Whisper By Pheobe Kitanidis

• 05/01/2014
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Whisper
Pheobe Kitanidis
Balzer + Bray (2010)
ISBN 9780061799259
Reviewed by Hillary Kreajewski (age 16) for Reader Views (07/10)

In the past few years, there has been a great surge of paranormal young-adult books being published – vampires, werewolves, fairies, ghosts, blah, blah, blah. It has gotten to the point where I don’t even bother to read the summary of a book that might involve one of the previously mentioned monsters.  I understand that paranormal is “in” right now, but it is really being overdone. Luckily, I didn’t know that this book was paranormal before I chose it.

Despite the less-than-ordinary gifts of the main character, Joy, I found it extremely easy to relate to her and care about her story. She is always trying hard to please other people and puts their feelings and desires ahead of her own. The only thing about Joy that I wasn’t able to deal with was her name.  I forgot it multiple times throughout the book and probably won’t remember it in a few days.  I don’t know if it’s outdated or if it is just me, but I couldn’t get past it.

The book was relatively slow to start, focusing on relationships and trivial high-school drama; it really picked up towards the end. It was a good pace for a gentle summer book overall and very entertaining. Joy really became a stronger character in the end and that was enjoyable. I didn’t feel the need to take any breaks or abandon the book halfway through. Actually, I didn’t want to put it down until I finished it.  It may not have been the quickest pace, but the relationships with the random boy, sister, friends, and mother made me interested enough to keep with it until the end.

Overall, I would say that “Whisper” by Pheobe Kitanidis was a great summery book.  It was entertaining and relatable. The idea was new and fresh and I really enjoyed it a lot.  I would definitely recommend this to my friends.