Official Review: A Far Away Place by Hope Chisholm

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[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "A Far Away Place" by Hope Chisholm.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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A Far Away Place is a middle-grade story by Hope Chisholm. The story’s protagonist is an imaginative young girl named Hope who wishes to be a writer. One night, Hope has a vivid dream in which she meets a talking tree whom she names Life. She then meets a girl called Courage and a man called Strong. Together they embark on a quest to find The Far Away Place. Along the way, they have various adventures and fight monsters.

In its current form, I can only give A Far Away Place two out of four stars. The story contains a great many interesting ideas, but it also contains a great many typos. I do not believe that it was professionally edited. The story reads as if it was written by a child. If it was written by a child, it would be a good idea for an adult to help their young one refine the story before it is published.

The thing that I like best about A Far Away Place is Hope’s determination and her cooperation with the friends that she meets along the way. Hope is a clever and kind-hearted girl who values her friendships and loves her family. With a bit of work, this could easily become a story that children in the middle-grade years will love to read.

The thing I dislike most about A Far Away Place is the part where Courage quips to one of the monsters: “Dude...did it ever occur to you that maybe you might need to lose some weight?” It is never, ever okay to ridicule someone else’s size and the “you need to lose some weight” dig is responsible for the development of eating disorders and feelings of self-loathing in real life. It isn’t funny when it’s done in books for adults, and it is inexcusable in a book for children. Bullying is not acceptable, even when the object of the bullying is a literal monster. That it is okay to ridicule someone’s weight is a terrible message to be imparting to children.

I think that A Far Away Place was written with sincerity and it displays a high level of inventiveness on the part of the author. With a bit of work, it could become a delightful and inspirational book for youngsters to enjoy. I sincerely hope that the author will take the time to refine the story so it can shine the way it deserves to.

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A Far Away Place
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