Welcome to R's Book Review Corner, this month the chief is sharing her 2018 Watty Shortlist with ya, so grab your snack and enjoy!
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▪ Book Title: The Story of Sing
Author: DennisRoyer
Genre: Teen-Fiction/Mystery
Status: Completed
Story Link: https://www.wattpad.com/story/143108251-the-story-of-sing
Sixteen-year-old Sing has spent his childhood growing up on the seedier side of Las Vegas with his down and out mom and his younger brother Jacko. Sing has dreams of making something of himself, and he's smart and driven enough to accomplish almost anything. All of his hopes for the future come crashing down when things go wrong while Sing tries to defend himself from a vicious bully. Suddenly he finds himself railroaded through juvenile court and placed in a residential school for violent delinquents.
There he meets and befriends Trent, an autistic savant with an extreme phobia to being touched. He and Trent are soon recruited for a dank and shadowy organization that wants to utilize their intelligence and skills for their covert operations. To discuss the plot further would involve many spoilers, so excuse me for being incredibly vague from this point on.
Sing's evolution from down and out but hopeful boy to boy in the clutches of an evil organization to a young man learning to take charge of his life is charming and lovingly constructed. Though the plot has many elements of teen boy wish-fulfillment fantasy, the realistic portrayal of Sing's personality and circumstances elevate the Story of Sing beyond the usual boy wonder tale. Sing is impulsive, moody, and honorable. He's a loveable character who's constantly trying to do the right thing and is often his own worst enemy.
Secondary characters are equally well-portrayed. Trent the autistic savant is portrayed sympathetically and realistically, with personal agency and a personality that goes far beyond the usual stereotypical autistic character. Trent has hopes, dreams, and a crush on a movie star that's heartbreaking, funny, and life-affirming. For all his genius and pathos, Trent is still a teenage boy. Sing's love interest (who I can't name because of spoilers) is also full of personality and complexity that makes her a real girl, brave, vulnerable, and often frustrating. She's not just a trope to move the story along nor simply an object to be rescued and adored.
All the details of this story, from minor characters to the vivid settings, are carefully managed. This attention to everything minor plot threads to minor characters makes the story flow and grounds the more unlikely events into a framework that makes everything seem possible. I'm a big fan of stories of hope and redemption, and Sing is definitely that kind of story. A Wattys 2018 Shortlist book and on my "best of Wattpad" list!
Well, that's it for this month edition, join us again next month for more hidden treasures!
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Feature by: Theresa[tlryder]||2019®
Editor: Latty
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