Monday, April 28, 2008

The Kingdom of Strange by Shula Klinger

Thisbe's English class is assigned to work with a student from another school. She decides to post stories on an internet chat room to get reviews and critiques from other teen writers. At first no one seems interested in her cause, until one day Iphis starts posting back. Together they form a friendship online finding that they have much in common. Apart from her online friend, Thisbe's social life isn't going as she pictured.
Together, Iphis and Thisbe must try to make sense of love, life, the transformation of friendships and simply growing up in this hectic world.

This book failed to grasp my attention. However, I could relate to some of the things Thisbe was going through. Almost any reader in my opinion would be able to see a little bit of Thisbe in themselves. Many pre-teens and teenagers alike know what if feels like to lose friends or have things surprise them for the worse. Shula Klinger did do a nice job making this book believable and capturing the drama of school and teen life. Even though I personally thought the book was anti-climactic, a younger audience may find this better suited for them.

Reviewer Age:14

Reviewer City, State and Country: Seaside, OR. USA