BOOK REVIEW: The Girl in the Well Is Me by Karen Rivers

BLURB:

Kammie Summers has fallen into a well during a (fake) initiation into a popular club; now trapped in the dark, waiting to be rescued, Kammie thinks about the best and worst moments of her life so far in this unforgettable story about a bullied girl.

Longing to be one of the popular girls in her new town, Kammie Summers has fallen into a well during a (fake) initiation into their club. Now Kammie’s trapped in the dark, counting the hours, waiting to be rescued. (The Girls have gone for help, haven’t they?)

As hours pass, Kammie’s real-life predicament mixes with memories of the best and worst moments of her life so far, including the awful reasons her family moved to this new town in the first place. And as she begins to feel hungry and thirsty and light-headed, 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 will have readers laughing and crying and laugh-crying over the course of physically and emotionally suspenseful, utterly believable events.

REVIEW BY: Angel, age 13 years, 4 months

MAY CONTAIN SPOILER:

This novel was fast paced, exciting and "well" thought out! 

This book is about an 11 year old girl named Kammie. When her dad goes to jail on her birthday, her mom decides that they should move to Texas. In Texas Kammie is going to be someone new so she decides she wants to be popular. She asks "The Girls" if she can join their club, but Kammie has to pass a test to get in. Soon Kammie is stuck in a well with little to no oxygen for her "test". Kammie has a lot of time to think about her whole life up until this point. 

This book is relatable because when the girl is stuck in the well, she wonders what got her to the point where she gets stuck in a well. Also, when she is stuck in the well she starts understanding that her life is much better with her mom and brother than in the well. She soon starts being thankful and grateful for everything she has. It is like when you're in a tough situation, you start understanding how thankful you should be. 

I really enjoyed this book because it's so relatable (not the well part) and I think it is so cool how the author has so much description that she put in to Kammie's life. As a reviewer, I rarely read books that go so in depth into a character's life. All of her feelings, actions, special moments and just plain facts throughout her life are described in great detail. The author was very creative and the novel was very well thought out. 

My favorite character is Kammie because she is definitely a human figure that I want to know. Kammie is an average girl with tons of secrets. 

My favorite part is when Kammie finally gets out of the well and she goes back to school. She is more confident being herself and she doesn't try to be anyone else, but herself. This time, she is not ashamed of who she really is! 

I recommend this book to middle-schoolers who enjoy life lessons inside a super entertaining book! 

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 10 and up.

**This book went on sale March 15, 2016.