Special Word: Serendipity
Level of Amazing: 87%
Book Cover: I must admit
that the cover is very simple. When I found this book, I didn’t really know
anything about it. No, no one told me about it either, so I had to decide if I
should read it. I went ahead and did it. [ 8/10]
First Thoughts: The beginning of the book was funny. It really makes you think about James, who has a very interesting life and doesn’t throw a lot of the bad in his life at you. I knew I’d love something about this book, simply because of the way it started. [9/10]
First Impression: Great book. I read the first few chapters and was hooked on the story. I had too much to look forward to! I had to know what was going on with James’ sister, and his family—his dad (the Brute, and his mom, the Banshee). I could relate in many ways to him. [10/10]
The Good: The spirit! James manages so well to keep you reading. He is funny, smart, and there are tiny moments in the book where you think, is he telling my story? I think his voice is unique, in the sense that you don’t have to think about his life, and realize that it’s fake. All you have to do is see into his life, and you realize that in many ways, it all becomes real. Also, we all know what feeling sad is about. We know the feelings, but in this book, we explore why. I had to keep my eyes from watering a few times, not because anything in it was extremely sad, but because sometimes it felt personal. [10/10]
The Boring: When James yawps. I mean, honestly it wasn’t boring, but I thought I’d become overwhelming. I have to talk about it in this category. It was managed great. Sometimes I noticed the yawps, but they were all worth it and fit perfectly. Yeah, admit it, you don’t want to read a book where the characters have to rely on cursing to make you understand their anger. In this book, James doesn’t reply on yawps for you to understand him. [9/10]
The Exciting: I don’t know if there was anything exciting in Dr. Bird’s Advice for Sad Poets. It was probably more suspense. Every time James had to talk to his parents, there was suspense. I also saw that it happened when he would think about his sister, Jorie, who was his inspiration in the book (to not die, or commit suicide). [7/10]
The Confusing: There was nothing confusing in the story. I think everything was well organized. The only thing I noticed was toward the end, when James goes to try to talk to the principal about Jorie. He is trying to get her to go back to school, and people start telling him that sometimes there is no master plot, or plan, or conspiracy, or whatever. That’s when I realized the end was going to be quiet. I don’t think it was confusing, but once you realize this, as excited as you are, you kind of lose hope. [6/10]
The OMG: Every time James talks about being depressed or committing suicide, it is an OMG moment. You don’t want him to do it, but you cheer for him when he tries to find a way around it. You cheer when his sister shows up every time he needs her, without knowing. They are all OMG moments, because it is something a lot of us have in common. Sometimes not because we want to, but because the roads one travels usually look alike. [10/10]
The Bad: The ending. I love a book with a great ending. Not an ending that’s “half-assed” but a good ending, something that is satisfying. I thought it was an okay ending for James’ story. I was hoping Jorie would come home and graduate, but I was okay with her decision to stay away. I wish their parents would see different, that something would change, but it didn’t—Banshee and Brute remained. [8/10]
The Horrible: There was nothing horrible about this book. [10/10]
Final Thoughts: Dr. Bird’s Advice for Sad Poets is funny, and witty, and sad, and calm, and *insert word*. James, the main character is unique, and he takes you on a ride where anxiety, and depression hit when you least expect them. But nothing stops him to learn to be himself, because he has his sister, Jorie, who got kicked out of their home after being spelled from school. She is the person who has his back. Sending each other emails and pictures of trees, is what keeps James going some days, also love or a strong crush—whatever you want to call it. He teaches us that we all need someone in our life to make us do stupid things, have panic attacks, and run outside to hug trees when we don’t know what else to do— even try to save the life of a bird who might or might not need our help. This book is about being in the dark, going a little deeper into it, and after all, celebrating yourself. Yawp!
What are you reading next? The Eleventh Plague
by Jeff Hirsch
by Jeff Hirsch
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