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ghostie669's review
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
adequateanja's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
erebus53's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Mara lives in a van with her Dad.. and she doesn't know why. Her mother is dead and it was in unusual circumstances. Her father is continually moving and trying to stay under people's radar, and one day Mara stumbles upon her father doing a clandestine deal with someone, and something mysterious happening. As a result Mara is a lot more prepared to believe what she finds out when she stumbles upon a notebook full of her father's secrets. He is part of a secret operation that aims to save the world.
When people who have been seeking her father finally catch up with him, Mara's world is flipped upside down and she has to start questioning what she needs to do with her life.
This is a book geared toward middle grade readers. Its main character is a girl who has a very different skillset to most kids her age. For starters she can drive the van that she lives in, and she knows how to feed her family from soup kitchens and avoid child protection services by slipping into time anomalies.. huh? wait, hang on?! It's a little dark in places, but the story is exciting and engaging.
I note that on the end of the book there is an author's note and it answered a few questions that I had picked up on as an adult reader. During conversations with her father he is continually defensively driving and ensuring he checks his mirrors. I thought it a little odd that this normal part of driving was explicitly explained but it seems that the author is not a driver herself, and these bits were probably added in as "appropriate body movements" for the conversation in consultation with a friend who DOES actually drive so as to avoid things like her father staring or smiling at her rather than keeping his eyes on the road. It gave me a good chuckle. Part of the author note included a thanks to the reader and a hope that you "see yourself in books" in the future, which I immediately interpreted as not just meaning having enthusiasm for reading, but that authors might bother including diverse representation in their books. I had noticed characters with names from around the world, a Mum with cornrows, a guy in a turban, and it made me smile as these representations were done seamlessly and (I thought) mindfully in a really casual way.
I hope to get my kids to read this one.
When people who have been seeking her father finally catch up with him, Mara's world is flipped upside down and she has to start questioning what she needs to do with her life.
This is a book geared toward middle grade readers. Its main character is a girl who has a very different skillset to most kids her age. For starters she can drive the van that she lives in, and she knows how to feed her family from soup kitchens and avoid child protection services by slipping into time anomalies.. huh? wait, hang on?! It's a little dark in places, but the story is exciting and engaging.
I note that on the end of the book there is an author's note and it answered a few questions that I had picked up on as an adult reader. During conversations with her father he is continually defensively driving and ensuring he checks his mirrors. I thought it a little odd that this normal part of driving was explicitly explained but it seems that the author is not a driver herself, and these bits were probably added in as "appropriate body movements" for the conversation in consultation with a friend who DOES actually drive so as to avoid things like her father staring or smiling at her rather than keeping his eyes on the road. It gave me a good chuckle. Part of the author note included a thanks to the reader and a hope that you "see yourself in books" in the future, which I immediately interpreted as not just meaning having enthusiasm for reading, but that authors might bother including diverse representation in their books. I had noticed characters with names from around the world, a Mum with cornrows, a guy in a turban, and it made me smile as these representations were done seamlessly and (I thought) mindfully in a really casual way.
I hope to get my kids to read this one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Death, Blood, Child death, Bullying, Terminal illness, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Death of parent, Gun violence, and Kidnapping
Minor: Suicide, Violence, Stalking, and Abandonment
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