Review Detail

Reader reviewed by Krista

ixteen-year-old Elijah Silver and his brother Danny Silver are complete opposites. Elijah is a dreamer and believes Danny is too serious. Danny enjoys his work and believes Elijah does not take life seriously. Its no surprise that Elijah and Danny do not get along well. In order to help mend their relationship, their parents trick them into going to an all-expenses paid trip to Italy. How will two brothers who dont get along spend so much time with each? At first, Danny would sleep in the hotel room, while Elijah would explore Italy. Then, Elijah meets Julia, a twenty-year-old from Toronto. Then, Julia makes a move towards Danny.

This is the first novel Ive read by David Levithan, and it will certainly not be the last. To be honest, at first, I was not sure if I would like Are We There Yet? I was not used to reading from third-person point of view. However, the more I read, the more I realized that it worked. In fact, it really worked. There is no way I could like the novel as much as I do right now if it was written in first person.

One thing I enjoyed about Are We There Yet? was how Levithan showed the brothers relationship with each other. I feel like he really captured what its like to be brothers in writing. While I was reading the novel, I couldnt help but wonder if Levithan had any brothers. I looked at his website, and yes, he does have a brother. Another thing I liked about Levithans writing was how he delved into Dannys and Elijahs minds. It did not feel like Levithan was writing about how they felt. It felt like he knew, like he was reading their minds. Thats not something most writers do.