LitPick Review
Jake knew, from the very day that his mother, Maeve, brought Edward home and sat his baby brother on his lap, that he and Edward would be a team. It was from that very first look into Edward's eyes. As Edward grew, Jake was always at his side. Whether it was potty training or learning to read, Jake helped him. Edward was the best friend and brother that Jake ever had, until the accident.
Opinion:
This book is very short, most definitely designed for a younger audience, mostly in grades four through six. Although the book was short, it made up for lack of pages with tons of emotion. This was just as good as any tear-jerking adult novel on the shelves. The character of Edward is the one we all know and hold close, the child prodigy that we love and call a sibling. The bond between Jake and Edward is on a whole new plane. I have never met a pair of brothers this loving and helpful. The plot was a tad weak in some areas. At one point the author drops a metaphorical bomb on the plot, but then doesn't fully resolve it. She puts off this bomb until the end of the novel and has no way to tie up the loose ends. It is like an abrupt stop in the plot. One good characteristic of the book is how engaging it is. I was into the book from the very first sentence and read it straight through in one sitting. I expect to see other great works of fiction coming from Patricia MacLachlan soon!
