One-sentence summary: A boy with a unique gift digs into his grandfather’s past and finds a group of children and their mistress who know him better than he knows himself.
B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: 8
Our favorite thing about it: We loved the dark mystery of the story.
Our least favorite thing about it: The story seemed more juvenile to us than we expected.
Main Topics of Discussion: Photos, Mystical, Time Loops, Secrets, Family
Our favorite quote: “Can you imagine, in a world so afraid of otherness, why this would be a danger to all peculiar-kind?”
Notes: We liked this story very much. The way the story enlightened you as it went along and unfolded aspects of the past and present simultaneously was very interesting. Here are some specific things we discussed:
We thought the photos included in the book were cool and we loved how they informed the story – they got written in as the author chose. Some of them seemed forced into the story a little, but most fit in seamlessly
We loved the dark and mysterious feel to the story. There were always sinister things lurking just beneath what we (as readers) and the narrator currently knew about the world and the children. It was a macabre feel, which was fun for a change.
Most of us didn’t see the time loop coming – it was a bit of a surprise as a way of explaining some of the incongruities that the narrator was discovering. We also thought this was a fun and inventive part of the story.
The whole story was predicated on the narrator knowing nothing because his grandfather kept huge secrets from him even though he suspected that his grandson was uniquely gifted too. Though we realize the story couldn’t have happened in the same way if the grandfather had divulged his secrets, it was nonetheless kind of annoying that he didn’t.
The story ended on a cliffhanger, which surprisingly didn’t lead all of us to go out and buy the next book to read. Some of us may, and some of us are content to leave the story where it ended.
If there was one general criticism it’s that the book did seem more geared toward kids, which it is. But often books are written so well that adults don’t even notice or care about that – this one showed it’s intended audience a little bit somehow.
Memorable Meeting Moments: Stephanie brought us all hand-drawn animals for our very own “lunch notes!”
What We Ate: Moscow Mule cocktails, baked zucchini “fries” with garlic aioli, Pulled pork sandwiches, roasted corn and potatoes, coleslaw, and individual cheesecakes in mason jars.
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