Memoirs of a Bookbat

Rating:
Summary: an eye opener and mind bender all in one
Review: A book about a girl who loves books as much as I do? How could I resist.

However, the book was pretty didactic.

I enjoyed it for its depiction of a reader. I found the girl's thoughts on books and reading to be quite believable and even memorable. But on the whole, I felt like this book sacrificed what could have been a good story for the point the author wanted to make about censorship.

But, hey. Read it. Books are good.

Rating:
Summary: It could have been great...
Review: Even as a person who completely disagrees with book banning and censorship in general, I found this book to be a little heavy-handed. Harper and Gray, admittedly, are great characters, but occasionally they just seem too perfect, especially Gray and his family. Harper's parents and their friends, on the other hand, are simply narrow minded and too obsessive about their religion to pay any attention to anything else- you never get the sense that they could be even vaguely nice. Some of the descriptions are good, the concept is great,and Gray's answering machine messages are very funny and lighten things up a lot, but the flatness of the characters and the obviousness of the plot gives it an overall unrealistic feeling. And as much as I disagree with censorship, I don't need the message thrown in my face so hard.

Rating:
Summary: My Life
Review: Harper, the main character and I, live completely different lives. I live in one place and I don't have Christian fundamentalists for parents. But at the same time, we are exactly the same. We are both bookbats. We both love the Brer Rabbit stories and fairy tales and Narnia and Judy Blume. Her reading habits are mine. I had always called myself a bookwork until I read her description of what a bookbat is. I have read this book 4 times a year for the past ten years. Now I am recommending it to friends, and to you. It is a must read for anyone who loves to read.

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic!
Review: Memoirs of a Bookbat is one of the best books I ever read. The language is realistic, with phrases people really use.It's got a preety simple vocabulary, but it creates stunningly beautiful images with the words it does use. The book centers around Harper, a girl with book-banning religous fanatics for parents. The book is against censorship; but i think that it's more about having an open mind than anything else.

Rating:
Summary: A haunting narrative with vital questions
Review: Religion, adolescence,and Briar Rabbit? Intriguing and thought provoking, this novel is without a doubt the pinnacle of what religion can do if taken to the extreme. Harper doesn't want the past of her parents to come back but at what price are they all happy? As religion takes a firm grip on her life she is slammed with censorship and her beloved books are deemed satanic. Her references to fiction and books made me think twice about the depth of her fantasy world. Writing to authors seems the whimsical thoughts of children and she does in fact view much of her life through a child's eyes. Dealing with the theory of evolution and sin Harper is torn between two fantasy worlds, her parents and her own. Dragged by her parents on their "quest" she encounters an ally in her sanctuary and finds grounds she never knew existed. Only read this book with an open mind, you will view religion more diffrently than you ever thought possible.

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic!
Review: To all fellow bookworms-- you must change your name. Memoirs of a Bookbat is the most amazingly thought-provoking book I have ever read. A teacher of mine told me to, and I did. IT WAS THE BEST BOOK I HAVE EVER READ. Read it. Read it now, and enjoy.