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CM . . . . Volume XXIV Number 18. . . . January 12, 2017
excerpt:
Preston Craft is an average teenager with a passion for classic cinema. So, the chance to plan a student film festival is a dream come true! But when one of the movies goes missing under mysterious circumstances, it�s like he�s being thrown headfirst into a detective film. Being blind from a young age has not held Preston back in life, and it definitely won�t hold him back from solving this mystery, especially when he saw the whole thing! But how can he prove the truth when the truth lies in a shadow? Author Mere Joyce uses a highly descriptive style to give readers a chance to see through the eyes of Preston, a 14 year old boy who lost his vision at a young age due to glaucoma. There are a lot of unique influences on the narrative, most interestingly the focus on the main character's movement through the everyday life of a modern teenager. The author of this quick read is successful in using descriptive, sensory language to describe Preston�s way of seeing with his other senses. The central theme of cinema and film gives another great access point for interest based reader�s advisory, on top of the important portrayal of a disabled character in children�s and young adult literature. Shadow would be a great resource for those looking for an item that highlights diversity or trying to target a young reader who has an interest in cinema and film. The first person narration helps draw readers into the action and moves the story forward at a steady pace. The only drawback would be the oversentimentality that made the characters a bit less relatable and realistic. Besides a few moments where this distracted from the plot, Shadow is a great book that offers an engaging complexity within a small, accessible format. Recommended. Saird Larocque is a librarian and children�s literature researcher from Saint John, NB.
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