My middle school princess and I read the book from cover to cover. She read it first. She enjoyed the twists and turns of the story and gives the book a thumbs up. She says it's like the "unfortunate events" series, but different. I'm more of a "Little House" (Laura Ingalls Wilder) series kind of reader, and this book is not "Little House, and the twists and turns left me more and more unsettled. My daughter kept encouraging me to keep going because she thought the ending would be something I'd like and she was right. The resolution at the end of the book, though, is worth reading the story (for me).
Author Mike Mason calls the story "a work of literature with an allegorical dimension," explaining that, "An allegory tends to feel wooden because there is clear one-to-one correcpondence between all the elements of the story and some other reality."
I am surprised to see the recommended age range is from 9-12. I'd suggest the book for tweens and teens.
Mason has me thinking about the good characters and evil ones and the words spoken and events and how they played out, and relating them to what I know. He's set my mind in motion, that's for sure, because I keep running parts of the book through my mind.
*This book was given as a complimentary copy to Mama Buzz Reviewers by David C. Cook and Mike Mason, for blog tour and promotion purposes.
The Blue Umbrella
: retails for $14.99Ages 9-12
Enjoy a free excerpt of this book at Mike Mason's website.
The Blue Umbrella, by Mike Mason from David C. Cook on Vimeo.
1 comment:
That was my take on it, too! Unsettling is a good word for it... but I, too, loved the ending. I wouldn't recommend it for younger kids, but with the popularity of such "depressing" books these days, I would definitely recommend it for tweens and teens.
Post a Comment