By Robin Benway
Razorbill
Publication date: August 3, 2010
ISBN: 9781595142863
April, May, and June, three sisters a year apart from one another, start the school year at a brand new school after their parents’ divorce. One morning, slowly, each discover that they have, seemingly, a special power. Each power mirror’s their personality: April, the cautious, intellectual, older sister, can see the figure; May, the recluse middle child, can turn invisible; and June, the inquisitive and energetic youngest one, can read minds. As they realize their changes, when driving home from school one day, they each have different ideas of how to use their powers. April doesn’t want to be strange, she doesn’t want to effect the future. May sees hers as a great way to get away from everyone when need be. And June decides her power is the ultimate way to become popular.
Yet, when April starts seeing visions of her youngest sister in trouble – flashes of red lights, an ambulance – she tries to find ways to delay the inevitable. But it’s not until the three girls learn to work with one another, and accept their differences, that they can really overcome what’s set to happen.
The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May & June is overwhelmingly decent. It’s a cute, fast-paced read with vivid characters and a good story. It gives readers the chance to vicariously have those super powers they sometimes wish they could receive. However, the book overall seemed lacking.
I felt that the characters were extremely stereotypical – with April always being conservative and careful (and pretty boring), May being the rebellious disheveled emo girl, and June being the perky, pink skirt wearing blonde. The chapters alternate, each told by a different girl’s point of view. While I didn’t love any of the girls, I did eventually enjoy them well enough the more I read, as they grew and changed (May being – in the end – my favorite). What Robin Benway does really well is change the perspective just as you’re starting to get into the character’s story. It keeps you reading.
The ending was a bid disappointing, too. The story, once April sees danger, creates a whirlwind of excitement, getting the reader to quickly push through the final pages, awaiting the climactic scene. The buildup is great, and yet, when the moment does happen, it kind of falls flat.
While I didn’t particularly love the book, I did find it fun, and I think middle grade girls will truly enjoy it. The book shows the importance of friendship and, ultimately, family. There are some very cute scenes, and some very funny ones as well. It may lack the heart of many YA books out there, but the author definitely has talent and I’m excited to see what she has in store next.
Benway's website/blog
2 comments:
I'm in shock with how much you read. It's seriously inspiring. You are going to be my go-to girl for YA book recommendations!
I like the idea behind this book - It's a shame it didn't really live up to what it could have been though. :S
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