Publisher: Namelos
Release Date: March 1st, 2012
Number of Pages: 106
How I Got This Book: e-ARC from Netgalley
My Rating: 3.5/5
Goodreads Summary:
"Sophie remembered last night's dream and the gray stones-a whole row of them like the ones under the trees. Each stone was etched with letters that she couldn't quite read. When her pregnant mother falls, Sophie blames herself for the accident. Premature labor begins, and everyone worries the infant might join the others under the gray stones. Aunt Rae has come to help care for the baby and mother, but her presence only increases the tension in the family. Then Aunt Rae finds her niece talking with the young man from a neighboring farm and confronts her, revealing something that shakes Sophie's world.No-Name Baby is an intimate portrait of a young girl as she discovers the truth about herself and her family."
Review:
First, a big thank you to Namelos and Netgalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review!
Sophie's family is a close knit Italian-American family - her Mama, Papa, Nonna, and her Aunt Rae - and thankfully, her new baby brother, Antonio. A very stressful birth, which nearly takes the life of both her mother and brother leaves a lot of tension in the household, especially between Sophie and her Aunt Rae. Sophie does not understand why Aunt Rae acts the way she does...sometimes she opens up and tells her all kinds of stories about her past, and then other times she's so mean to Sophie - especially when it comes to the boy on the next farm. A shocking secret opens Sophie's eyes as to Aunt Rae's behavior, but now her whole world is upside down.
Flood's writing was very engaging, and I was easily drawn into the story. In fact, I read it all in one sitting (although it IS only 106 pages!) I liked Sophie very much and found her very relatable.
I do not care much for the cover of this book...I know, I know - you can't judge a book by it's cover. But, my concern is that since this book is aimed at the "tween" age group, this cover is really not going to draw that age group in. It's so dark and...kind of drab. Also, I felt like the title of the book really wasn't right for the story itself. "No Name Baby" refers to the babies that were born to Sophie's mother that did not survive, and the fact that her brother, Antonio, almost didn't make it. But, that's really not the MAIN part of the book. The story (in my opinion anyway) centers around Sophie. I don't know...I just felt like the title didn't fit, and that bothered me.
Other than those small details, I enjoyed the story, and would recommend it to an age group of 10 and older.
3 comments:
Thank you for the review. It sounds like an interesting book although the themes sound a little old for the intended audience.
I read this and feel the same way you do - the cover is unappealing, the name doesn't fit the story, but it was a good book.
Thanks for sharing this. I think I'll be adding it to my TBR list. I have to agree that the cover doesn't look all that appealing.
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