Rating:★ ★ ★ ☆☆
One day Benji and his twin sister are at the local fair and when Benji is running away from the local bullies, he stumbles into a booth with a funny old guy. After hanging out there awhile, the guy shows him his abilities, which is that he can give people memories. He gives (or shares more like) Benji a memory he has of being a fighter pilot. Benji feels like he really remembers it!
Well, he is now hooked and goes back the next day, hoping to get help with his parents who are planning a divorce. But instead of the old guy, Benji finds a creepy lady who is up to no good. She helps Benji erase the memories he wants from his parents, but right away, Benji realizes this is not a good thing.
And before he knows it, everything gets even worse. He tracks down the old guy to get help and then.. things get EVEN WORSE! But Benji now has the abilities to fight against the lady and he hopes he can restore everything how it was, even with all the problems.
An interesting concept about how important memories are. And how they make us be who we are., they are our very essence. And even the bad ones are good. And how if someone had the ability to give and take memories, it would really be a terrible thing.
I enjoyed the story, but it was a bit... over the top... for me. Maybe MG age kids wouldn't mind that aspect and just go with it, but for me, it was just a bit too crazy! But as I said, I enjoyed the things it made me think about and I'm sure kids reading this will go away with the similar thoughts about memory and what it means to us.
A MG that will appeal to kids is great...for them. I find that some of them try to appeal to adults too and while a appreciate their efforts it’s ok if a book is just for kids. Wow. Did any of that make sense? I think I need breakfast.
ReplyDeleteI often wonder if over-the-top things would be too over-the-top for young kids too or if they're just like adults and think it the way we do. We just don't give them enough credit. Something to ponder...
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