Shelter Me by Alex McAulay
January 6th 2009 by MTV
Paperback, 288 pages
Review Copy
Book Synopsis
January 6th 2009 by MTV
Paperback, 288 pages
Review Copy
Book Synopsis
Maggie Leigh just wants to be a normal teenager, but when German bombs tear apart London during World War II, her ultra-religious mother sees the destruction as divine punishment. She sends Maggie to a remote boarding school in coastal Wales, supposedly to keep her safe, but also to keep her in line. The school is creepy, the headmistress is a lunatic, and the students range from spoiled rich girls to speechless trauma victims. But when a tragic accident happens on the beach, Maggie and three friends are forced to flee the school, plunging into the nightmarish world of Europe during wartime. Now every decision Maggie makes is fraught with danger, and living to see another day depends on how quickly she can think and act...and how far she's willing to go. (Goodreads)
Review
Review
Its 1941, Maggie is growing up in war torn London, trying to survive. Nothing to tragic has happened in her corner of the world until the afternoon Maggie and her aunt go shopping. A bomb is dropped on the town and in a matter of moments, destruction and chaos run amok. Maggie makes it out of the attack safely, but her aunt is badly injured and left in a coma. Due to this event Maggie’s mother decides the best way for Maggie to stay safe is to send her away to Uncle Harold’s. So…Maggie is sent off on a train to begin her new life. It's only when the train arrives late at night in a deserted station that Maggie finds out she isn’t going to her uncle’s- but to a convent in the middle of nowhere.
Shelter Me was, quite possibly, one of the WORST YA novels I have ever read. The premise of this book had you thinking this was going to be a gripping historical WWII novel told through the eyes of a young protagonist. The synopsis was the best part of the story and was the most misleading to the reader. The writing was poorly done, and not in the sense of writing skills, but in the sense of putting characters in the correct settings. Neither the characters nor the dialog fit into the period of WWII. The characters in Shelter Me would have fit better in a reality show on MTV. Of course MTV published this epic fail of a novel and while they cater to the masses of younger generations, Ive grown tired of the aimless raunch and the explicit sexuality it promotes to underage girls/boys. This book of course was no different, the most troubling aspect of Shelter Me was the garbage plot surrounding Maggie, due to the fact that the peril Maggie goes through is unrealistic and carries sexual undertones that made no sense in the story.
Ive about had it with these authors who write sexual story's to young children. Any book aimed at the YA audience that exploits young female girls under the age of eighteen and puts those characters along with a baby (A BABY) in sexual slavery better have a reason for the content. When I read a paragraph where a thirteen year old girl is force breast feeding a baby and the other girls are talking about her nipples……or when that same thirteen year old girls lover is another older girl luring innocent girls into a whorehouse- there better be an ironclad reason beyond shock value that an author is writing this!! And let me tell you when things were done and over no explanation was giving...Im left with a icky feeling that reeked of disturbing content.
Shelter Me should by all means be retitled Exploit Me...I didn’t like it and the subject matter was highly offensive. I find nothing entertaining about exploited minors and equally found the material aimed at children very irresponsible and downright creepy.
Rating
Recommend to NOBODY- Contains- sexual content-mild language, violence, abuse, exploitation, religious absurdity and irresponsible writing.
Recommend to NOBODY- Contains- sexual content-mild language, violence, abuse, exploitation, religious absurdity and irresponsible writing.
-0/5 YA –Historical Fiction with Crazy Nuns
Copy Review Provided by Othershelftours
WORST BOOK EVER!!
WORST BOOK EVER!!
Yeah, I've not heard such great things about this book. Sorry you disliked it so much, that always sucks. :(
ReplyDeleteThanks for your review though! :D
Kudos to you for finishing it at all! I agree, the premise sounds good, but... And I love your classification--historical fiction with crazy nouns LOL!
ReplyDeleteum...sorry..that was supposed to be NUNS, not nouns :)
ReplyDeleteWow! I will have to avoid this book. It sounds like I would be annoyed and raging at it too.
ReplyDeleteBetter luck for your next book and thanks for the review! :)
I think it is great that you were honest. I have a hard time when my expectations are not met due to being mislead also.
ReplyDeleteBTW I have an award for you.
http://teawithmarce.blogspot.com/2010/02/10-things-that-make-me-happy-happy-101.html
I like your honest review of this book. I dont like a lot of sexual content in books and it is always good to know before I invest in a book that will not be a fit.
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