The theme I took away from this book is the difference between seeing the little dots and seeing the big picture. It was very cleverly explored in lots of ways: Georges Seurat's painting, how to deal with bullies, differences in the perspectives of Georges and Safer, an almost out of nowhere plot twist, and finally the dots on the hands (which is only a cryptic spoiler).

Rebecca Stead again writes with heart, curiosity, and intelligence. For me, this book lacked the wow factor of [b:When You Reach Me|5310515|When You Reach Me|Rebecca Stead|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320395542s/5310515.jpg|6608018], but it was still a great read. I had a small qualm with Safer's family being overly quirky, but that's really just my exhaustion with super quirky characters. I also never really bought in to the whole spying on the man in black plot. It never grabbed me, but it definitely has the potential to grab young readers.

( )

Independent Reading Level: Grades 3-7
Awards: Agatha Award (Nominee – Children's / Young-Adult – 2012), BCCB Blue Ribbon Book (Fiction – 2012), Bluestem Award (Nominee – 2015), Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award (Nominee – 2015), Great Stone Face Book Award (Nominee – 2013-2014)
Guardian Children's Fiction Prize (Winner – 2013)
A Horn Book Fanfare Best Book (Fiction – 2012), Massachusetts Children's Book Award (Nominee – 2014-2015), Mitten Award (Honor – 2013), Parents' Choice Book Award (2013), Texas Bluebonnet Award (Nominee – 2015), UKLA Book Award (Shortlist – 7 to 11 – 2014), Vermont Golden Dome Book Award (Nominee), Vermont Golden Dome Book Award (Nominee – 2014), West Virginia Children's Choice Book Award (Nominee – 2013-2014)

Nice contemporary story. Not as beloved as When You Reach Me. I think Stead might be known as a "twist ending" author and the twists were more forced than her last book which was like a perfect puzzle coming together. Still, lots to talk about and would be a good choice for a children's book club. ( )

Children's middle-grade fiction (boy-friendly). The story unfolds slowly, in short chapters: Ch. 1: we learn the narrator is in 7th grade. Ch.2: family has recently sold home. Ch.3: His name is George (but spelled Georges, as in Seurat). He gets teased by other kids at school (one in particular), and is not particularly great at sports. Ch. 4: His dad was laid off last year, and mom has been picking up extra shifts at the hospital to help out (he rarely gets to see her).
...And so forth. Utterly charming, and the characters are very imaginative and endearing. I was not a huge fan of Stead's When You Reach Me, but this one I really liked--there is also a mystery to be solved here, but it isn't quite so obvious. ( )

This book....I am not sure. I really tried to put myself into the mindset of the target demographic. I really did. Maybe I am just not very good at it, but something about this book just bothered me.

I liked that the story incorporated some actually knowledge in there, about the Seurat painting, things like that. I like that the story has a real message. I like that it was kind of light and fun, while being serious at the same time. It was well edited, which is usually a pet peeve of mine.

But, see, it just felt flat to me. I thought the premise was cute, but the delivery method just left me, wanting.

While I did not really enjoy this one, I am sure that there are many, many people who did. I intend to pass the book down to my 9 year old, and I am sure he will probably have a very different perspective on the book than I did. It just did not work for me. ( )