Remarkable first novel! ( )

I really liked this book. I would recommend it to almost anyone. Right from the start you can tell the family is very different. The writing is descriptive yet holds the innocence and youthful thoughts of the narrator, which I particularly loved. You can tell this girl is intelligent and holds quite the active imagination for a seven year old. The mother comes off as egotistical and a bit cold but you can tell she holds love for her children. As the story goes on, we get bits and pieces of the bigger picture. The delusional world Asta is living in starts to emerge. I like how it's not spelled out to you, that there is a mystery to this and the author is making you work a little to fit all the pieces together. One line I really liked, "There is something particularly magical about listening to music from a car radio while looking out a window at a vast, open sky." I love experiencing the world through Asta's new eyes. It makes me remember all the little things we overlook and take for granted. I feel as if the story is speaking to people who feel they are different and saying, "It's okay, there are others who feel the same and there is a place for you in this conventional society of drones." What society considers normal is tested by the beauty and intrigue of characters that exude unusual actions and traits. Even Asta herself wondered about fitting in with the world, "for a minute - just a minute - I wondered if my specialness had been compromised." ( )

Asta is one of those characters who will stay with me for a long time. Though only seven her view of the world is often wiser than the adults she encounters. Asta is strong, loyal, resourceful and brave. A most excellent first novel. ( )

depressing but good. perspective from 7 year old girl's eyes. ( )

Asta and Orion got underneath my skin and lived there the whole time I was reading this book. It was a very different experience (for me, lately) to read about kids who had a hard life but did not talk about it emotionally. I guess I shouldn't say I enjoyed it, I know that isn't the word I'm looking for here but it was an enjoyable book. I liked the beginning where I was thrown into their world and I didn't look back until I turned the last page. ( )