Sunday, September 11, 2011

Wendy Delsol's Stork


Stork by Wendy Delsol
Candlewick – October 12, 2010
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Rating: Loved it!
Recommendation: Fans of the YA genre, those who find themselves being the new, those who want a fresh take on an old fairy tale.
After their divorce, Katla and her mom move to Minnesota for a fresh start. Katla is the new kid in a very cold place that she is not particularly fond of.  Because of a chance encounter with a football player at her soon-to-be school, she has already started the move on shaky grounds. But a chance encounter with Jake, a boy who believes that they know each other, keeps her mind trying to unravel the mystery behind this boy.  Fate also has its own plans for Katla, and family secrets are slowly uncovered presenting Katla with an opportunity for a greater destiny than she could imagine.
When I first started this book I was confused, I didn’t really know what to expect or even what the book was about. In truth, I got Stork to read because I was given Frost  to review. As Katla learns what it means to be a stork, more confusion came with that. The responsibility of a stork seemed to be a bit much for a high school to have; there were so many things that could go wrong with the special talents of a stork. But the story was intriguing; it presented a new idea and explored a lot of the possibilities. And then there was mystifying connection between Katla and Jake.
There was definitely something between them, but the question was what. There was an obvious physical connection between them, but at first it wasn’t clear whether or not the connection was pulling them together or warning them to stay apart.  On top of this weird things start to happen and a danger that no one ever expected was brought to light. And what’s a good story without that gripping tug-of-war between good and evil?
The twist, the part that kind of had things coming together for me was not an “A-ha!” moment for me. It was more of and “Ah, I see” moment. Which is still a good feeling to have. Though it was bitingly cold throughout the story, almost to the point that I forgot that I was reading this in the middle of the summer and on a day with a 100-degree heat index, it had its own warm moments.
I could go on and on about the things that I like about Stork, and a lot of it turns out to be the smaller details of the story. I like the way that the characters interact with each other. I like the sarcastic attitude and witty comebacks that’s a trademark of Katla. I like the elusiveness of Jake and his secrets, his reactions that don’t quite make sense in relation to the situation going on.
The characters are well developed and likable –for the most part. The story is intriguing and engaging. The writing takes you out of your own world and makes a place for you in the imaginative world of the storks.  So grab a blanket and settle in for a bit.

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