Rebecca Stead
Wendy Lamb Books
180 pgs.
Seventh-grader Georges adjusts to moving from a house to an apartment, his father's efforts to start a new business, his mother's extra shifts as a nurse, being picked on at school, and Safer, a boy who wants his help spying on another resident of their building.
I really liked this book. Stead did an excellent job of keeping me guessing. Although as an adult I sort of figured Mr. X wasn't cutting up bodies, I was caught up in the suspense of Safer's spying. Georges, Safer and Candy were likeable but realistic characters. I liked how the author built the second plot of “The Science Unit of Destiny” into Georges teen's trouble of identifying himself. The reveal of the the two secrets caught me totally off guard. Pacing and short chapters make this a quick read. A good recommendation of boy looking for a quick, suspense novel.
ReplyDeleteLoved this book!!! It had an interesting twist at the end that was unexpected.
ReplyDeleteI think I enjoyed this one more than When You Reach Me. The characters, both major and minor, were very likable. As an adult reader, I had most of it figured out but I think this book will have great kid appeal and would make a good classroom read. Good bullying thread for discussion
ReplyDelete