The Girl in the Well is Me (by Karen Rivers)

Publication Date: March 2016

 

SYNOPSIS: Newcomer Kammie Summers has fallen into a well during a (fake) initiation into a club whose members have no intention of letting her join. Now Kammie’s trapped in the dark, growing increasingly claustrophobic, and waiting to be rescued—or possibly not.

As hours pass, the reality of Kammie’s predicament mixes with her memories of the highlights and lowlights of her life so far, including the reasons her family moved to this new town in the first place. And as she begins to run out of oxygen, Kammie starts to imagine she has company, including a French-speaking coyote and goats that just might be zombies.

Karen Rivers has created a unique narrator with an authentic, sympathetic, sharp, funny voice who tells a story perfect for fans of Flora and Ulysses, Reign Rein, and Counting by 7s. The Girl in the Well Is Me will have readers laughing and crying and laugh-crying over the course of its physically and emotionally suspenseful, utterly believable events.

THOUGHTS: I think the description of this book does it a disservice. I'm not exactly sure why they claim it is "hilarious" (while there are some parts that may elicit a smile, I wouldn't say it is even "funny," never mind "hilarious" ... but it shouldn't be, either). Also, I'm not sure I get why they are comparing this book to Rain Reign or Flora & Ulysses. The books don't seem all that similar to me. 

I have seen a lot of reviews for this book that complain about the protagonist's voice and how annoying the stream of consciousness is. I felt it to be very believable and raw. Kammie is scared and low on oxygen...it makes sense that she would be getting lost in her own thoughts. And I thought the tact of letting parts of her backstory come out a little at a time throughout her time in the well was effective. To me, the story was compelling, and I'll be very interested to see what kids think of it. It definitely has a catchy title and an appealing cover, and will be easy to book talk. 

Something to keep in mind: the swear word that begins with "s" makes two appearances, which may be a turn off. Kammie says it in part because of her situation but also because, as she acknowledges, she is not allowed to swear at home.

CARTWHEEL AWARD NOMINEE?: No. While I think it is a good story and I think many girls will like it, I’m not sure it will find much of an audience with boys. Also, we would never choose a book with swear words.