Amanda - reviewed on 11/25/2014 + 141 more book reviews

Parents should read this book first

The story was nice enough - easy reading, friendly explanations as needed, nicely paced. But the book was not what I hoped for. Desperaux is not "the main character" but merely the first character. In fact, he's not even in at least half of the book. While not told in a horrifying manner, there is a girl who gets cuffed on the head regularly - so regularly that her ears resemble cauliflower, she becomes hard of hearing, & her sense of smell doesn't work quite right. All this happens to her before she is 12! I realize child abuse happens, but factually presenting it in a story for children is not something I'm keen on. Now there are things to like about the book (author intentionally expands vocabulary, teaches the power of forgiveness, of thinking of others, etc) but this is certainly a book I recommend parents read first (it won't take long) and then deciding if your child is ready for the book or not.

Back to all reviews by this member
Back to all reviews of this book
Back to Book Reviews
Back to Book Details