pages: 240
Source: eARC from publisher(Thanks!)
ISBN-10: 0544334647
Rating: 3.5 Hearts
Book Description
"Following the death of her best friend, Iris and her family move to Oregon for a fresh start in this middle-grade story of miracles, magic, rain, hope, and a hairless cat named Charles.
Sixth-grader Iris Abernathy hates life in Corvallis, Oregon, where her family just moved. It's always raining, and everything is so wet. Besides, nothing has felt right since Iris's best friend, Sarah, died.
When Iris meets Boris, an awkward mouth-breather with a know-it-all personality, she's not looking to make a new friend, but it beats eating lunch alone. Then she learns that Boris's very existence is a medical mystery, maybe even a miracle, and Iris starts to wonder why some people get miracles and others don't. And if one miracle is possible, can another one be too? Can she possibly communicate with Sarah again?"
Review
Short and Sweet:
Though the story felt really slow, the writing was beautiful, and I loved the characters.
To Elaborate...
I've been really into middle grade stories lately, so I had to pick this one up. I'm really fond of stories that tackle tough issues, and this one is no exception. Iris, a young girl in middle school, recently lost her best friend. This novel explores Iris's grief as her family moves to Oregon, and she struggles to make a new friend when she is still buried in sadness. As the title suggests, the central questions in this novel revolve around what miracles are, where they come from, why some people get them over others, etc. It's definitely not a light read, but it's a very important one. The writing and characterization are just beautiful. Iris's character is so deep, and her growth is gorgeous. I even like Boris, a boy who really wants to be her friend.
The family dynamic in this story is also excellent. Iris's mom and dad don't always understand her, but there is so much love in their family. In one part (this isn't a spoiler), her dad takes her and Boris out for a surprise skip-school day, and it's perfect. It shows just how much her parents care about her and want to make good memories with her.
While I love a lot about this book, it felt like it dragged for most of the story. Most of the plot revolves around the internal growth of Iris (which is wonderful), but it went by so slowly. The book itself is actually on the shorter side, but it took me a while to read this because I wasn't hooked. I kind of got bored with it in parts, and I would have to go do something else and then come back and read more.
Overall, I still recommend this one. The heart of the story is breathtaking and meaningful. Even though it felt like it took me a long time to get through this, I still enjoyed reading it, and I think a lot of people will really like it.
3.5 Hearts!
The family dynamic in this story is also excellent. Iris's mom and dad don't always understand her, but there is so much love in their family. In one part (this isn't a spoiler), her dad takes her and Boris out for a surprise skip-school day, and it's perfect. It shows just how much her parents care about her and want to make good memories with her.
While I love a lot about this book, it felt like it dragged for most of the story. Most of the plot revolves around the internal growth of Iris (which is wonderful), but it went by so slowly. The book itself is actually on the shorter side, but it took me a while to read this because I wasn't hooked. I kind of got bored with it in parts, and I would have to go do something else and then come back and read more.
Overall, I still recommend this one. The heart of the story is breathtaking and meaningful. Even though it felt like it took me a long time to get through this, I still enjoyed reading it, and I think a lot of people will really like it.
3.5 Hearts!
I'm just getting into middle grade, I only read one this year. I think what surprised me (despite hearing this about YA all the time) is how complex the genre is. It's not just silly kids stories or "boy books"
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely! There are so many great MGs out there that deal with really serious issues or have extremely layered world building. Plus, middle grade books tend to run just a little cheaper than YA, so that's always nice. :)
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