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A review by margeryb
The Book of Lost Things by Cynthia Voigt
3.0
Listened to the audiobook.
Audiobook factors:
I really liked the production. The narrator was really good, having a Jim Dale-esque quality, bringing the right balance of gravitas and fun to the narration. Additionally, how he did the different character's voices was good -- the were distinct and portrayed a lot of character, but were never over the top. I can be very picky about this, especially how sometimes male narrative does female voices, but this narrator did both adult and child female characters without any nasally-ness or clichness.
Book factors:
Cynthia Voigt's prose is fun and clever in the ways one would hope from the author of fun and clever children's novels, espically one who has been on Newberry lists before.
Plotwise... the story was very episodic. Although the episodic elements were intertwined, they were still episodes. The hook of the story, where the tension comes from, which is our lead's -- Max -- parents go missing under mysterious circumstances is not the main focus of the story, although I feel like it should have been. Because of that, there was very little tension to keep the story going, because the trouble never felt very evident. While his parents are gone, his grandmother is still around to help, house, and parent him. The nature of his parents going missing (on a voyage), means that this mystery is inherently delayed and slow paced. Because of this I often found it hard to pick up the story again after setting it down, because of the lack of tension. By the time I got to the end of the book, it feels like it was a prequel for the rest of the series, but I'm not sure I'm that interested in continuing. Additionally, a lot of the small issues Max gets involved as a sort of amueter detective/fixer (or solutioneer as he comes up with, which is really cut) were low stacks and slowed a lot by chance or chance-like elements.
Ultimately, I would have a hard time recommending to a child reader not because of the lack of tension and central plot to keep them engaged in the story.
Audiobook factors:
I really liked the production. The narrator was really good, having a Jim Dale-esque quality, bringing the right balance of gravitas and fun to the narration. Additionally, how he did the different character's voices was good -- the were distinct and portrayed a lot of character, but were never over the top. I can be very picky about this, especially how sometimes male narrative does female voices, but this narrator did both adult and child female characters without any nasally-ness or clichness.
Book factors:
Cynthia Voigt's prose is fun and clever in the ways one would hope from the author of fun and clever children's novels, espically one who has been on Newberry lists before.
Plotwise... the story was very episodic. Although the episodic elements were intertwined, they were still episodes. The hook of the story, where the tension comes from, which is our lead's -- Max -- parents go missing under mysterious circumstances is not the main focus of the story, although I feel like it should have been. Because of that, there was very little tension to keep the story going, because the trouble never felt very evident. While his parents are gone, his grandmother is still around to help, house, and parent him. The nature of his parents going missing (on a voyage), means that this mystery is inherently delayed and slow paced. Because of this I often found it hard to pick up the story again after setting it down, because of the lack of tension. By the time I got to the end of the book, it feels like it was a prequel for the rest of the series, but I'm not sure I'm that interested in continuing. Additionally, a lot of the small issues Max gets involved as a sort of amueter detective/fixer (or solutioneer as he comes up with, which is really cut) were low stacks and slowed a lot by chance or chance-like elements.
Ultimately, I would have a hard time recommending to a child reader not because of the lack of tension and central plot to keep them engaged in the story.