Disneylanders review by Gwendolyn
Disneylanders
Age Range - 12 and up
Genre - Fiction

LitPick Review

Age at time of review - 15
Reviewer's Location - Canoga Park, California, United States
View Gwendolyn's profile

Once again, Acacia “Casey” and her parents are spending their annual summer vacation at Disneyland. Except this time it is a lot different. Casey usually brings her now ex best friend, Kiley. But Kiley has transformed into a completely different girl overnight, who is mean, rude, immature, and not the previous best friend whom Casey longs to share her vacation with. Casey is a sentimental and slightly awkward girl, with many an obscure Disney fact hidden inside her mind. This memorable vacation delves into Casey’s fear of growing up, yet wanting to be treated reasonably and adult, and the uncertainty of who she truly is. On this trip, she meets amiable yet quiet Bert, the intriguing new friend. For once, Casey feels at home. With the help of Bert and the magic of Disneyland, Casey is able to discover more about herself and possibly understand her parents and vice versa.

Opinion: 

Disneylander’s by Kate Abbot was a sweet, addictive, and touching read. I love Disney, so, when I first saw this title, I was immediately interested! A number of the memories that I have from my early childhood are that of trips to Disneyland. As I read this novel, I discovered that Casey and I share many of the same obscure reasons why we love Disneyland, such as our favorite portrait hanging in the haunted mansion, to that feeling of deep fondness and affection that Disneyland brings us. The similarities between Casey and myself made the read quite realistic and entertaining throughout the entire novel. The author was able to write a book that includes fully formed characters with quite relatable issues and dilemmas, without letting the scenery distract us readers too much from the story, but just enough to let us feel a sense of familiarity. I’ve always been the girl who becomes extremely attached to a well written book and rather passionate towards the characters within. I am pleased to say that Disneylanders fits into the category that I would call well written, with lovely characters. By the second chapter I found that I had developed an undeniable affection for Casey and the situations that she faces throughout the book. The addictive plot line and the assortment of unique, relatable, and realistic characters kept me hooked from beginning to end. I had no desire to stop reading and I didn’t want to put it down! Bert and Casey are a good pair. I think that they compliment each other well. They are able to sympathize, understand, and give advice to one another’s issues and troubles whilst comprehending their own situation a little more at the same time. Their relationship was sweet and it put a nice spotlight on their characters. I liked their honest and true friendship as well. Entertaining, nostalgic and endearing, Disneylanders is an exquisite and unique read. I will most certainly be reading this story many more times in the future.

Rating:
4
Content Rating:

Content rating - nothing offensive
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