Review Detail
Middle Grade Indie
137
Dealing with grief
(Updated: September 19, 2024)
Overall rating
3.7
Plot
4.0
Characters
4.0
Writing Style
3.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
N/A
What worked:
A mysterious door appears in a school hallway and it’s become legendary to the students and alumni. Stories are told about kids who enter the door never being seen again but no one really believes it. Lata and Tom don’t know each other but they pass through the door and enter a world identical to the one they left. The first big sign that things are different is when Lata finds her sister alive! However, this Zoya has no memory of Lata and her parents don’t know her either. Tom assumes his parents must never have moved here from Boston so both kids are stranded in a world where no one knows they exist.
Lata is emotionally distraught due to her older sister’s death three months before. She loved and looked up to Zoya but regrets not sharing these feelings with her. Her parents haven’t adjusted to the loss very well and Lata is constantly upset about their fighting. She’s given up and just wants the pain to go away. Tom is angry that his father made the family move to North Carolina forcing him to leave his friends and comfortable life behind. Other students make fun of his Boston accent and he’s not connecting with any potential new friends. Lata and Tom must each deal with their emotional baggage although Lata’s problems dominate the plot.
What didn’t work as well:
The book needs to be longer. Legend says no one’s been seen again after entering the door and no one knows how it happens. It’s hard to believe everything gets figured out over the course of one weekend. In addition, both kids have personal issues that deserve more development and readers may be left wanting more.
The final verdict:
Being forgotten is a horrible emotional trauma that will touch the feelings of young readers and the plot will connect with those who have dealt with loss. The book is a surprisingly fast read and offers a unique conflict. The listing says the book is for ages seven and up but the main characters are in the eighth grade. Overall, this book shares a heartfelt story of grief and I recommend you give it a shot.
A mysterious door appears in a school hallway and it’s become legendary to the students and alumni. Stories are told about kids who enter the door never being seen again but no one really believes it. Lata and Tom don’t know each other but they pass through the door and enter a world identical to the one they left. The first big sign that things are different is when Lata finds her sister alive! However, this Zoya has no memory of Lata and her parents don’t know her either. Tom assumes his parents must never have moved here from Boston so both kids are stranded in a world where no one knows they exist.
Lata is emotionally distraught due to her older sister’s death three months before. She loved and looked up to Zoya but regrets not sharing these feelings with her. Her parents haven’t adjusted to the loss very well and Lata is constantly upset about their fighting. She’s given up and just wants the pain to go away. Tom is angry that his father made the family move to North Carolina forcing him to leave his friends and comfortable life behind. Other students make fun of his Boston accent and he’s not connecting with any potential new friends. Lata and Tom must each deal with their emotional baggage although Lata’s problems dominate the plot.
What didn’t work as well:
The book needs to be longer. Legend says no one’s been seen again after entering the door and no one knows how it happens. It’s hard to believe everything gets figured out over the course of one weekend. In addition, both kids have personal issues that deserve more development and readers may be left wanting more.
The final verdict:
Being forgotten is a horrible emotional trauma that will touch the feelings of young readers and the plot will connect with those who have dealt with loss. The book is a surprisingly fast read and offers a unique conflict. The listing says the book is for ages seven and up but the main characters are in the eighth grade. Overall, this book shares a heartfelt story of grief and I recommend you give it a shot.
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