Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
This was a book I remember coming out when I was in elementary school. I remember how my classmates and I, oogled at the book because of how big it was; there was no way we could read a book that big at only seven years old. But, there was one of my classmates that was a huge reader. He always carried around books and loved when we would go to the library. He checked out this book and I remember wondering if he liked it. A year or so later, I checked it out from the library because I was curious what it was about. And I was captivated by the synopsis. But I got bored so quickly, before the end of the first chapter, so the next week I checked it back in and didn't think about it again. Until the movie came out in like 2011 and I was like "Isn't that the book I checked out?" but that was the farthest I even thought about it.
Until November 2019, I went into a tiny used bookstore in my grandma's small town over Thanksgiving break. And I was looking for some treasures and this was one of the many I found. The reason I picked this up again is because of the nostalgia factor; hence the reason I went on to describe my whole backstory with this book. I then thought about how I was bored by the book, but then I just flipped it open and started reading it and I was so disappointed in my past self for not giving this a real chance. It was good! The writing was eloquent and the illustrations were detailed and told a story like I was watching a movie.
Clearly I ended up buying the book.
Like I said, the writing and illustrations really made this book for me. Usually when I read middle grade, I tend to have a problem with the writing and/or the plot because it's target audience is not a twenty year old. Therefore, I always feel like something lacks in these other books and I think it's the maturity level of all aspects of whatever book. This book I did not find those problems. I didn't feel like the writing and/or plot was immature or not meant for me. It just felt like I was reading a historical fiction novel about a young boy. I really respect the author for making this enjoyable for all ages and not just the target audience. To me, that really shows talent as a writer. The illustrations also played a huge role in this story and also carried the story through specific plot points well, and in a way that was (again) enjoyable for all ages. The illustrations felt mature.
The reason this didn't end up being five stars is because it didn't have that wow factor I feel when reading five star books. This doesn't mean there was anything wrong with it, because I've ended up complementing it a lot, but it just didn't hit the qualifications to meet what I consider to be a five star read. But it was still a really good read and I would recommend to anyone of any age.
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