Monday, April 28, 2014

One came home by Amy Timberlake


In this novel, 13 year old Georgie's family is reeling over the death of her older sister, Agatha.  However, Georgie does not believe that Agatha is really dead.  Yes, there is a body; yes, it has red hair; and, yes, it is wearing Agatha's dress.  But, Georgina cannot shake the feeling that Agatha is alive and needs her help.  She embarks on a journey to find out what really happened to her sister, and uncovers a nefarious plot that could cost her her life.  The novel is full of mystery and plot twists that keep a reader entertained and interested throughout the novel.

Okay, so that is my official book review.  Now let's talk unofficial.  I have held onto this book for a year before I finally came around to reading it.  "Why?", you may ask. Well, I will tell you in one word - pigeons.  Yep, pigeons.  One of the plot points is pigeons.  This alone convinced me that this book could not be all that great.  People hunting pigeons?  It did not sound too enthralling.  However, once I got into the book, I found I did not mind the pigeons so much.  In fact, I realized I knew nothing about passenger pigeons (these birds have been extinct for 100 years).  Apparently, during mating season, these birds traveled in flocks of over 1 million.  OVER ONE MILLION.  Meaning, that when the flock traveled, the sky would be so thick with pigeons that it would block out the daylight for hours.  Their flocks could cover an area at least 2 miles wide and fifteen miles long.  When they moved, you could just shoot at the sky and down would fall dinner. AND, you would be covered in pigeon poo.  You would think that these birds, at the time the most prolific on the planet, would still be around, but no.  Thanks to over-hunting, deforestation, and generally lack of caring by the population of the U.S., these birds are now extinct.  The last one died over 100 years ago.  

Now let's talk about the main character - Georgina (or Georgie for short).  She is hard-headed, strong-willed, and generally not likable.  The entire reason her sister leaves is because she sees her sister do something, and instead of asking her sister about it, she goes and tells on her.  Georgie loves her sister in her own way, but she is very possessive of her.  She sabotages her life, and instead of feeling guilt, she has a "serves-you-right" mentality.  I was not a big fan of hers, but I do feel that she was a very authentic character.  She was not sugar-coated, but hardened by the life and circumstances that surrounded her.  
Overall, I feel this is a good mystery and appropriate for the junior high age group.  I will be book talking it, and hopefully kiddos will be interested.