Ubalblog

[  Mood: Amused ]
[  Currently: Eating Breakfast ]
I am always reading. ALWAYS. And as part of that activity, I am always on the lookout for books to pull kids of any age into reading. When I stumbled across this book at the library, I knew I had something.

Amelia’s family is moving and she is not happy about it given that she will be leaving behind her best friend, Nadia. To help her cope with the upheaval, her mother gives her a notebook to write and draw in. And Amelia does pour out her frustration and issues into the book, illustrating it along the way with cleaver drawings.

The reader learns that Amelia is very creative, capturing her impressions of people her life in her book. Most notably is her big sister Cleo, whom Amelia does not get along with. This relationship also serves as a contrast in how different people cope with a move. Cleo immediately unpacks and decorates her room, while Amelia leaves everything in boxes and lies on her bed.

This book is a cross between a picture book and a chapter book, with its mix of long text passages and colourful drawings. There are also plenty of margin drawings, like you would have in a real notebook, adding to the charm of the book. This book is aimed at the stronger primary reader or regular junior student.

This is such an excellent read, I really wish it was genre so it could go in What to Read After Harry.