LitPick Review
Robi’s Flying Saucer Drive-In is the story of Saffron Wilson, a fourteen-year-old freshman. Saffron works at Robi’s Flying Saucer Drive-In, a restaurant her parents bought, and is saving up for a trip to Paris. She lives in Antoninio, a town that is anything but ordinary. Every year, a carnival comes to town, stationed right beside the drive-in. At school, Saffron meets Clair, a peculiar girl who travels with the carnival. The story intertwines Saffron’s past and present through flashbacks to her previous summer spent at her aunt’s house. The story evolves as Saffron finds out who Clair really is and why she needs her help. She discovers Clair isn’t really with the carnival after all, but from somewhere much more out of this world.
Opinion:
Overall, I enjoyed reading this novel. Kelly Anne Winsa did a great job describing the characters, food, and the setting, such as the carnival and drive-in. The descriptions really pulled the audience in and made it feel real. I also liked how the author incorporated flashbacks in between stories from the present. These flashbacks to Saffron’s past summer developed her character even more and gave the reader additional background information to her life. The mystery of finding out who Clair really was held my interest while reading.
Although I did enjoy reading this novel, there were a couple aspects that caused a stumbling block for me. The sentences were short and choppy, which sometimes interrupted the flow. The story also jumped from topic to topic frequently, which caused a little confusion and made it hard to focus on what was happening. In conclusion, I would recommend this novel to anyone looking for a coming of age story with a science fiction twist.
