Monday, January 29, 2024

Mixed Up by Gordon Korman - OPTIONAL

Mixed Up by Gordon Korman
, 244 pages. Middle Grade Scholastic Press (Scholastic), 2023. $18 

Language: G (no swears); Mature Content: G; Violence: G 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - OPTIONAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

12yo Reef and Theo are completely different people, living in different towns. But lately, their memories seem to be playing tricks on them. Reef has flashes of memories that aren't his, and Theo recognizes a school he's never been to before. As they gain new memories that aren't theirs, their own are fading. Reef can't bear losing his memories of his mother. Finding each other and a solution becomes a race against time before their memories slip away forever. 

Reef and Theo are both experiencing their own difficulties. Theo has an overbearing father who wants Theo to be something he isn't, and Reef is grieving the death of his mother and living with a family who has taken him in and their son who bullies him, so it has some heavy themes mixed in with the memory loss. As long as you can suspend your disbelief at the premise, it makes for an interesting read and begs the question of how important memories are, even the bad ones, and what you'd do to get them back. Characters default white.

Michelle in the Middle 

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