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The Year of Big Dreams by Karen McCombie (view source)
Revision as of 11:55, 28 June 2013
, 11:55, 28 June 2013no edit summary
Flo Brown's mum is in the final of a huge TV talent show! Millions of viewers want to see her give a life-changing performance - but they aren't expecting what they see. What will happen to Flo, her mum, and her gran Olive after the show is complete?
Karen McCombie is such a talented author that anything she writes is worth reading. As always here, she creates an engaging narrator, a fun supporting cast, and a clever plot. That said, I didn't think this was as good as her last two for this age range, the superb [[Six Words and a Wish by Karen McCombie|Six Words And A Wish]] and [[Life According Toto... Alice B . Lovely by Karen McCombie|Life According To Alice B Lovely]]. The decision to reveal in the first chapter that Queenie's dreams ''tragically ended'' in the final of the show is presumably meant to add intrigue by making it clear this isn't a 'standard' rags-to-riches tale but I can't help thinking that if anything it's a slight misjudgment and it might have been a better read if we hadn't known this.
I'm concerned that this is turning into a review which sounds rather negative, and it's not meant to be. My feeling of slight disappointment can be chalked up to McCombie's usual excellent consistency; this is possibly the first I've read from her which I wouldn't have given at least a high four and a half stars to. While I do think it's a touch below par for her, you have to remember that 'par' for her is as good or better than it is for anyone else writing for this age range.