Official Review: Liar Lindly Brandt
-
Mickaila
- Posts: 135
- Joined: 05 Aug 2014, 16:30
- Favorite Book: The Iliad
- Currently Reading: Most Evil by Michael Stone
- Bookshelf Size: 1
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-mickaila.html
- Latest Review: "Liar Lindly Brandt" by Aften Brook Szymanski
Official Review: Liar Lindly Brandt
[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Liar Lindly Brandt" by Aften Brook Szymanski.]
Share This Review
A very charming first book of a trilogy, Liar Lindly is about a forth grade diva who is struggling with her self-conscious ideologies. After trying to look cool by covering up an embarrassing secret with a lie, her classmates make fun of her and call her “Liar Lindly”, Lindly decides the best solution for this is to become the best liar and to change herself completely. The lies soon become too hard for her, and she decides to come clean with the truth. Well, sort of.
I find that there are slight language and cultural variations in this story; this book is about a fourth grader whose peers refer to words such as “poo-chip cookies” (for chocolate chip cookies) and even “cooties”, this is a fourth grader with an ipad… I do not think children two grades away from middle school would be this infantile.
I think this book would either benefit from reducing Lindly’s grade to a younger one where this scenario and childish language would be more common, or for the author to rethink her audience and to try to copy the language and mannerisms of actual fourth graders. Lindly comments on oatmeal raisin cookies, describing them as “Health food in disguise”, a 9 or 10 year old is a bit too old for the “EW BROCCOLI” phase, D.W. from “Arthur!” television series had this same aversion, but she was four years old, the audience for that show was 4-8 years old. In other words, this book is set in fourth grade, not kindergarten, most children don’t think or talk like how the author portrays so it makes the dialogue seem odd and unimaginable.
“Thank goodness for moms.” “Touch a boys elbow? Boys played in dirt and squished bugs, I’ve seen it” The “Ew boys” factor can’t apply if Lindly has a crush on them; again, dialogue seemed meant for a kindergartner, not a ten year old.
I do find the series and notion of the stories charming though, I can see grade school kids enjoying these stories. Szymanski perfectly captured the angst some kids experience through that age, where they understand what they are doing is silly, but that compulsion and puerile ideas are still there.
I am a little disappointed that it’s a bit clichéd, Lindly is bad at math, which is considered common for school girls, but Peter (a “dork” –according to Lindly- protagonist) is good at math. I’d like to see a female book character exceed in math for once.
I rate this book 2 out of 4 stars. I would have given this book a 3 if it was a little more thought out properly, I wasn’t happy with the ending being sort of resolved with only one page and the ending sentence was disappointing. I think with small changes this book could be fabulous.
***
Buy "Liar Lindly Brandt" on Amazon
View hassle-free sample of "Liar Lindly Brandt"
Share This Review
I find that there are slight language and cultural variations in this story; this book is about a fourth grader whose peers refer to words such as “poo-chip cookies” (for chocolate chip cookies) and even “cooties”, this is a fourth grader with an ipad… I do not think children two grades away from middle school would be this infantile.
I think this book would either benefit from reducing Lindly’s grade to a younger one where this scenario and childish language would be more common, or for the author to rethink her audience and to try to copy the language and mannerisms of actual fourth graders. Lindly comments on oatmeal raisin cookies, describing them as “Health food in disguise”, a 9 or 10 year old is a bit too old for the “EW BROCCOLI” phase, D.W. from “Arthur!” television series had this same aversion, but she was four years old, the audience for that show was 4-8 years old. In other words, this book is set in fourth grade, not kindergarten, most children don’t think or talk like how the author portrays so it makes the dialogue seem odd and unimaginable.
“Thank goodness for moms.” “Touch a boys elbow? Boys played in dirt and squished bugs, I’ve seen it” The “Ew boys” factor can’t apply if Lindly has a crush on them; again, dialogue seemed meant for a kindergartner, not a ten year old.
I do find the series and notion of the stories charming though, I can see grade school kids enjoying these stories. Szymanski perfectly captured the angst some kids experience through that age, where they understand what they are doing is silly, but that compulsion and puerile ideas are still there.
I am a little disappointed that it’s a bit clichéd, Lindly is bad at math, which is considered common for school girls, but Peter (a “dork” –according to Lindly- protagonist) is good at math. I’d like to see a female book character exceed in math for once.
I rate this book 2 out of 4 stars. I would have given this book a 3 if it was a little more thought out properly, I wasn’t happy with the ending being sort of resolved with only one page and the ending sentence was disappointing. I think with small changes this book could be fabulous.
***
Buy "Liar Lindly Brandt" on Amazon
View hassle-free sample of "Liar Lindly Brandt"
Latest Review: "Liar Lindly Brandt" by Aften Brook Szymanski
