By: Elise Primavera
Publisher: HarperCollins
Oh! How I have missed this book!
Summary
Ivy is new to this place. Her only wish is simply to get rid of her bad luck. That’s all. If that is not too much to ask, she would like that to happen. Only she met these three other girls, she really doesn’t know whether that is a good thing or a bad thing. She really can’t tell. Until Cha-cha came strutting along Gumm Street, throwing the weight of her fat ankles around, and sent the Gumm Street girls whirling away to Spoz. This is where they meet the magical characters of a world underneath the world that we know.
Review
A retelling of Frank L. Baum’s Wizard of Oz, this book marries the Judy Garland’s Wizard of Oz and the original book. And it is just a 5 out of 5 rating for me!
Characters are so well written. They are so 3-dimensional that you can feel what they are feeling. They are very real and tangible. The characters feel like they are classmates that you have experience life with. The reader feels what they are feeling without the writer telling you what you should feel. There is empathy within the lines. Also, if there is a character that is designed to be hated, you can feel the intense reasons for dislike to ooze through.
The magic is fully immersed in reality; this is an excellent work of magical realism. The reader is both aware of the familiar territory of the real world but is also hyper aware of the magic that has been incorporated into the world. It’s like it has been stitched into the fabric of the world that we live in. It is perfectly laid out that every magical thing feels both familiar and foreign like a giant talking potato.
All of this wouldn’t be possible if the writing style is difficult. The story telling is simple and straight forward making the storytelling very effective. It is designed to be read by young readers; it shouldn’t be very difficult to follow.
The plot is very simple yet very intriguing. It’s simple yet elaborate. It’s not boring. You get the simple formula, it follows the simple formula, and it is being done really well. It’s a simple chosen one and her friends go along the adventure with her, they go through obstacles, they triumph over obstacles, and then they go home. Very simple but done well!
This book is so enjoyable. It’s literally hard to put down!
Reflection
For as long as I can remember, I have read books. I was surrounded by books, I fell asleep while reading books, I dream of buying more books as I currently read one, Belle is my favorite Disney princess because she has a library given to her by the man that loves her (I think this is every book lovers dream, to be honest); this is just how much I love books. So when, I discovered this thing called fairy tale retellings, I was hooked.
This book is one of them.
Secret Order of the Gumm Street Girls is super underrated and I think this is one of the books every young girl should read growing up. It is full of adventure, witty and cunning girls hungry for life, hardcore friendships, and cooky adults. And it is so full of hope that even in the darkest depths you can find light.
So, when I finally found this in the public library, oh was I overjoyed! This is the feeling that I get whenever I get to read the book: a sense of nostalgia and the excited anticipation for adventure!
I want more people to read this book.