Review of Ellie Ment and the Material Matter (amazon.co.uk version)
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[Following is a volunteer review of "Ellie Ment and the Material Matter (amazon.co.uk version)" by Bertie stephens.]
The premise of this book is a very good one, a science-based adventure for children should be the perfect way to engage children in literature that provides both fun and knowledge. Unfortunately that is not the case with this book which felt like a confusing slog through a textbook.
Most disappointingly, the characters are very flat with Ellie herself being fairly unlikeable at worst and at best unrelatable to the age group that this book is pitched at, leaving me completely uninvested in her journey. Ellie doesn't experience any growth and there is little to no detail on her motivation, leaving the reader with the feeling of things just happening to her. The on the nose pun of her name and the excessively pointed use of a best friend obsessed with the idea of reuse, remake, recycle felt more like a political manifesto in progress rather than the plausible conversations of two eleven year-olds
For the story itself, the level of terminology used has rendered the age group that this has been pitched at to be entirely incorrect - this would not just stretch an 8-year old, it would lead to a level of "science-splaining" that would be far too complex to retain the target readers interest while being too patronising in tone to interest older teens and adults. Why would you include the term tetrahedral allotrope of carbon as a "funny" replacement for the word diamond in a book for children, other than as a way of making yourself feel smarter as an author?
In addition to the above, the book also suffered from serious issues with inconsistent pacing, switching between the plot dragging through technical explanations to then rushing through any world building that could have made the story feel more well rounded.
In short, despite the audiobook being narrated by the wonderful Jennifer Saunders, I do not recommend this book and would suggest finding something less of a chore to read
******
Ellie Ment and the Material Matter (amazon.co.uk version)
View: on Bookshelves |
The premise of this book is a very good one, a science-based adventure for children should be the perfect way to engage children in literature that provides both fun and knowledge. Unfortunately that is not the case with this book which felt like a confusing slog through a textbook.
Most disappointingly, the characters are very flat with Ellie herself being fairly unlikeable at worst and at best unrelatable to the age group that this book is pitched at, leaving me completely uninvested in her journey. Ellie doesn't experience any growth and there is little to no detail on her motivation, leaving the reader with the feeling of things just happening to her. The on the nose pun of her name and the excessively pointed use of a best friend obsessed with the idea of reuse, remake, recycle felt more like a political manifesto in progress rather than the plausible conversations of two eleven year-olds
For the story itself, the level of terminology used has rendered the age group that this has been pitched at to be entirely incorrect - this would not just stretch an 8-year old, it would lead to a level of "science-splaining" that would be far too complex to retain the target readers interest while being too patronising in tone to interest older teens and adults. Why would you include the term tetrahedral allotrope of carbon as a "funny" replacement for the word diamond in a book for children, other than as a way of making yourself feel smarter as an author?
In addition to the above, the book also suffered from serious issues with inconsistent pacing, switching between the plot dragging through technical explanations to then rushing through any world building that could have made the story feel more well rounded.
In short, despite the audiobook being narrated by the wonderful Jennifer Saunders, I do not recommend this book and would suggest finding something less of a chore to read
******
Ellie Ment and the Material Matter (amazon.co.uk version)
View: on Bookshelves |
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