Why So B It by Sarah Weeks was enjoyable

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 Review by: Jenna Purnell

(Warning: this is a kind of complex plot in some ways, so I have to jump around a lot)
            So B It is a book about a little girl named Heidi. Heidi is a sweet, curious, and smart 12 year old girl who lives in a small apartment in Nevada. All Heidi has in life is Mama, Bernadette, and amazing luck. Mama has a “bum brain”, she can’t care for Heidi and doesn’t know how to do much unless she’s been extensively taught over and over. Bernadette, her neighbor who basically raised her, has Agoraphobia or AP, which means she is too afraid to ever leave her house. As for her luck…When Heidi was very young, Bernadette realized that Heidi had the ability to do silly things like matching games and predicting which side a coin will land on with perfect accuracy. This is of use to them when they run low on money and Bernadette has to send Heidi down to the laundromat to play the slots for money for food or bills
This is sufficient for Heidi for a long time, but one day when Heidi comes across some photos of her Mama when she was young, she realizes she has questions and she wants answers. Specifically, she wants to know what “soof” means. This is one of the 23 limited words that Mama knows. Some examples of other words are, ‘no, back soon, tea, done, shh”’ and so on. Heidi is convinced it has a meaning and she is determined to figure out what it is.
            After closely examining the pictures she found, Heidi figures out where she needs to go to find out the truth about her family history. She first goes to the laundromat and wins some money and buys a bus ticket. She meets a lot of interesting people along the way and has a very interesting journey. Heidi learns about her true family history and it’s not what she was expecting to hear. The rest of the story is yours to find out!
             
            I thought this book had many good elements. I really like the uniqueness and that it mentions the imperfections of Heidi’s family but also how happy and content of a life they live. They love and care for Mama so well and it is apparent how happy they are to have each other. I think that is why went Heidi wants to go find out about her past, it is more of a surprising element. The plot was always going somewhere and I was never bored. Heidi develops so much as a character and by the end of the book I felt like I knew her. She felt very real and although I could not relate directly to her situation, I felt I could relate to her emotions as they were depicted well. I never felt like the plot was being rushed or dragged on, and for me, that is rare. Also, I appreciated that the chapters were very manageable. It felt less intimidating to read when I only had a few minutes.
            The only part of the book that I thought could be improved is toward the end. There is an event that happens that feels too abrupt and like it could have used more explaining and development. It seems especially abrupt compare to the beginning where Weeks takes her time giving background and setting up the characters. (sorry I’m being weirdly vague to not give spoilers)

Thanks for reading! See you next time.

Comments

  1. FirmianaNovember 10, 2019 at 9:09 AM

    This is a great review! I liked how you summarized the book without giving away too much of the plot. I am glad that you gave examples of what Mama says that makes her a "bum brain". The examples provided insight on what Mama is like. The plot of this book sounds much different from many of the books I read. I might read this book!

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  2. SarahNovember 10, 2019 at 7:18 PM

    Good review! I like how you added opinions that addressed both your likes and dislikes of the story. I also thought you did a pretty good job explaining the plot of the story line despite the fact that you said it was complex. This book sounds really interesting and I might check it out in the future!

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  3. Elan PanNovember 11, 2019 at 5:18 PM

    Thanks for this review! I enjoyed the comments that give the reader a good idea of what the book is like without giving out too much. I really like your description of the plot as well! Much like others who have commented above, I really liked how you wrote about things you liked as well as things you would like to see improvement on. I look forward to seeing more from you in the future!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Emma D.December 10, 2019 at 6:21 AM

    This was a really good review! I like how you described the summary as we would understand it from Heidi's point of view, and, like other people said, you did a good job describing the plot without giving too much away about the later parts of the book. I also liked that you found some specific things you liked about the book, such as the pacing and the surprising elements of the plot!

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