REVIEWED BY HARUNE, 12, JAPAN
Remarkable by Lizzie K Foley, Penguin Group USA, ISBN 9780142424100
Harune reviewed her own copy of this book.
It’s a nice spring day and the schools have just closed, letting floods of children out to the streets. Laughter rings through the air, feet patter on cobblestone. A girl and an elderly man walk into an ice cream parlour together; the waitress looks at them disinterestedly and waves them to a seat. The pair are grandfather and granddaughter, there to enjoy their Friday afternoon with vanilla sundaes. They went there every Friday, yet – every week – never received their orders. Why? You might ask. How? Their story begins in a small, spectacular town by the name of Remarkable.
Inside the wondrous town of Remarkable, everyone has their talent. Their gift. In fact, the citizens of Remarkable are all so extraordinary that in their everyday lives people, pets, and surroundings shine with glory. Until Jane. She was utterly, horribly normal and plain, and while the people of Remarkable, being perfect in any way, didn’t hold it against her, she was forgettable. Forgettable in such ways that you may forget to serve her and her grandfather vanilla sundaes. But when Jane meets the Grimlet siblings and a strange pirate moves into her prestigious city, her life takes an unexpected turn into pranks and friendship, danger and fun, and choices that could determine the future of Remarkable. Will Jane discover her own voice in the competitive town, scrape through a series of harrowing challenges, and protect Remarkable’s greatest secret?
I enjoyed Remarkable because it’s a story of an ordinary girl in a community full of talented and gifted individuals, trying to find her own passion while making new friends along the way. The way Jane grows and changes throughout the book is easy to follow and connected with me as a reader. Parts I enjoyed reading of Remarkable were when the Grimlet twins were dreaming up mischief or inviting Jane to find out more about herself. It is a lighthearted, amusing tale that will warm your hearts and make you smile.
This is Harune’s first book review for Alphabet Soup. To send us YOUR story, poem, artwork or book review, check out our submission guidelines. Happy reading!
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