The Year of Secret Assignments Review
VBS Day Two: I got to witness a kid puff a little bit of glue fumes into his nose during craft time. I will never understand children. Oh, and I got to grease a banana with Crisco. And the "God's Love Is Treasure Forever" song is stuck in my head.
In other news, I finished The Year of Secret Assignments and loved it. I've read this book before, but a long time ago, so when I saw it at 2nd and Charles I decided to buy it and reread it and see if I still like it. I very much did. It's probably one of my favorite books. The characters are just so good. The story is told mainly through letters- the pen pal exchange between rival schools Ashbury and Brookfield- but also through Notebook™ (an interactive notebook guaranteed to make the person writing in it a writer by the end of the notebook* *conditions apply) entries, diary entries, notices on the Year 10 notice board, emails, notes, etc. Despite the fact that this book is told through many points of view, the characters each have such a distinctive voice and personality that I never once thought, "Wait, who's writing this?" There was a major plot twist that I had forgotten about that made me go, "Oh no he didn't!" (Okay, more like, "That bast*rd.")
Cassie, Lydia, and Emily have been best friends since elementary school. Cassie is kind of shy and thoughtful and funny. Lydia is weird and wants to be an author, and she's the one who comes up with the Secret Assignments. Emily might come off as stupid, what with her constant misuse of words and overuse of exclamation points, but she can actually be kind of deep, without realizing it. She's the one who really tries to keep the friends together and she's very emotional and expressive. Matthew is Cassie's pen pal, Seb is Lydia's pen pal, and Charlie is Emily's pen pal. I'll let you find out all about them when you read the book.
I would strongly suggest this book to people who hate to read. It's a super fast read, it's funny, but also worthwhile. Like, it's not just some meaningless, stupid novel meant for a good laugh and then you put it away and forget about it. It has a deeper meaning, and it's very relatable, especially if you're in high school. I can't really explain this novel in a review. Jaclyn Moriarty's writing style is really what sells this novel. And her characters. The characters really sell the novel. It's a character-driven novel, not a plot-driven novel, which is why I love it so much. If I don't love the characters, I'm not going to love the book.
In other news, I finished The Year of Secret Assignments and loved it. I've read this book before, but a long time ago, so when I saw it at 2nd and Charles I decided to buy it and reread it and see if I still like it. I very much did. It's probably one of my favorite books. The characters are just so good. The story is told mainly through letters- the pen pal exchange between rival schools Ashbury and Brookfield- but also through Notebook™ (an interactive notebook guaranteed to make the person writing in it a writer by the end of the notebook* *conditions apply) entries, diary entries, notices on the Year 10 notice board, emails, notes, etc. Despite the fact that this book is told through many points of view, the characters each have such a distinctive voice and personality that I never once thought, "Wait, who's writing this?" There was a major plot twist that I had forgotten about that made me go, "Oh no he didn't!" (Okay, more like, "That bast*rd.")
Wow, okay, so I just found out that The Year of Secret Assignments is called Finding Cassie Crazy outside of Australia and the UK. Why? That's so weird. I prefer The Year of Secret Assignments. It is a much more appropriate title for the book. Because the book isn't just about Cassie; it's also about Lydia and Emily and Seb and Charlie and Matthew.
Here's a snippet from Jaclyn Moriarty's website:
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When Lydia, Emily, and Cassie are assigned pen pals among the thugs at Brookfield High, they respond in characteristic style:
Cassie: “I always think it’s funny when a teacher tries to be cool. I want to sit them down and say ‘It’s okay, you’re a grown-up, you’re allowed to be a nerd,’ and they will look up at me confused but also relieved and teary-eyed.”
Lydia: “I am a fish. You wouldn’t think so to look at me, what with my uniform and the hair on top of my head and all that. But it’s true. I am a fish.”
Emily: “Don’t get me started about chocolate! My nickname might be ‘Em,’ but sometimes it’s also Toblerone! I think this is an angiogram of Thompson, which is my last name.”
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I would strongly suggest this book to people who hate to read. It's a super fast read, it's funny, but also worthwhile. Like, it's not just some meaningless, stupid novel meant for a good laugh and then you put it away and forget about it. It has a deeper meaning, and it's very relatable, especially if you're in high school. I can't really explain this novel in a review. Jaclyn Moriarty's writing style is really what sells this novel. And her characters. The characters really sell the novel. It's a character-driven novel, not a plot-driven novel, which is why I love it so much. If I don't love the characters, I'm not going to love the book.
Yeah, so go read this book. You can probably get it at the library because it's been out for ten years, so it's not like people are fighting over it. And you can get it for a penny on Amazon. (Plus shipping...)
Day 214 Song Recommendation: "One Red Thread" by Blind Pilot. A while back I mentioned hearing this song on Pandora and really liking it. Well, I bought it and now I'm recommending it to you. You know, being the music blogger has actually cost me a couple bucks over the months... eh, who cares. It's a good excuse to buy more music.
-SE Wagner
-SE Wagner
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