I wish I remembered more concrete details about my reading experience so that I could give a better review of this book. I don’t think that this is a bad book; I just remember getting to the end of the book and not feeling impressed or that I would remember much even a few days out which, unfortunately, has proven to be true. This book deals with some speculative fiction things which I say, tend towards sci-fi with a quasi-time travel element. I did appreciate how the author drew the three characters together with Candace being the primary character. The ultimate resolution, however, fell flat. I also think that some of the speculative elements and the way that they were handled might leave some middle school readers a bit confused. I don’t recommend against this book or for it, which I always wish not to be in the position of when I finish reading a book.
If I had to judge this book based on aspects of fiction, I would not rate this book highly. This book has the saving grace of being a true, albeit terrifying, story. I also appreciate the fact that the author did not dwell too long on the survival aspects of the story, which tend not to be my personal preference. That being said, the author talks about a lot of of significant issues that have little to do with the tragic plane crash, but also significantly affected his life, but handle them in a way that makes me think that he might not have actually healed or resolved those issues for himself. There are also a few points, where he talks about his attempt to help his stepmother survive in a clinical yet generally gross/grotesque way which I think might take some middle grade readers by surprise. I likely will not place this book on my classroom shelves.
I really like how the author wove in the story based on an aspect of her culture into the narrative. I think it’s an authentic way to teach middle grade students who would likely be unfamiliar with the culture about it in a way that does not feel like teaching, and also helps them gain empathy for Lani, the main character. Overall, I think this was an engaging narrative and one that I would easily put on my classroom shelves.
Erin Fry did an incredible job with this narrative. In this story, Joey is dealing with the grief of losing his beloved grandfather, two years prior. The way that the author built Joey‘s character shows just how long lasting grief often is and how it can shape a person. In addition to the grief, Joey is dealing with his changing relationship to his best friend who has found a new hobby that seems to be pulling him away from the friendship as well as his older cousin’s life-changing diagnosis, which Joey learns about after the cousin unexpectedly moves in with them for the summer. Joey‘s relationship with his cousin used to be really strong, but after the death of their grandfather, at which both boys were present, things changed. Now both boys have to reckon with that. I will definitely be replacing this book on my classroom shelves.
I really enjoyed this sci–fantasy story which takes place on the planet of Mars in the future of an alternative universe where planets have their own ecosystem of dragons. The author did an excellent job with the world building, so I encourage you to read the book rather than try to explain that here. The author uses the main character to explore this world and bring the reader along in a highly believable way as many things that the main character thought he knew turn out to not be true and varying degrees. I will definitely continue in this series.
While I really enjoyed this book, I do not agree with the categorization of this book as being targeted towards middle grade. I think that the highly complex and intricate world that Stevenson built would not be understood well enough by the lower age range of middle grade readers, many of whom have not yet developed the skill of abstract thinking. I think this book would be better marketed towards older readers. That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed the complex world that Stevenson built here and how they developed the main character and the primary adult that went along with them and a lot of their journey. This fantasy world has a lot more depth than one normally sees in most middle grade and young adult fantasy worlds, which is a huge credit to the author. While I would not be opposed to keeping this on my classroom shelves, I do not know of many of my seventh graders, who would be able to appreciate it to its fullest.
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