The Geekess

This book had such promise. Oscar, a boy from the early 1900s, writes a story beginning in which the fields of wheat around his house turn into the sea. He looks out his window, only to find the sea at his doorstep. Oscar rows away into the night, leaving behind his composition books and his family. 100 years later, his great-niece discovers his books and sets out to find him.

The book was very unique, but the plot was painfully obvious at times. Some authors seem to think that middle readers need more hints to follow the plot line. The ending also leaves something to be desired. The author tries to make it better by having the characters say, "Some book endings feel like beings," but the ending felt incomplete and not well thought-out. I had hoped that some of the characters would go on to more adventurous things, but in the end everyone was stuck in Iowa. There was some character development along the way, but the adults in the book seemed to grow more than the children.

In conclusion, I give the book a B+ for novel ideas, and a B- for following through with those ideas.