by Wendelin Van Draanen
I picked this book up at the library mostly based upon the comments about how great a quick read it was. It sounded like a delightful little trip.
For the most part it was just that. The biggest thing about this book that bothered me was the intense depth of feelings these children were experiencing. I remember at that age thinking things were all cut and dry like that with each crush but somehow seeing it written out just feels off. Looking back I realize that the feelings weren't so deep as I thought. So it was a bit of a shock to find this second grader holding onto really intense feelings for something like six years. If I put this aside I rather liked the book. It gave me to think about how we judge people in live often wrongly and then have to live with those judgements. There really are two sides to people these days. I feel that the public face has become a great menace to society. How else do you think so much perversion and horror can hide so well. They wear a face to the world that makes them seem harmless and perfect. We probably even want desperately to be these people. But if only we knew what lay beneath the surface I am sure we would change our opinions quickly. I also liked how they get to flip sides in this game. You can never really understand someone or what they have been through until life has brought you through the ringer as well.
So, it was a light and good quick read.
