Title: Liesl and Po
Author: Lauren Oliver
Series: N/A
Pages: 320
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Date of Publication: 29th September 2011
Source: Publisher
Synopsis from Goodreads: Liesl lives in a tiny attic bedroom, locked away by her cruel stepmother. Her only friends are the shadows and the mice—until one night a ghost appears from the darkness. It is Po, who comes from the Other Side. Both Liesl and Po are lonely, but together they are less alone.
That same night, an alchemist's apprentice, Will, bungles an important delivery. He accidentally switches a box containing the most powerful magic in the world with one containing something decidedly less remarkable
Will's mistake has tremendous consequences for Liesl and Po, and it draws the three of them together on an extraordinary journey.
From New York Times bestselling author Lauren Oliver comes a luminous and magnificent novel that glows with rare magic, ghostly wonders, and a true friendship that lights even the darkest of places.
Series: N/A
Pages: 320
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Date of Publication: 29th September 2011
Source: Publisher
Synopsis from Goodreads: Liesl lives in a tiny attic bedroom, locked away by her cruel stepmother. Her only friends are the shadows and the mice—until one night a ghost appears from the darkness. It is Po, who comes from the Other Side. Both Liesl and Po are lonely, but together they are less alone.
That same night, an alchemist's apprentice, Will, bungles an important delivery. He accidentally switches a box containing the most powerful magic in the world with one containing something decidedly less remarkable
Will's mistake has tremendous consequences for Liesl and Po, and it draws the three of them together on an extraordinary journey.
From New York Times bestselling author Lauren Oliver comes a luminous and magnificent novel that glows with rare magic, ghostly wonders, and a true friendship that lights even the darkest of places.
My Thoughts:
This book was adorable! I really enjoyed reading it, and while it wasn't my favourite of Lauren's books, I really enjoyed reading it. It was cute and fun, and I'm sure it'll be a huge success.
Liesl and Po is about a girl who lives in an attic. One day she meets two ghosts, one called Po, and one called Bundle, who have come over to her world from the Other Side. Both the two ghosts and Liesl are lonely, and together they decide to see if they can get Liesl out of the miserable attic that she has been confined too, and bury her dad's ashes where they belong. But, the box containing her father's ashes was accidentally switched by Will, an alchemist's apprentice, for the most powerful magic in the world. This obviously causes problems for both Will and Liesl, and they are brought together on an amazing journey.
I wasn't sure how much I was going to like this, but I was super excited anyway... I mean, it's LAUREN FREAKIN' OLIVER! I absolutely ADORED Delirium, so even if I didn't like the sound of anything else she's written, I'll still read it (though I did like the idea of this one) ;) Anyway, I thought it sounded cute and fun, and that was just what I fancied reading, so I read it. In two days. It was so easy to read, and I found that I'd read half of it within about an hour of reading it... Whether this was because it was a middle grade and therefore aimed at a younger audience and easier to read, I don't know, but I flew through it.
The characters were adorable (EVERYTHING was adorable). I absolutely loved Liesl, she was like a cute little sister... Po was pretty cool too, it* was so nice to Liesl, and it helped her to get out of some very sticky situations... I liked Will too; he was cute and everyone blamed him for the whole thing and while technically it was his fault, he shouldn't have been treated like he was and I just felt so sorry for him.
The plot was quite fast paced and while there were lots of twists, I saw most of them coming. But, I didn't mind, as it still kept me interested and I didn't get bored once.
The only reason I gave this 3 feet is because I think that while it was super cute, it wasn't something that I would read time and time and again. I think maybe it's because I'm an older reader (compared to the age group), the plot seemed a little thin in places. I still really liked it, but it felt like it was lacking at times, which kind of disappointed me. However, for the intended age group (middle grade), I think it would be PERFECT. I can imagine so many children picking this up and becoming so engrossed that they couldn't put it down...
Overall though, I really enjoyed Liesl and Po, and it was just such a cute, fun and quick read. While I kind of had mixed opinions, I'd recommend it to everyone who is a fan of middle grade fiction, especially MG fantasy fans, and anyone who is trying to get their children to enjoy reading, because I really think that Liesl and Po could capture the imagination of children's minds everywhere. *cue cheesy music* ;D
*Po doesn't have a gender as it is just a blurry outline, and because everything becomes blurred on the Other Side, it can't remember if it was a boy or a girl.
**Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for sending me this in exchange for an honest review! :) In no way has this affected my opinion of the book.
My Rating:
I give it 3 Feet!
Challenges:
2011 100+ Reading Challenge #79
oh, yay! i'm glad you liked it. i got an ARC a few weeks ago, i need to read it!
ReplyDeletestop by my blog! i have some original stock photos i found that were made into book covers!
http://www.lindsaycummingsblog.blogspot.com/
I want to read this one for the ghosts. I need some more ghosts book. Tis the season.
ReplyDeleteI agree, this book was really cute! The characters were really great. Po was definitely a mystery! So glad you enjoyed this as well. :)
ReplyDeleteI agree that Liesl & Po is a better MG read. I found it really beautiful and would name it a book that I want to read to my children one day:)
ReplyDelete