OnlineBookClub.org

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Summer of the Pearl" by Clive Bennett.]

Summer of the Pearl by Clive Bennett is a children's story about a boy named Clive. His family has a tradition of being members of the Pearly Kings and Queens of London, or Pearlies. This is a group of people who cover their clothes in mother-of-pearl buttons to attract attention to themselves as they gather money for charity. When Clive's mom's old friend moves back to town with her daughter, Rose, strange things start happening. Rose wears a unique necklace that has a pearl in cage. Her mom tells her it's charmed with good luck, and she should wear it for protection. Everyone is interested in the necklace, especially the unsavory characters. Early on, two men try to steal it, but when one of the men grabs it, his hand gets burned, and he jerks away.

Clive and Rose become fast friends, and they decide to investigate where the necklace comes from and what makes it so special. Their journey takes them from London to Scotland, where the buttons are made for the Pearlies. Along the way, they meet some new friends who help them on their adventure. Together, they work to discover how to harness and use the necklace's magic for good.

This book is aimed at elementary aged children. The book begins with an interesting description of Cockney Rhyming Slang, a special way of speaking used by Londoners. It is used throughout the book, and it is fun to spot the usage, as well as try to make up your own. The story is enjoyable. In the vein of Nancy Drew, The Boxcar Children, and The Hardy Boys, this story is full of adventure. One of the great things about these types of stories is that children have the main roles, and there is not an overbearing adult influence. In Summer of the Pearl, the kids strike off on their own to uncover the mystery of the necklace.

Unfortunately, the number of writing errors in the book make for a difficult and confusing read. In the book, there are instances of bullying, fat shaming, and racist remarks. There are some structural and grammatical errors, such as run-on sentences and incorrect punctuation. The biggest issue with this book is that it switches tense constantly. It moves from past to present and back, sometimes within the same sentence. It is distracting. The book is primarily written from Clive's point of view. However, there is one chapter in the middle of the book told from Rose's point of view, and there is a section at the end of the book called, "The Pearl's Story." This section is told from the point of view of the pearl. It is abrasive, it chastises humans, it grates against religion, and it focuses on energies. It is strange, and it does not fit in with the rest of the book.

I rate this book 2 out of 4 stars. The story is interesting and unique. However, there are a number of errors that are very distracting. I would recommend this book to children who like stories with a little bit of adventure and a little bit of fantasy. However, I would not recommend that children read this book by themselves. While I think they could handle the content of the book, I think the writing would confuse them and give them a poor example of how to write. The story would be a good shared reading experience because it would be able to hold a child's attention.

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Summer of the Pearl
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Great review! Sounds like fascinating story idea. What a shame about all the errors which detract from what could have been a 3 or 4 star book! I would find it hard, perhaps, to even read it WITH my children.

Thank you for your review! I agree, what a shame the writing style and errors distract from a unique story line.

Thanks for the comments so far! I hope the book can undergo an intense editing and proofreading process and be released again for all to enjoy! I learned some cool things from this book, and I wish the author would have given some more background on the Pearlies. I liked the info about the slang. It definitely prompted me to do some more research!

Hmm...I saw this book a while ago but the beginning note on the slang turned me off to it. Even so, I enjoyed your review and it was interesting to get a fuller picture of what the book is about. Shame about all the errors, but great review!

Thanks, Tanaya! It's funny that the bit about the slang turned you off. That's one of the things that roped me in! That's one of the things I love about Online Book Club. There's always something different to appeal to different tastes. I appreciate your feedback!

Great review, amybo82. The plot sounds interesting, but I can't imagine how tenses can change within the same sentence. Lol.

Too bad there were so many errors, the book sounds promising! I used to love reading books like the Boxcar Children and this one sounds so unique.

Leon - The tense switching made me question my own sanity a couple of times. I had to go back and re-read multiple times to make sense of it. I think a thorough proofreader would catch these and help the book a great deal!

Rachael - As I was reading the book, I was reminded of the Boxcar Children because of the way the kids in this book are able to strike out on their own and do something cool and heroic!

Thanks to both of you for your comments!

This book sounds like it has so much potential. Maybe the author will be able to make some improvements from your comments.

I certainly hope so! I would love to see some American kids learn about some unique British traditions!

Imformative review, and the story idea does seem unique. But I suppose the said errors will distract me from the main story...