Nick Herrera is a below-average high school kid, but he isn't happy about this. He knows he could be something special if he could just find a way to break through whatever it is that is holding him back. One afternoon, while waiting for a subway train, he finds a way to break through from mediocrity to notoriety. Nick notices a young girl fall off the subway platform and onto the tracks. It is as if time stands still for him long enough to jump down and save her. But there is not enough time for him to get back up and he gets run over by the train. Luckily (miraculously, some might say) he survives with minor injuries. From that time, it seems as if he is destined to play the role of the hero; he is always in the right place, at the right time. He gets the attention of the media, the Mayer and one of the richest girls in New York City. It seems that Nick can do no wrong, but is this really a special power he has tapped into, or is it all in his mind?
This is a pretty interesting book. It poses the question what does it mean to be special. Nick becomes special by a freak accident, but through this, he meets other kids who are special because of their abilities or their families. Nick gets a chance to find out whether or not standing out from the crowd can really make you happy.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Friday, February 13, 2009
Down the Rabbit Hole
Down the Rabbit Hole An Echo Falls Mystery by Peter Abrahams
Welcome to Echo Falls. Home of a thousand secrets, where Ingrid Levin-Hill, super sleuth, never knows what will happen next.
This is the first sentence from the blurb on the book jacket. I have to disagree a bit with that after reading the book. One of the things I liked most about this book was that the main character Ingrid does not start out as a Super Sleuth. She is not a precocious child genius with a knack for solving crimes. She is not a nosy know-it all who has wanted to be a detective from birth. She is just a kid. She plays soccer and has an annoying older brother. She doesn’t pay much attention to the world around unless it directly concerns her. And one day, after getting lost because she hasn’t been paying attention, she becomes directly involved in a murder. Well, not directly involved. Her shoes become involved and suddenly, she has to start paying attention if she is going to unravel the chain of events that landed her shoes in a crime scene.
I enjoyed the way this book played out. I liked the way Ingrid decides to change her approach to life. She decides to become someone who pays attention. At first, she just pays attention to her surroundings but soon she is paying attention to the people around her as well. This extra attention she gives helps her understand what may be underneath the outside face that people are showing the world. My only criticism is that the story wraps up nice and tidy in a very Scooby Doo kind of way. On the whole though, if you are in the mood for a mystery with a dash of character depth, a bit of humor, soccer cleats and a dog named Nigel, you might enjoy Down the Rabbit Hole.
Welcome to Echo Falls. Home of a thousand secrets, where Ingrid Levin-Hill, super sleuth, never knows what will happen next.
This is the first sentence from the blurb on the book jacket. I have to disagree a bit with that after reading the book. One of the things I liked most about this book was that the main character Ingrid does not start out as a Super Sleuth. She is not a precocious child genius with a knack for solving crimes. She is not a nosy know-it all who has wanted to be a detective from birth. She is just a kid. She plays soccer and has an annoying older brother. She doesn’t pay much attention to the world around unless it directly concerns her. And one day, after getting lost because she hasn’t been paying attention, she becomes directly involved in a murder. Well, not directly involved. Her shoes become involved and suddenly, she has to start paying attention if she is going to unravel the chain of events that landed her shoes in a crime scene.
I enjoyed the way this book played out. I liked the way Ingrid decides to change her approach to life. She decides to become someone who pays attention. At first, she just pays attention to her surroundings but soon she is paying attention to the people around her as well. This extra attention she gives helps her understand what may be underneath the outside face that people are showing the world. My only criticism is that the story wraps up nice and tidy in a very Scooby Doo kind of way. On the whole though, if you are in the mood for a mystery with a dash of character depth, a bit of humor, soccer cleats and a dog named Nigel, you might enjoy Down the Rabbit Hole.
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