Remember when you were a kid, and you read your first Judy Blume or Beverly Cleary book? You read the first book, and then another, and then another? You just couldn't get enough of the books that this author released? This is how I felt about Gennifer Choldenko, after reading Al Capone Does My Shirts, when I was in a Children's Lit class in college. I consumed that book, and whole-heartedly excited about the others that she released during that time.
Fast forward 8 years or so at a Half-Price Books clearance sale. There I am, tossing $1 and $2 books in my basket like a crazed woman. To be fair, it was the first week of summer break and I'm a Language Arts teacher. I go nuts any time there's a book sale.
I didn't even read the book blurb when I saw Choldenko's name on the cover - it went immediately in the basket.
It's been a long time since I've been genuinely enthralled with the action and events in a book like I was while reading No Passengers Beyond This Point. Immediately I loved the characters, empathizing with them. The twists and turns of the novel kept me thinking and trying to connect the dots to make sense of what I was reading. This is what I love about fantasy - the dots.
I also really liked the way that the book was written, each chapter from the point of view of one of the three main characters. In this way, the reader really is able to understand how the character thinks and operates.
This was a great book, with some wild twists and genuine concern for the characters' well-being. Highly recommended. Don't think about it. Just do it.
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