My Life in…

This one was a chore for me to read, and every single other review I have read of it is completely glowing. I liked it in the end, I really did, but I had a lot of trouble getting there. The diary entries felt interminable, and while they were certainly different than Andi’s narration, they didn’t feel entirely authentic to me. The present day story had a lot more appeal to me, particularly Andi’s discussions of Malherbeau’s music and her relationship with Virgil. Even though I didn’t love this one, I feel like it is a strong Printz contender and would recommend it to fans of historical fiction in diary format.

Reviews have compared this to Lord of the Flies and it’s an apt comparison. What seems like an odd and maudlin books quickly turns into a book filled with horror as the students turn on each other and demand contributions that are unthinkable. When I was reading this book out loud, I kept gasping out loud when I discovered what was to be added next. I’m not sure if I liked the book, but I am sure I won’t soon forget it.

This book has gotten very strong reviews from the journals that piqued my interest, but I didn’t find it nearly as strong as they did. Both Rich and Maddy don’t seem like real characters at times, and the language used in the book seemed to be an intentional style choice but often feels very forced and artificial. The book seems to be more about ideas than plot or even character. I enjoyed the dynamic of Rich’s family, but thought Maddy’s family drama with her dad and her sister was less interesting. I liked how the story played out between Maddy and Joe, and liked the friendship between Maddy and Cath, and how Grace’s character is used, but even though most of the plot was satisfying, the writing was too offputting for me.

I really liked The Boys Next Door. Lori is a fun character, and the objects of her affection become more real as the story goes on. It felt a little bit like The Summer I Turned Pretty (only a little more superficial) and the love story is really strong.

The sequel, however, (which is presented in the same volume as the first book) feels like a tacked on sequel. Within one chapter the love story that had so much potential is ripped apart and then the rest of the book feels like a whole bunch of plot contrivances and absurd misunderstandings to keep two characters apart just to have another story.

This book made me crazy because it was so inconsistent. The slangy dialog somewhat feels authentic, but the author’s hand is obvious and irritating throughout this message heavy book. The characters feel both too young and too old to be in sixth grade.

I haven’t read The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, but this one seemed to mirror some of the criticisms people have of that book. The main character is simultaneously naive and oblivious about his situation, yet the terror that exists in the story is clearly meant for older readers. I only finished this one to read it for BookEval. It’s gotten a few starred reviews, but I think there are much better Holocaust books out there.