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What Members Thought
Honestly, this book frustrated me. In my mind, there's a limit to how long the author should keep the reader in suspense, and TMTSOJ mostly exceeded that limit. I was more than halfway through when I grew so frustrated I actually said, "Come on! Get on with it!" out loud. In a way that's a good thing. I cared enough about the characters and the plot to feel as confused and impatient as the character Jack himself probably did. On the other hand, I obviously disliked the overlong setup. So I'm not
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Photos are everywhere. People take them with their phones. They hang on walls, sit on desks and even appear on key chains. They little the web from Facebook to online scrapbooks. Yet the first time Jack sees a photo of himself it is in the back of a book given to him by his uncle he doesn't remember meeting before taken in a house Jack swears he never visited.
Finding a photograph of himself isn't the only new thing to happen to Jack when his parents' dissolving marriage sends him to Hazelwood, ...more
Finding a photograph of himself isn't the only new thing to happen to Jack when his parents' dissolving marriage sends him to Hazelwood, ...more
I picked this book up because all the books on my list were already checked out at the library. I was browsing the shelves and this one looked intriguing.
The biggest problem I had with this book is that typically when you read a story there is certain elements that you as the reader don't know. The author decides when and how to let you in on the "secret". For me a good book is when the author lets you in just enough to satisfy your curiosity but not so much that they give away all the suspense. ...more
The biggest problem I had with this book is that typically when you read a story there is certain elements that you as the reader don't know. The author decides when and how to let you in on the "secret". For me a good book is when the author lets you in just enough to satisfy your curiosity but not so much that they give away all the suspense. ...more
This one is really hard to explain! Jack is sent by his parents to stay with his aunt and uncle in Hazlewood, Iowa. All of his life Jack has been ignored - not only by his parents but by most other people as well. It turns out that magic has a lot to do with his - magic that is in Jack and also in the town of Hazlewood. There are forces of good and evil at work, and Jack is the center of both of their concerns. Didn't like this as much as I thought I would.
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This book kept me guessing so it kept me reading. I think it is difficult to discuss without giving things away. Sometimes I wondered if it would be a bit frustrating for a young reader to be kept waiting so long for things to be explained, but that was certainly part of why it was compelling.
This has interesting and well-developed characters. The premise is unusual and the novel is filled with creepy and suspenseful scenes. It was longer than it needed to be and confusing in the end (at least to me).
3.5 stars
Despite a slow start and a tendency to go on a little long (what is with the length in some middle grade fantasy books) overall this was decent. It's a little too aware of itself with the Random Capital Letters and trying to be clever through repetition, and not getting to the story until about 3/4 of the way in, though you could guess what had happened.
Jack and Clive had clear, distinct voices but the rest were merely stand-ins especially Clayton, the town bully and Wendy the scrappy b ...more
Despite a slow start and a tendency to go on a little long (what is with the length in some middle grade fantasy books) overall this was decent. It's a little too aware of itself with the Random Capital Letters and trying to be clever through repetition, and not getting to the story until about 3/4 of the way in, though you could guess what had happened.
Jack and Clive had clear, distinct voices but the rest were merely stand-ins especially Clayton, the town bully and Wendy the scrappy b ...more
This was an intriguing, slightly suspenseful fantasy based firmly in our own world. The fantasy elements feel very much a part of the mid-western landscape, and there's a brooding, creepy feel to the whole things that should pull in readers. It isn't exactly fast-paced though, and feels just a tiny bit too long - it's not a fantasy for the plot and action-driven reader, but for those who are more interested in mood, characters and setting.
Source: review copy from publisher ...more
Source: review copy from publisher ...more
The writing style pulled me into the story, but as the fantasy/creepy quality increased, I just wanted to find out how it was going to end.
If you like stories that like to tweak your mind and you're not quite sure about what is going on, you might like this one. ...more
If you like stories that like to tweak your mind and you're not quite sure about what is going on, you might like this one. ...more
Aug 30, 2011
Laura5
marked it as stopped-mid-read
Stopped mid read only because I got caught up with #nerdcott and my new kindle... I'll be back, it's still on my nightstand
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Jun 07, 2011
Emily
marked it as to-read
Sep 13, 2011
Kate Hastings
marked it as to-read
Sep 30, 2011
Rachel
marked it as to-read
Nov 06, 2011
Karyn The Pirate
marked it as to-read
Jan 07, 2012
Sarah
added it
Mar 04, 2017
Jenny
marked it as to-read
