Uncategorized 
Comments Off on Still Just Tired Still Just Tired
Although I suppose having houseguests didn’t help my bedtime on Friday, and Sunday night I just couldn’t sleep. I was tired enough, however, and drained enough from the day that I didn’t have a post in me. Luckily, I did manage to get to bed a bit earlier last night!
Anyway. I checked out Lynda Mullaly Hunt’s Shouting at the Rain shortly after finishing Fish in a Tree, since that was so good, and after listening to Shouting at the Rain, it’s official–I’m a Mullaly Hunt fan. (And while the narrator didn’t attempt an accent and New England wasn’t a character in and of itself, Delsie did order jimmies on her ice cream, making the setting feel successful.) Delsie’s friendship experiences should resonate with the intended audience, not to mention her parent/grandparent arrangement. The pain of Ronan’s past balances out the perfection of the ending, and while it might not be completely realistic, it is definitely satisfying. I honestly expected there to be more of a theme of class/financial differences than there was, but Mullaly Hunt clearly preferred to focus instead on friendship and family (both biological and chosen), and that worked. This is a book with characters you want to know and a whole lot of heart.
My 11-year-old should love it.