The ups and downs of middle school life is hardly a unique topic for young adult literature, but Audrey Vernick has created a realistic and charming read for middle school readers. Marley's life has gone completely topsy-turvy: her parents have recently separated, and they've decided that she will spend the summer at her father's new home. AND her two best friends are going to drama camp for the summer. AND her father decided that she would be happy to babysit a pair of twin sisters for the summer. Great, just great. But, whoa, there's a cute guy who lives next door to her dad. But, yikes, Marley does something that makes her best friends really, really mad at her. What a summer. Water Balloon is a sweet, age-appropriate read for middle school girls who will understand the changing nature of tween friendships and first crushes.
AND after that, I went into a reading slump! Boooo! Let's look at books I didn't finish.
I guess I wasn't in the mood for a 400+ verse novel with umpteenth characters (including the iceberg). The Watch That Ends the Night received good reviews when it was published, and it's certainly well-written, but the vast number of characters expressing themselves through short verses just did not draw me in (including the iceberg.....).
Um, no. And I'm OK with that. If you're into brainteasers (or, in this case, braintorturers), you might enjoy this. I ended up browsing through the book, because I wasn't in the mood to read the whole thing. There is some interesting stuff in here about the new reality of the job market. I have quite a few books checked out with numerous holds, so if I'm not feeling the book right away, I'm returning it.
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4 comments:
I'm very glad your reading slump commenced AFTER you finished reading WATER BALLOON.
Thanks for the lovely review!
Ms. Vernick, thank YOU for writing such a terrific book!
I just wish the cover of Water Balloon weren't so happy looking. my students are enjoying it, but I have to keep handing it to them and saying " no, really, there's a lot of drama"!
I agree, Ms. Yingling. It has more gravitas than what the cover implies. However, it is a sweet cover that many middle school girls would notice, so I guess that's what they were going for!
:-)
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