Kids are very impressionable. Their future and the length of their childhood depends on how they are raised or how susceptible they are to the elements around them.
In summary, this book started out as a psychological ... thriller (?) and ended as a crime novel. The story and events all fit but I read between the lines a lot so ... heh. I find it disturbing that a kid can read through a serial killer's letters and get his hidden messages so easy. I just keep telling myself that he is obsessed about the issue so he did a lot of research which is how anyone is like, no matter what age, when obsessing about something. It's just that their correspondence is like a recipe for a serial killer in the making. He doesn't seem to be a victim but a protege. The fact that they understand each other means they think alike. Here's a kid that's so disturbed about how not "normal" his family is so he finds answers and he thinks he will find them through the root of all the bitterness of the adults in his family. From the beginning, the author built an image of a kid who grew up too fast. But then halfway through the book he forgot about all of his troubles because someone significant came back into their lives which goes to show somewhere in his troubled personality, there's a kid just craving for normalcy and everything that comes with it. And then the crime novel began. Which is how crime novels usually are. For something so dark I liked that the ending gave me some sort of closure.
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| This part made me cry |
Most of the young-adult books about awareness and social understanding are very dark. Actually even the fantasy type are, especially those dystopian-themed ones. I sometimes wonder how far a person can go before they get called on by parents or other ... erm ... conservative groups. I have a couple books that I know caused a stir that I'm yet to read before I can make some sort of conclusion. Anyhoo, this book isn't one of those dark books (haha!).
Firegirl, although tragic in nature and heavy in context, is surprisingly light. I thought the part where Tom was thinking about his super power fantasies was a bit too long but that was fine. It basically discussed how teenagers can be awkward and dumb when it comes to dealing with real life tragedies and situations but I though it would apply to adults as well. Not just about the Jessica and her condition but just medical conditions in general.
I bought this book without understanding the blurb. It turned out to be a nice, fast read. I got it from a second-hand bookshop for Php50 (a little over 1 USD) but even if I got it brand new it would still be worth it ... 5-stars :)
This was such an easy read but it has the depth an award winning book should have. Most historical fiction I've read with immigrants and refugees are related to the Russians and Jews so I wanted to read something set in Asia for a change. It's my first Vietnam war related book.
When I read the blurb, I didn't know it was written in free verse poetry. When I saw that it was written that way I became even more interested. I can't say I'm big on poetry, free verse or not. But this one was okay. The journal-type presentation made it easier to read because it only had the more important details. I love that it doesn't drag.
For me, this falls under the children's category more than young adult. That's not to say other age range shouldn't read it. I did and I'm not a kid anymore. I just think it can inspire kids and teach them a lot about coping and waiting for the right time etc. I think this can even be a good bedtime story. I understand it's filled with doom and gloom but it's not something that could be misinterpreted.
I loved this and I think it's award-worthy but it didn't exactly make me go wow so ... four stars from me.
