Zipped (Readers Circle (Prebound))

by Laura McNeal and Tom McNeal

[clementine]

Okay, very belatedly getting around to typing up a review for this one, which sort of defeats the purpose of reviewing, but there you go. This one's going to be brief, since it's been like a month and a half since I read it and all.

I've read this book a lot of times and always really enjoyed it when I was younger. I think it's a solid book with interesting storylines that weave together (always a favourite literary device of mine) and complicated, not entirely likeable characters. I also think it's clearly written for people on the younger end of the YA spectrum; its style is a bit juvenile and some of the dialogue is a bit stilted and dated. It tried to grapple with themes like racism, sexual harassment, and homosexuality - while admirable, I think this fell flat, since they were pretty shallow explorations. What I enjoyed the most was the depiction of Lisa's Mormonism. I thought it was interesting and really well-done, without othering Lisa or her family or making them seem strange at all.

I'd definitely recommend this to kids several years younger than me - maybe 12-15. It was a favourite of mine for quite awhile, but I think it's time to retire it as I've outgrown it.