A Young Adult and Children's Book review blog with some other things thrown in.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Dear Dylan by Siobhan Curham
Release Date: Available Now from AuthorHouse
Source: From Author
Synopsis:
Fourteen year old Georgie Harris feels as if the summer holidays are over before they have even begun. Banned from going to the local drama workshop by her bully of a step-dad and her increasingly fragile mum she is consigned to six long weeks of babysitting her kid sister. Sick of feeling like the outsider at home and at school, she starts emailing the one person she thinks might understand; Dylan Curtland, star of the popular soap opera Jessop Close. And when Dylan starts emailing back Georgie finally feels a spark of hope. At last she has someone who really gets her, someone who really wants to help. But in the faceless world of email all is not as it seems....
This book was totally not what I expected from reading the description, but it ended up being so much more than I expected. This is an absolutely charming novel. There's really no other way to say it...it's just such a sweet and moving read that I didn't want to leave these characters behind.
While I was reading Dear Dylan, I couldn't help but be reminded of the book 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff. While the correspondence in Dear Dylan is fictional, Charing Cross are actual letters shared between two fascinating yet normal people. In both works, you get to see friendships grow through the faceless intimacy that letters and/or e-mails offer.
I really loved Georgie. She's has such an honest voice that you can't help but cheer for her as she's constantly overcoming obstacles. Her experience is one that many children are facing and it's nice to read a story where someone is willing to help.
I was one of those fangirly kids who wrote to her favorite celebrities, of course, it was completely a pencil and paper affair back then. So, I could completely relate to Georgie as she looked to one of her idols for the answers. Those answers sometimes just happen to come from other sources.
Check Dear Dylan out and read 84, Charing Cross Road while your at it. They are both wonderful reads full of laughs, tears, and heart.
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Sound interesting. Hope I can get a copy of that book.
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