The Bursting Bookshelf

Thirteen-year-old Lacey wakes to a beautiful summer morning excited to begin her new job at the library, just as her mother is supposed to start work at the grocery store. Lacey hopes that her mother's ghosts have finally been laid to rest; after all, she seems so much better these days, and they really do need the money. But as the hours tick by and memories come flooding back, a day full of hope spins terrifyingly out of control... 

Review:
Miles from Ordinary was an odd little book, it had a good premise, but it just didn't deliver on it. It didn't really flow well for me, and I found it to be too short for it's own good. To start off, the writing was where my main issue lied, was not as descriptive as I would have hoped. Most of the writing was focused on the character's emotions and I found the setting was neglected because of it. Another point I didn't enjoy about the writing was the way the flash backs were brought into play; they just started abruptly without letting the reader know what was happening very well. Going back to my earlier comment on the book being too short for it's own good, I simply felt there wasn't enough time to properly introduce the characters, I didn't ever feel much for the characters, even in the most dramatic parts of the book because of the lack of connection. The rest of the story line, apart from the flashbacks, was good, but not very eye catching. When events occurred, I didn't feel the crucial emotion off the characters that should have drawn me in. Overall, I give Miles from Ordinary a 2/5 for being a bit of a let down after having such a great idea.