Sahara Special
This is another of the YRCA books for 2006, and it's quite a good one. I'm a sucker for stories about writing and teachers, and this is both - the story of Sahara, a girl who gets left back after refusing to do her homework all year. She longs to be a writer, but it's not until her new teacher arrives that she begins to go down the path that will lead her there.The other characters aside from Sahara are somewhat flat, but there are enough hints of depth to them that you get the impression the author was aware of them. I like that in a book - you get the feeling that the author knows more about the characters even if she doesn't necessarily let on the details to the reader.
It's impressive that the author manages to make stickers into somewhat of a plot point - it's not something that you'd expect to be able to act as anything significant, but it sneaks in here and there to make a difference in the story.
I don't know. Sahara is an appealing character, and you root for her throughout the story. It's short, and it's simple, but it's sweet without being saccharine. Which is no minor accomplishment.
posted by SarahJanet @ 3:47 PM
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