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kelleemoye's review against another edition
4.0
Poor Gabe. This is such a sad and realistic story from the very beginning, but it also Gabe's story of surviving after losing his only living relative. The book also has a mystery aspect to it- who is it that is leaving Gabe messages and also helping him out. Gabe calls him/her his fairy godmother, but s/he has to be real.
I almost wish that I had listened to the audiobook instead of read it, though, because I would have loved to hear Uncle Vernon's voice as Gabe heard it. Reading it just didn't have the same effect as I think hearing it would have.
Also, I really don't like the cover. I, as most people do, have a tendency to judge a book by its cover. And this cover was boring and seemed girly, when really the book is neither.
I almost wish that I had listened to the audiobook instead of read it, though, because I would have loved to hear Uncle Vernon's voice as Gabe heard it. Reading it just didn't have the same effect as I think hearing it would have.
Also, I really don't like the cover. I, as most people do, have a tendency to judge a book by its cover. And this cover was boring and seemed girly, when really the book is neither.
bookladykd's review against another edition
5.0
Wow. What a powerful book. This was a fascinating read as an adult, because not only could I sympathize with the kid in the book, but also with his circle of adult caregivers, the safety net he wasn't even really aware of. After his uncle's death Gabe feels so alone, yet he has this whole network of people looking after him and caring about him--even his crotchety old math teacher!
katiecatbooks's review against another edition
2.0
Boy. Dog. Vietnam.
Story: 12 year old Gabe Culligan has been in and out of the foster system for years. Then his uncle is found and he goes to live with him in a valley in Virginia. Uncle Vernon is rough and gruff but a good uncle to Gabe. One day Gabe returns home from school to find his uncle dead on the floor. He doesn't know what to do so he does nothing. Then a note appears in the mailbox addressed to him. Mystery after mystery unfold in this middle grade novel.
Characters: Gabe is young and polite and also very ingenious. After his uncle dies, he has to come up with ways to keep his teachers and social worker and townsfolk from knowing that he is living alone without a parent or guardian. While the uncle is found dead in chapter 1, he is a main character in the whole book, brought up in flashbacks and dialogues. In this way we get to know him, his life experiences and his effect on Gabe.
Language: I really liked the first 75% of this book. It was an easy and light read, great for middle grade. Then the climax of the novel and the ending happened so fast, that events were not as well clear or developed. Perhaps this book should also have had a section on the end with resources on foster care and the Vietnam War and PTSD.
It was good. I wish the author would write more books because this book shows real potential.
Story: 12 year old Gabe Culligan has been in and out of the foster system for years. Then his uncle is found and he goes to live with him in a valley in Virginia. Uncle Vernon is rough and gruff but a good uncle to Gabe. One day Gabe returns home from school to find his uncle dead on the floor. He doesn't know what to do so he does nothing. Then a note appears in the mailbox addressed to him. Mystery after mystery unfold in this middle grade novel.
Characters: Gabe is young and polite and also very ingenious. After his uncle dies, he has to come up with ways to keep his teachers and social worker and townsfolk from knowing that he is living alone without a parent or guardian. While the uncle is found dead in chapter 1, he is a main character in the whole book, brought up in flashbacks and dialogues. In this way we get to know him, his life experiences and his effect on Gabe.
Language: I really liked the first 75% of this book. It was an easy and light read, great for middle grade. Then the climax of the novel and the ending happened so fast, that events were not as well clear or developed. Perhaps this book should also have had a section on the end with resources on foster care and the Vietnam War and PTSD.
It was good. I wish the author would write more books because this book shows real potential.
lauralynnwalsh's review against another edition
4.0
I think this is one of the best books I have read that touch peripherally on what the VietNam War meant to people who lived through it. That isn't actually the subject of the book, but, after the fact, it forms a basis for understanding some of the characters. Such a painful time!
I am actually torn about whether to give this book 5 stars. I love the characters and the subtleties of the plot and the characterizations. Excellent writing isn't my usual focus, but some of the writing is so moving you can't help noticing how well it is done. I usually reserve my 5 stars for books that somehow linger with me for a long time, though. I don't know yet if this one will. Perhaps it will need an up-grade.
The ending is perhaps a bit unrealistically positive and convenient, but after all of Gabe's struggles, I desperately wanted to forgive the author for a bit too-happy ending.
I am actually torn about whether to give this book 5 stars. I love the characters and the subtleties of the plot and the characterizations. Excellent writing isn't my usual focus, but some of the writing is so moving you can't help noticing how well it is done. I usually reserve my 5 stars for books that somehow linger with me for a long time, though. I don't know yet if this one will. Perhaps it will need an up-grade.
The ending is perhaps a bit unrealistically positive and convenient, but after all of Gabe's struggles, I desperately wanted to forgive the author for a bit too-happy ending.
spilled's review
4.0
Young adult books consistently surprise me with the originality of their stories, but this one made me say, "huh!" often. The interesting premise could have been ruined by suspense writing or dramatization, but instead was handled quite well. (Premise: a quiet 12-yr-old who's been in and out of foster care before landing with his Vietnam-War-veteran uncle comes home to find his uncle dead, doesn't know what to do, goes to school the next day, comes back to find the body missing and a note in the mailbox that says, "I have a secret. Don't be afraid.") I guess it IS a mystery story, after all, but everything is treated so tenderly and genuinely that it never felt hokey to me. Gabe (the protagonist) is such a likable character, too.
minxlette's review
5.0
Absolutely one of the more gorgeous books I've read. A simple story about Gabe, who is taken care of by his last living relative, Uncle Vernon. When Vern dies unexpectedly, Gabe finds solace through mysterious notes left in the mailbox as he struggles to deal with his grief and guilt for thinking his uncle's death was somehow his fault. Gabe's a "young" sixth grader in this emotionally speaking, but he's articulate and kind and absolutely sympathetic. I spent half this book in tears. Lots of very poetic moments and realistic interactions set against a background of adults who are far from perfect. There's a deeper background link to the Vietnam war - Vernon was a decorated soldier in his youth - that is dealt with both with honesty and sensitivity and doesn't dodge the larger emotional trauma of that war.
Absolutely rocketed to the top of my "Best YA" books though it probably won't win any awards with action seekers, anyone who likes realistic fiction or sympathetic character situations will probably enjoy this.
Absolutely rocketed to the top of my "Best YA" books though it probably won't win any awards with action seekers, anyone who likes realistic fiction or sympathetic character situations will probably enjoy this.