Wednesday, March 03, 2010

Flightsend - By Linda Newbery

Charlie was young when Sean moved in. Sean has been there almost as long as she can remember. Everything was going right; her mother was going to have a baby, Sean had moved in, and it seemed as if they were headed toward marriage. But then everything went south.
Her mother had a miscarriage, pushed Sean away, and seemed to be suffering from depression. Charlie thinks that Mum is making a terrible mistake, and doesn't know what her mother is going to do.
Mum's solution - move to Flightsend. Of course, Charlie thinks that this is the worst thing ever. But through the course of this novel, Charlie grows up and shows maturity beyond her years. But will her mother?

I felt that this book was very well written. The plot didn't drag, the characters were fun and easy to relate to, and the writing style was good. The book is in first person; from Charlie's point of view. This alone makes it interesting, to see it from the kid's point of view. I loved how reality hit hard for both her and her mother and seeing their ways of dealing with things. Also, I enjoyed how she and her mother lost, then found, a connection with each other. Lastly, I think that it was interesting so see Charlie's way of dealing with her mother's "depression".
I would most definitely recommend this to other readers my age, for it shows the true hardships of growing up.

This book deals with some more mature themes, dealing with pregnancy and relationships. Some children might need some guidance with these themes.

Reviewer Age:12

Reviewer City, State and Country: Oakmont, PA USA