Official Review: Rebecca's Adventure by Diana Johnson Narod

[Alya17]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Rebecca's Adventure" by Diana Johnson Narod.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Rebecca's Adventure: The Enchanted Seashells by Diana Johnson Narod is a charming children's story about a young girl named Rebecca who looks forward to meeting her best friend Suzie during their summer holiday. The first part of the story involves Rebecca grappling with the fact that her family will not be going on their annual vacation at the Hamptons. The second part mainly focuses on the girls' adventure with the enchanted seashells.

I enjoyed the plot as well as the adorable illustrations. In the second half of the book, the plot was reminiscent of the The Wizard of Oz. The dialogue, though, was slightly problematic. In some cases, it felt too formal and mature for children, "We have such a grand time with them." I also found the writing to be convoluted at times, "There was also a huge gaming room and theater, and they knew Grandma would enjoy watching some shows, and the elevators and escalators, so many other amazing things." I think writing for children should be simpler. Occasionally, there was also confusion about the speaker or who was responsible for specific lines of dialogue.

Nevertheless, I enjoyed this story, and I think children will as well. Parents should have no problem giving this book to their children. The children depicted were very respectful, and the author was careful to include rules, such as when to ask an adult for help. This was realistic given that Rebecca and Suzie are so young.

While I would recommend this book to all children, I kept thinking about those less fortunate. I wondered if they would be able to relate to a story about vacationing at the Hamptons and going to Disney World. The families portrayed in the book appear to be wealthy, and the enchanted seashells adventure could have occurred without the Disney cruise or the Hamptons.

Overall, I would rate this book three out of four stars. There were a few grammatical and typographical errors apart from the issues with the dialogue and writing. However, I think the author has a great imagination, and I look forward to more of her stories. Young girls, in particular, will enjoy this story and appreciate the message of finding adventure in everyday life.

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Rebecca's Adventure
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[Stephanie Elizabeth]

While the story sounds endearing, I agree with you that the writing seems a little complicated for young readers. I also think you made a great point about children who are less fortunate not being able to relate. I think I will skip this one, but thank you for the honest review!

[Urshi]

Children may find it slightly difficult to understand it at first but will be able to cope up afterwards and that will be fun reading for them.