Steven has a new baby brother, but unfortunately, this baby was born with a lot of health problems, so many in fact, that he may not survive. Steven is an anxious, obsessive child, and a good big bother who worries about and loves his two younger siblings.
He starts having dreams about "angels" who say they can fix the baby - replace him with a new baby who is strong and healthy. All he has to do is agree to help them. This story will make you squirm and have you hoping that Steven can make things right. Both the parents and a nanny are present in this story. There is even a knife guy along for the ride for extra chill factor.
Jon Klassen is the illustrator of this novel, and his drawings add just the right touch. With a lexile measure of 640, wide margins, larger font, and good line spacing, this makes a great Hi/Lo read. This book is recommended for ages 8 to 10, but I feel the creep factor makes it a good book for older students as well. It may be too creepy for a sensitive 8 to 10 year old.
I must find another book by this author. Well done, Kenneth Oppel.
Nice review! I am curious about the audio book, which I have not heard. This is the kind of book that really demands a good reader to make it effective. Neil Gaiman is a great example of someone who really knows how to read his books well, which is not true of all authors, or even of all commissioned audio readers. I remember having to turn off an audio recording of Wind in the Willows, which I love as a book, because the voice of the person narrating just threw me off. Hopefully not the case here!
ReplyDeleteThe reader was quite good, but I am a really fast reader, and I had to leave soon to pick up my son, so I shut off the audio and opened the book in order to finish it before I had to leave. This book would make an excellent movie, and I have the scenes played out in my head. Part of why I visualized it so well is because of the writing.
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