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Published in book form by Schoolwide, Inc.
Regardless of my review, let it be known that this book won the following awards:
- the 17 Literary Classics Awards Seal of Approval
- the 2017 Human Relations Indie Book Awards – Gold Medal for Special-Needs Awareness for Children's Fiction
- the 2017 Literary Classics Awards – Silver Medal for Preteen Fiction
- an honorable mention in the special-needs awareness category in the 2017 Purple Dragonfly Children's Book Awards
That said, and though I highly recommend this book for anyone looking to understand more about living with an artistic sibling, NO ONE NEEDED TO KNOW is not one of my favorites. The author did a fairly good job creating a preteen just starting that selfish age we all endure, but I wasn’t pulled into the story as deeply as I would’ve liked to have been. Heidi feels she has to put up with a brother who brings her mountains of embarrassment. That seemed real. The problem I had with the novel is that reading it, I felt like I was being told how she feels, rather than me experiencing the anger, embarrassment and frustration along with her. I didn’t feel part of it. I was an outsider looking in, and I think the book would have ten times the power if all readers felt like they were on the inside of that world.
Yet look at the awards it won! (So it’s very possible it’s just my pickiness.)
All the information was good, and the author did a fine job showing that not only does Donald, the autistic brother, get laughed at and belittled at school, but the main character, Heidi, gets bullied as well. The book isn’t as graphic as I thought it should be for the situations, nor did it create the tension I usually like, but many people wouldn’t want it to be overly graphic for this age of reader—8-14.
One other thing I want to mention is about the cover, because the artist in me just has to say it. The cover art of this book, done by the author, is probably the best I’ve seen in a long time. Perfect for the subject matter and perfect for the characters. It matches the tone of the story so well. I’ll be honest, I purchased the e-book and read it on my Kindle. Then I purchased the paperback because I just had to see that cover in person, touch it, and look at it whenever I want to.
Now No One Needed to Know sits on my shelf like a knickknack, and it's ready to read any time.
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Happy reading!
I'm with you on that, I wouldn't want to be told how that person feels when reading that book, I'd want to be placed in her shoes.
ReplyDeleteRight. That's the fun, getting in their heads.
DeleteBrilliant cover, and now folks will know ;)
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DeleteCute. :-) Thanks for the visit.
I do often see how many awards a book received, or reviews, or devoted readers, and always wonder if I'm alone in feeling the opposite, for not immersing in the story or connecting in some way.
ReplyDeleteI've sat in on discussions of books where I loved the thing they all complained about, and vice versa.
DeleteIt's tough trying to evaluate a novel that you didnt connect with,but i agree with you, you should be able to feel alongside the character. emotions are part of what bring the characters to life.
ReplyDeleteI I think getting the factual information now was the number one goal in this book, and going through characters to do it felt forced. But there was excellent information in the book, and I'd look back on it a lot for that.
DeleteThat's fine there are plenty of award winning (and objectively good) books that I not only don't like but actively dislike.
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Tim Brannan
The Other Side: 2024 A to Z of Dungeons & Dragons.
We all have different tastes, so it's great that there's a large variety of styles and types of books out there.
DeleteI think "show don't tell" is something that can be difficult for a writer to accomplish sometimes. I usually don't like books that win a lot of awards - maybe my expectations are too high going into it - I don't know.
ReplyDeleteGood point. Maybe that affected my view, too.
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