Normally I would title this “Encouragement #4″ but this isn’t an encouragement. It’s actually a bad review.
Now why on earth would I post a bad review?
I’m not sure.
Maybe because it didn’t upset me that much.
Maybe because I already know that not everyone is going to love it. I know that there are a lot of books out there that get great reviews and I just don’t care for them. Doesn’t mean they aren’t any good, just means they aren’t my ‘cup of tea’. And I’m good with that.
What ‘could’ hurt is that it’s from Kirkus Book Reviews.
But it doesn’t.
Here it is:
In this absurd adventure, insecure sixth grader Jackson falls into his Great Aunt Harriett’s enormous hair. Inside that hair is a whole world, where Jackson meets an elf named Meeka. Meeka insists on taking Jackson on what she calls the Author’s tour. Extreme wackiness ensues, during which Jackson meets two significant characters. The first is Eleissa, who explains to Jackson that his life is not random, that the Author created him and wrote his story. The second is Josh the Page, whose job is to help people find their stories. He leads Jackson to the river’s edge and instructs him to find his stone. Jackson has to resist all the stones inscribed with negative messages to find the ones that are truly calling out to him. While the story of Aunt Harriett’s hair is presumably intended to guide children to a stronger faith in a higher power and in themselves, it winds up in a hopeless allegorical tangle. The frequent, lengthy narrative asides, meant to be funny, will only add to readers’ confusion and frustration. (Fiction. 8-12)
What’s interesting about this, is that Jackson doesn’t meet two significant characters. He actually meets 8. And also they write that it presumably intended to guide children to a stronger faith (yes, it is) and a higher power in themselves. It is not written for children to find a higher power in themselves. Why that word? power. I never said power. If anything it would elude to confidence.Hm.
Anyway, I’m guessing that lovely editor Kathleen will not be putting their review on the back of my book. And that’s ok.
