Book Review: Masked by Norah McClintock

MaskedNorahMcClintockSynopsis: Who would have thought so much could be happening at a convenience store? Mr Mirelli owns the place and is working behind the counter, Rosie is there because her dad made her come downstairs to find something, Corey is there because he and Rosie are planning to run away together, Daniel is there on a secret mission, and a masked gunman is there to get what he wants. But what if nothing is like it seems…

Plot:  Like the other book I read by Norah McClintock, this book is very action–driven with very little character development. You don’t really get to know what the characters are like; it’s all very superficial. I generally have a preference for getting to know whom I’m reading about or I can’t really connect to the story. It seemed more like an in-depth magazine feature story, and maybe it was because what often inspires Norah is occurrences going on in the world.

Writing: Norah’s writing style is to keep things simple. Short paragraphs, short sentences, short words. Nothing dramatic or interesting grammatically, but very fitting for the reading level the book touts.  The catch being that I wouldn’t really suggest a grade three kid to be reading about armed robberies…

POV: This book is told from three voices: Daniel, Rosie, and the masked man. It is a format I’m not overly fond of, yet seems quite fitting for the story. You get to know what each character is doing, what is immediately motivating their actions in the store. Had this novel been written only from one point of view in Norah’s writing style, it would have been significantly less interesting.

Character: The only person you really get to know much about is the masked man. As I mentioned before, the reader only gets to superficially understand the characters, but the robber at least had more than a two-sentence back-story to explain why he is doing what he is.

Quote: I’ve already crossed the line. I’m in the store with a gun.

The Verdict: I would suggest it to grade six to eight student swho don’t often pick up a book.  It is short and simple for someone who doesn’t have the attention span of an avid reader, and just might be able to captivate them into reading more books.

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Author: JaimeKristal

JaimeKristal is a freelance editor and writer. She started her book review blog "Tales of a Booklover" for the enjoyment of sharing her love of reading.

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