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June 24, 2014
It's Kevin's Book Bacon time! And this is my first ever advanced reader copy (ARC) review! Saw this book in an email, signed up to receive an advance copy, got it, read it, dug it, reviewed it:
Flavor:
It’s the future and the world is hot and dry with very little rain. Cities are overcrowded and kids run rampant in the streets, stealing to survive. Observation: the writing community, in general, is not very optimistic about the future. Now....back to the flavor.
A young boy named Devin is stuck in the middle of it all but luckily, he stumbles across a way out. A simple act of random kindness earns him an invitation to a special place where all is seemingly perfect. It’s a beautifully maintained group home for kids, far away from the pains of the city, full of toys, games, swimming pools, bountiful amounts of food, plus anything and everything else kids could want. However, there’s something suspicious going on under the surface of this supposed paradise. Devin unveils the home’s dangerous secret and once he does - he and his close group of friends realize escape is their only option.
Sizzle:
The text is tight, clean, and well-written by Miss Unsworth. It has mystery, danger, adventure and suspense but not to a level too intimidating or frightening for youngsters. The kids stick by each other throughout the story and Devin always rises as the hero.
“The One Safe Place” also shines in two areas where the story could have gotten way too confusing, had Miss Unsworth taken things too far. The secret reason behind the existence of the children’s home involves some complex psychological mind science. The explanations of this could have been heavy and wordy and potentially bogged the whole story down in sci-fi. But the good thing about a well-done middle-grade/YA book is you can get away with some minimal explanations as long as everything still makes sense and you don’t cheat and just completely skip out on talking about what’s going on. Miss Unsworth does an excellent job of describing the sci-fi bits so you understand them, you get them, and you move on. Not too much, not too little, just right.
The other spot where she does a good job of this is when she writes about Devin’s unique sensory capabilities. He seems to feel things with combined senses - meaning he can taste AND see colors, or smell AND hear music. Again, this was something that could have really brought confusion and weight to the story, but Miss Unsworth handles these explanations very expertly. In fact, for me, this interesting quirk to Devin’s character simply introduced an imaginative element to the book that really kept things interesting and allowed the writer to create some beautifully descriptive passages.
Bacon Fat:
I didn’t see anything that needed to be trimmed. It’s a middle grade book, but written well enough to be enjoyable by others. I don’t recall it being too scary, however I’d stick with the publisher recommendation of ages 10+/grade 5+....just for comprehension.
The Crunch:
“The One Safe Place” is one good read. I definitely enjoyed it. As I mentioned earlier, it does take the reader to some deep, psychological places but the book doesn’t bog you down there. The story is clear, crisp and creative. Great for younger readers who are interested in futuristic/dystopian novels but aren’t ready for violence and too much intensity.
Flavor:
It’s the future and the world is hot and dry with very little rain. Cities are overcrowded and kids run rampant in the streets, stealing to survive. Observation: the writing community, in general, is not very optimistic about the future. Now....back to the flavor.
A young boy named Devin is stuck in the middle of it all but luckily, he stumbles across a way out. A simple act of random kindness earns him an invitation to a special place where all is seemingly perfect. It’s a beautifully maintained group home for kids, far away from the pains of the city, full of toys, games, swimming pools, bountiful amounts of food, plus anything and everything else kids could want. However, there’s something suspicious going on under the surface of this supposed paradise. Devin unveils the home’s dangerous secret and once he does - he and his close group of friends realize escape is their only option.
Sizzle:
The text is tight, clean, and well-written by Miss Unsworth. It has mystery, danger, adventure and suspense but not to a level too intimidating or frightening for youngsters. The kids stick by each other throughout the story and Devin always rises as the hero.
“The One Safe Place” also shines in two areas where the story could have gotten way too confusing, had Miss Unsworth taken things too far. The secret reason behind the existence of the children’s home involves some complex psychological mind science. The explanations of this could have been heavy and wordy and potentially bogged the whole story down in sci-fi. But the good thing about a well-done middle-grade/YA book is you can get away with some minimal explanations as long as everything still makes sense and you don’t cheat and just completely skip out on talking about what’s going on. Miss Unsworth does an excellent job of describing the sci-fi bits so you understand them, you get them, and you move on. Not too much, not too little, just right.
The other spot where she does a good job of this is when she writes about Devin’s unique sensory capabilities. He seems to feel things with combined senses - meaning he can taste AND see colors, or smell AND hear music. Again, this was something that could have really brought confusion and weight to the story, but Miss Unsworth handles these explanations very expertly. In fact, for me, this interesting quirk to Devin’s character simply introduced an imaginative element to the book that really kept things interesting and allowed the writer to create some beautifully descriptive passages.
Bacon Fat:
I didn’t see anything that needed to be trimmed. It’s a middle grade book, but written well enough to be enjoyable by others. I don’t recall it being too scary, however I’d stick with the publisher recommendation of ages 10+/grade 5+....just for comprehension.
The Crunch:
“The One Safe Place” is one good read. I definitely enjoyed it. As I mentioned earlier, it does take the reader to some deep, psychological places but the book doesn’t bog you down there. The story is clear, crisp and creative. Great for younger readers who are interested in futuristic/dystopian novels but aren’t ready for violence and too much intensity.