What do you think?
Sarah the Dragon Lady
The summer between third and fourth grade brings many new things for Sarah, including the separation of her parents, a move from New York City to Kentucky with her mother, and a new and important friendship.
96 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1986
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Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review
November 13, 2020
Where do I start with this thing? This is THE worst book I've ever read. I have never read a book this; disjointed, incoherent, no sense of time, lacks pacing, unfocused, flat characters, and tells everything.
Cover
The image on the cover is fine enough for something but this book? Between the swirly title text and picture it feels more like a romance spoof than a mid-grade book. I didn't picture her looking this this. I guess I understand the horse in the background. Nice touch having a very subtle star on the horse's head.
Interior
One decent thing.
The children talk and think like children but that's where it starts falling apart with the characters. (I'll get to that.)
DISJOINTED/UNFOCUSED/ INCOHERENT
The first chapter wasn't awful but I had a couple reservations. By chapter two I was completely lost. I think that second chapter had the worst writing I've ever read. It was like the author has ADD.
We go from Librarian calling her Sarah to her father calling her Heron-Hips(?), to her father hiring models for work to green black leaves on the vine outside her window, to her parents drinking wine with hamburgers, to the difference between good trees and trash trees. ALL WITHIN 9 SENTENCES!!! These useless information dumps fill this chapter and continue through out the rest of the book. They serve no purpose and add nothing.
In fact they contradict the story more than one time.
Chapter one we are shown or alluded she is a top artist in her class by refusing to listen to the teacher. Then we learn she can't draw a hummingbird.
And lastly there are incomplete sentences.
(And I am not allowed to leave the house until...) UNTIL WHAT!?
ONE DIMENTIONAL
Nearly every character is unlikeable and whichever character isn't that bad is too one dimensional to relate to. His mother is hands down the worst character if not the sub-teacher. Even the characters that are there long enough that should be fleshed out have no emotion to nearly anything.
TIMING/PACING
With all the data dumps pacing is completely dead with absolutely no story flow. It does calm a bit after chapter two but still awful. Also the basing of time is non-existent. I can't tell if a day, week or a month goes by. The passage of time is natrocious. I seriously thought at least a month or more had past with a timestamp appeared showing only a week passed.
I can't get over how incredibly close to being racist this book gets. It doesn't take the step but man does it get close.
FINAL HEADBANGING THOUGHTS.
I would like to ask why did she bring her daughter to Kentucky? There's absolutely no reason. I'd say she was unfit to parent her daughter there. First off she can not afford to have her daughter there. Cannot afford a phone or an allowance but strangely enough can afford (3?) dental visits?
She refuses to do her parental duties; make her meals for her to go to school. Says she has no time for her daughter because work is too important. Hence the question why can't she stay with her father?
I do find it interesting the she was forced her daughter to give the street act profit that wasn't even all hers. I can't picture any parent finding it acceptable to tell a child they have no authority over to give up their hard earned money.
Also I'm really ticked with the mother's manipulation. Hands down and unapologetically she had an affair.
After lying and toying with her daughter for (6?) months she suddenly decided to tell Sarah we are going back to New York.
In the end she said she isn't but you can't have that many clues as to trying to leave her husband. Honestly in the end when she said he was clever but your father is more cleaver I have a stronger feeling it's because fashion designing makes more money. The trip to Paris is clearly the reason she broke it off with the Dr. Bedford.
(If you are going to make an affair book for kids you need to make it more clever and respectful.)
Cover
The image on the cover is fine enough for something but this book? Between the swirly title text and picture it feels more like a romance spoof than a mid-grade book. I didn't picture her looking this this. I guess I understand the horse in the background. Nice touch having a very subtle star on the horse's head.
Interior
One decent thing.
The children talk and think like children but that's where it starts falling apart with the characters. (I'll get to that.)
DISJOINTED/UNFOCUSED/ INCOHERENT
The first chapter wasn't awful but I had a couple reservations. By chapter two I was completely lost. I think that second chapter had the worst writing I've ever read. It was like the author has ADD.
We go from Librarian calling her Sarah to her father calling her Heron-Hips(?), to her father hiring models for work to green black leaves on the vine outside her window, to her parents drinking wine with hamburgers, to the difference between good trees and trash trees. ALL WITHIN 9 SENTENCES!!! These useless information dumps fill this chapter and continue through out the rest of the book. They serve no purpose and add nothing.
In fact they contradict the story more than one time.
Chapter one we are shown or alluded she is a top artist in her class by refusing to listen to the teacher. Then we learn she can't draw a hummingbird.
And lastly there are incomplete sentences.
(And I am not allowed to leave the house until...) UNTIL WHAT!?
ONE DIMENTIONAL
Nearly every character is unlikeable and whichever character isn't that bad is too one dimensional to relate to. His mother is hands down the worst character if not the sub-teacher. Even the characters that are there long enough that should be fleshed out have no emotion to nearly anything.
TIMING/PACING
With all the data dumps pacing is completely dead with absolutely no story flow. It does calm a bit after chapter two but still awful. Also the basing of time is non-existent. I can't tell if a day, week or a month goes by. The passage of time is natrocious. I seriously thought at least a month or more had past with a timestamp appeared showing only a week passed.
I can't get over how incredibly close to being racist this book gets. It doesn't take the step but man does it get close.
FINAL HEADBANGING THOUGHTS.
I would like to ask why did she bring her daughter to Kentucky? There's absolutely no reason. I'd say she was unfit to parent her daughter there. First off she can not afford to have her daughter there. Cannot afford a phone or an allowance but strangely enough can afford (3?) dental visits?
She refuses to do her parental duties; make her meals for her to go to school. Says she has no time for her daughter because work is too important. Hence the question why can't she stay with her father?
I do find it interesting the she was forced her daughter to give the street act profit that wasn't even all hers. I can't picture any parent finding it acceptable to tell a child they have no authority over to give up their hard earned money.
Also I'm really ticked with the mother's manipulation. Hands down and unapologetically she had an affair.
After lying and toying with her daughter for (6?) months she suddenly decided to tell Sarah we are going back to New York.
In the end she said she isn't but you can't have that many clues as to trying to leave her husband. Honestly in the end when she said he was clever but your father is more cleaver I have a stronger feeling it's because fashion designing makes more money. The trip to Paris is clearly the reason she broke it off with the Dr. Bedford.
(If you are going to make an affair book for kids you need to make it more clever and respectful.)
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review