Finally got around to finishing The Name of This Book is a Secret.
It's taken me a while to figure out why I like it but can't love it. It's well-written, well-paced, I can see why a lot of kids would enjoy it and want to read more in the series. But it's like Lemony Snickett's books, where the narrator is always talking to you and the events are things that couldn't possibly happen. So you never lose yourself in the story and start believing it's real. With the Hunger Games, I had to remind myself--they're characters, the suffering isn't real. In this one, you're always aware of the author and the fact that it's all made up, so there isn't the same sense of I have to read on and find out what happens to everyone.
Does that make sense?
It's taken me a while to figure out why I like it but can't love it. It's well-written, well-paced, I can see why a lot of kids would enjoy it and want to read more in the series. But it's like Lemony Snickett's books, where the narrator is always talking to you and the events are things that couldn't possibly happen. So you never lose yourself in the story and start believing it's real. With the Hunger Games, I had to remind myself--they're characters, the suffering isn't real. In this one, you're always aware of the author and the fact that it's all made up, so there isn't the same sense of I have to read on and find out what happens to everyone.
Does that make sense?