A review by amalyn
Remarkables by Margaret Peterson Haddix

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

okay, so i initially thought this was going to be a plain 2-star rating. i found it so corny and the relationships just don't seem authentic to me; it felt like the family was a little too happy (i believe to show contrast between her and Charley), but
1. i’m not a 5th grader, nowhere near it
2. i’ve never experienced or seen a family behave this way
3. perhaps i’m judging WAY too early

as i continue to read; yes, the corniness is still there; yes, i’m confused every second; and YES, i have to put the book down for a couple seconds because the joke was so bad, but this book is veered towards kids and there were times where i did laugh out loud so maybe it balanced out?

anyways, don't let this drive you away completely from the book, because i did grow to like it a bit more towards the end.

i actually really liked the messages this book had to offer, and it could really help for kids reading. i was like, "wow, i needed to hear that" as a 17-year-old.

another thing i didn't like, however, was the confusing mess of The Remarkables. you see the main character, Marin, trying to piece it together and it's such a confusing process to read, but it ties together in the end and i didn't expect the ending, but i enjoyed it, it brought a smile to my face because i thought it was going in a different route...
i thought they were actually gonna try and go back in time and that would've been mind-boggling. can you imagine two 10-year-olds finding or making a time travel machine and saving Missy and trying to make sure Heather kept her fire detector charity, Charley's dad/mom didn't do drugs, and made sure no one else die because some people need those battery-electrical (i forgot) fire detectors? and if Missy survived, wouldn't Charley's had dated Missy and then Charley wouldn't even exist? now THAT'S insane.

i would've put the book down LMAO.

overall, though, pretty solid messages, there's a whole lot of corniness, and the book gets good and actually talks about The Remarkables more around pg. 150-200.
(mind you, there's roughly 300 pages)

it's not that bad to where i HAD to put it down, but not that amazing to where i would recommend this to anyone and/or even reread.