Reviews for Planning for seven generations

The average rating for Planning for seven generations based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2013-02-24 00:00:00 Mojaiyd Miah An intriguing book. I requested this book from my library because I had read another book that Declan Lee has illustrated (The Wrong Thing), and I'd enjoyed his work. I'd never heard of this book, or the author, and peering at the cover image it was difficult to imagine what kind of story it would be. Yes it's a picture book, but pitched for older primary school children. Here a sassy, sarcastic, ""whatever"" kind of teenager is effectively orphaned by her bizarrely amorous entomologist parents when they go to Madagascar for a convention. So Saffy is sent to stay with her rather odd, fruitarian aunt Joesa. Joesa is rendered in a Marge Simpsonesque kind of way- green sheath that she wears continually, but the hair piled up on her head is black, and not blue. Saffy surprises herself and takes to life with her aunt, and they develop a strange bond, and their lives entwine and change for ever. The illustrations are again powerful, surreal really, but with an eye motif that is probably a bit too much. Still, it makes me want to read more Carol Chataway, the back cover blurb says that she was doing an honours in creative writing. That probably shows here somewhat. Interesting when I checked out what else she had written, I came across Edwina Sparrow, Girl of Destiny, where Edwina's mother seems a little mad, and moves from a cabbage diet to a fruitarian one. I don't know how much mileage there is in fruitarian stories really, but will be interested to take a look at that book, given the vibe of this one.

Review # 2 was written on 2016-10-02 00:00:00 Luanne Holden-boushey Maddy is home alone when she gets a few weird phone calls. For some reason she begins thinking of a Narragansett legend her grandmother had once told her about the Whisperer in the Dark, a monster that comes after you with its razor sharp claws. When her friend Roger comes over, they find that Maddy's dog has been attacked by the monster. The dog is okay, but they hear that other animals in the area have been attacked and killed. Suddenly the monster seems more and more real, and Maddy is certain it's after her. There were a number of elements of this story that were really interesting. I loved the taxi driver, Mr. Patel, and I also loved the descriptions of Maddy's creepy old house. Maddy enjoys horror stories and talks about Anne Rice and Edgar Allan Poe and H.P. Lovecraft, the latter two being local to Rhode Island. The local aspect of the story was also intriguing. I don't know how much of this Native American legend of the Whisperer in the Dark was true (or if it was totally made up) but it gave the story some interesting depth. Sometimes I felt the action moved a little too quickly and that a lot of background information was given unnecessarily (the information about Maddy's parents and her hand being crippled, for instance). This would be a good novel for a reluctant reader.