Caller 107

I have very mixed feelings on this book, so I will be rating it with 3 stars.  I’m torn about that rating, but 3 is right in the middle, so that’s where I’m landing.  I’m going to break the story down and rate each one separately.

5 stars for emotion.  The emotion is raw.  It is so palpable; it really makes this story stand out from the rest.

5 stars for the divorce theme.  Matt Cox wrote about the divorce with such power.  I think this would resonate well with any child going through divorce.  From my teaching days, I saw students going through divorce and you could tell they were suffering.  I think this book would really help them to see they aren’t alone and might make them think twice about falling in with the wrong group of people.

1 star for the language.  I am looking at this book from a junior high/high school standpoint.  I get that teens do use the f-word a lot.  I’ve seen it many times in young adult books.  However, the frequent use of the f-word prevents this novel from being used in classrooms.  It prevents teachers from giving the books to students who might benefit from reading the divorce standpoint.  (Looking at this as an adult book, then 5 stars for realistic language.)

3 stars for age range.  Natalie is 13, so that places the book more towards a younger YA audience.  The book, however, deals with rape, drugs, and swearing.  All of these topics are true for teens, but parents might balk at them.  Basically I thought Natalie should be older, maybe 16 or 17, to make the book more geared toward upper YA. 

2 stars for the mom.  I didn’t find any redeeming qualities in her.  I get that she was supposed to be a horrible person, but I would have liked to see a little bit of her shine.  At the end, I wished Natalie’s dad got full custody so she would never have to see her mom again.

1 star for setting.  I really couldn’t picture much of the setting.  The story was fast-paced and I didn’t get a sense of descriptions other than Natalie’s emotions.  The best description in the book was when she got shot.

3 stars for originality.  Matt Cox writes strong characters and the divorce theme is powerful.  However, I have read many similar books where someone dies and gets the chance to “go back” to the world of the living to “complete” something.  It is a classic theme that works.  It makes us think about our lives.  What sets this one apart from the others is the divorce aspect. 

5 stars for the artwork.  Wow.  Just wow.

So, overall, check out this book if you were a child of divorce, if you know a child going through divorce, or if you are going through one.  It will really make you rethink how children are treated when parents aren’t civil.