Saturday, August 6, 2011

Angel in My Pocket by Ilene Cooper

Angel in My Pocket by Ilene Cooper
Feiwel and Friends
2011
278p

When seventh-grader Bette finds an angel coin she puts it in her pocket and forgets it but soon the mysterious and kind Gabby moves into her building and helps her face her major losses, and then the coin connects her with three classmates who all find new ways to believe in themselves.

1 comment:

  1. The story intertwines the tales of three troubled students at a performing arts school in Chicago. The first student, whose mother has recently passed away and no longer wants to sing, finds an angel coin. The coin seems to possess a special power--it brings an angel into the bearer's life who helps them get back on track.

    While the book mentions modern-day technologies like Facebook, cell phones and texting, this story feels like it actually may have been written several decades ago. The characters have names like Bette, Barbra, Vivian, Andy, Joe and Fred. Joe's talent and past-time is wood-carving, handed down from his grandfather.

    The story was sweet and interesting, but the writing was not as strong as it could have been. I noticed the use of cliches, as well as clunky text that sounded more like a commercial (e.g. "'How about McDonald's?' Bette asked, 'You can get something healthy there like a salad.'" (page 188), a reference to the car's "excellent GPS system" (page 241) and "well-appointed living room" (page 243).

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