Saturday, February 4, 2012

Book Review: On the Bright Side, by S. R. Johannes

On the Bright Side is a hilarious, if somewhat over the top, portrayal of life after death.

I must admit, it's been quite a while since I've been 11 years old. Maybe too long for this book. Gabby is killed in an accident, and leaves behind a best friend, Michael, who she longs to be more than friends with. When Gabby awakes in Cirrus (think: heaven) she finds that she will be a BIT (Bright In Training.) Brights are like guardian angels.

Now, back on earth, Angela, who used to be Gabby's friend, is now heavily after Michael. And, of course, guess who Gabby gets to watch over as her first human? Angela.

You can imagine this is difficult for Gabby, and her SKYpal, Jessica, is watching over Michael, so they are constantly together. Gabby breaks some rules, since she is so jealous, and ends up in a lot of trouble. She might even get kicked out of heaven. But she has a plan to fix everything....

There is quite an adventure mixed in with this light-hearted look at the afterlife for adolescents. I got annoyed with all of Gabby's stupid decisions and her jealousy, but it did make for an exciting climax to the story. The tongue-in-cheek heavenly references to modern day products and people will keep you chuckling.

The story is well-written and easy to understand. All of the characters are fully developed, and there aren't too many of them. The story is complex, but not difficult to understand. I did roll my eyes a bit much, but reminded myself that I'm not the intended audience.The middle school crowd will like this funny, adventurous book about a character they can relate to (even if she is dead).

Published by Colemann & Stott, January 25, 2012
eBook obtained from the author
639 KB

Rating: 3/5




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