Author: Sharon Creech
Ages: 2nd - 5th grades
Review: Replay to my real disappointment was not one of my favorite books. They all can't be great, though. What I really did like about the novel was how it seemed to strike an authentic chord with the dynamics of the tween's family and the imaginary self-grandiose world we wished we lived in. Sharon Creech also does a superb job of representing the real life of a middle child. Being one myself, I immediately resonated with Leo, the "fog boy" or "Sardine." Susan's I Love Books blog offers a nice, short summary of the plot line.
I kind of felt cheated at the end of the novel, but that might just be me. While Replay's— as the name aptly suggests—undercurrent is about the production of a play and then Leo's re-play of his life, the building to the play was a little anticlimactic for me. I felt sort of like the story just stopped. It also seemed a little too tidy or quick to finish. The other element that I felt cheated about was the authenticity with which the siblings had been presented throughout the book. The ending became—for me—to Pollyanna-ish. I would like to have seen the "real" siblings portrayed and then Leo's replay.
I also don't want to overemphasize the negatives of this book either. I did enjoy the style that Creech used to present the plot in. I did get a little confused at times about whether we were in Leo's real life of the replay. In any case, do I recommend it? Sure. It's a good story. I would like to hear what other folks think, too.
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