Member Review
Review by
Christy M, Reviewer
There are many things which I enjoyed about Gloom Town. The main characters are well fleshed out, and the secondary characters (like Rory’s mom’s friends) are a colorful lot. I like it when secondary characters are quirky and not just in a book for “fillers.”
Rory’s strength of character makes him one which I hope the children who read this book will want to emulate. He knows he and his mom are in trouble financially. His mother works two jobs, so Rory takes the initiative to find a job to help out. However, his job is less than desirable, and if he’d read the contract carefully, he may have saved himself a lot of grief. But then we wouldn’t have this story either!
Though I enjoyed the story as a whole, it took me a while to get through the first third of the book. Yes, important events occur within that section of the story, but I just felt like it dragged a bit. The rest of the book moved much faster and was more exciting. Several elements in Gloom Town are very dark. Rory’s friend Izzy is a witch as is her mother, and I have no problem with that. What I did find a bit disturbing happen during the last “action sequence” (for lack of a better term and without giving spoilers). If you have a sensitive middle grade student, you might want to read this first. You can decide if you think they can handle it.
I give the book a little over 3 stars. I’d give it 4 had I not (as an adult) been disturbed by the dark elements in the story.
Rory’s strength of character makes him one which I hope the children who read this book will want to emulate. He knows he and his mom are in trouble financially. His mother works two jobs, so Rory takes the initiative to find a job to help out. However, his job is less than desirable, and if he’d read the contract carefully, he may have saved himself a lot of grief. But then we wouldn’t have this story either!
Though I enjoyed the story as a whole, it took me a while to get through the first third of the book. Yes, important events occur within that section of the story, but I just felt like it dragged a bit. The rest of the book moved much faster and was more exciting. Several elements in Gloom Town are very dark. Rory’s friend Izzy is a witch as is her mother, and I have no problem with that. What I did find a bit disturbing happen during the last “action sequence” (for lack of a better term and without giving spoilers). If you have a sensitive middle grade student, you might want to read this first. You can decide if you think they can handle it.
I give the book a little over 3 stars. I’d give it 4 had I not (as an adult) been disturbed by the dark elements in the story.
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