I don't write many older characters. I suppose age - as with most things - is relative in fiction. When I began writing The Watcher's Heir (my will-be-finished-one-day high fantasy epic), I was still at school and my hero began the story aged 25, an age I could not imagine ever reaching but an age I thought would still be considered young by many. If I ever manage to finish and edit that story, I'll be extending his - and a few others' - age! Having grown older, I've realised the advantages and the benefits of age. Of course, it's a bit of a disappointment that I'm never asked for ID in the shop anymore, or that people assume I'm my younger sisters' mother(!). But, on the whole, the pros have far outweighed the cons. The biggest con in terms of writing, is that it's difficult not to put an old head on young shoulders. Looking through books - both my own and those written by other people - it is clear just how easy it is to slip into the "ol...
Bl u e
by Caroline Allen
What is the book about?
Maisie-Grace lives on the edge of a forest which suits her perfectly as she can talk to trees. Her best friend, Blue, is a Douglas Fir tree. Not only can she talk to trees, but she also has predicting dreams which she hides from her mum. When their landlord has to cut down the forest for logging, Maisie-Grace must try to save the trees.
Why this book?
Two reasons, really.
1) Environmental issues are important. More books need to be published with this message.
2) The blurb gave the impression of an exciting adventure story, and I do love a good upper middle grade adventure book that I can get my teeth into!
My thoughts
The book deals with a very important issue, which needs bringing to light around the world. Environmental issues is a theme I can get behind one hundred percent, and I think needs to be included in more children's books.
I feel like the target age for this book is incorrect. Blue is marketed as a middle grade book, but there are several factors which make it more suitable for young adult. For instance, the level of teenage angst in the main character. Main character angst generally works better in young adult books as the target audience is dealing with changing bodies and hormones. At eleven, it is very possible that the main character is starting to go through puberty, but many eleven year olds (the target audience) won't yet understand the rollercoaster of feelings.
Truth be told, I found Maisie-Grace thoroughly unlikable. I found her mum irritating, but I felt sorry for her. She made moral sacrifices for her daughter, but her daughter was less than grateful. One thing that bothered me was how the mum asked the landlord if she could buy Blue, even though she didn't believe nature could be bought, and instead of thinking what a sacrifice her mum was making for her, the main character decided she wanted to save all of the trees, despite not being bothered about any of the others beforehand.
Aunt Angel was a lovely character, helping to get Maise-Grace ready for school and finding some tactics which could help her, although the main character was (again) ungrateful.
Personally, I found that this book was not for me. This could be simply a difference of culture. Being British, I am stereotypically less likely to warm to characters who spend too long feeling sorry for themselves. And, as my sisters can tell you from discussions arising about main characters in their stories, I am not a fan of Angst!
I do feel that readers who enjoy young adult books would enjoy this novel, and I think the target age group should be reconsidered for marketing purposes. I know this would mean changing the age of the main character but I think, if another edition of this book is ever published, this would work much better, and would help smooth out a few of the problems.
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