ARA Review by Chaotic_Reading of SandPeople

[Chaotic_Reading]

[Following is an OnlineBookClub.org ARA Review of the book, SandPeople.]

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2 out of 5 stars

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I don’t have a ton to say about this book. The basic idea of the plot was good — a good ghost mystery is always welcomed — but the execution of it was poor. There were several inconsistencies that could have easily been corrected with a good edit. Examples of these were the fact that Lea got off her bike twice (pg 58-59), there is mention of a cat once, and only once, Paul mentions looking for clues in the local library twice (pg 151), people suddenly appear and disappear during conversations, and at one point, Aunt Meg reads a book in German then just vanishes from the area.

These instances, plus more, really pulled me from the immersion of the book. I was also expecting a bit more of a mystery to the overall story than what we got. There’s mention of the ghost girl, as well as the tiny sand people, was a small secondary plot, which is fine in, and of, itself, except for the fact that the book is portrayed as a ghost mystery. To be honest, that is why I chose the book, and I was disappointed there wasn’t more to that secondary storyline.


That being said, I could sympathize with Lea, I was just about the same age as her when my parents got divorced, so I can understand the resistance to change, and just generally being angry with the world. I’m glad she found some new friends, and was able to begin to heal from the sudden discovery of her family falling apart. It will take time, but by the end of the book, it’s clear that Lea is beginning to recognize that change is okay.


I gave this book a two out of five stars because of all the inconsistencies throughout it. Each time I encountered one, it would pull me from the book, and I found myself flipping pages, as well as re-reading sections to make sure I hadn’t missed a transition somewhere. I debated giving the book a single star, but decided against it for the simple fact that Lea does grow over the course of the book. By the end, she is in a better place mentally, and it was really nice to see.

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