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O Meu Nome é Mina (2011)

by David Almond(Favorite Author)

3.89 of 5 Votes: 3

languge

English

genre

Fantasy

publisher

Editorial Presença

review 1: This book took me completely by surprise...it was a short, sweet story but it had a lot of depth and it was very well written. The writing style was very unusual, but I loved it and it fit perfectly with the character of Mina. I fell in love with her and her imagination, and with her mum and the way the story just fit together perfectly. I would absolutely recommend this to anyone and everyone, especially those who aren't avid readers or haven't read many books.
review 2: Let me just start this book commentary by saying what a WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL book this is! The book cover as well as the -- very vague -- blurb on the back cover describe Mina as a lover of the night, seemingly giving the book description a lot of emphasis on that one particular thing. However... more, though there are several wonderful scenes in which Mina explores the wonder and mystery of the night through her new journal, I sort of feel this book should say My Name is Mina and I love sitting in my big tree, watching birds and writing poems and other ridiculous things...or something to that extent. Simply because I felt the novel centered more around her experience in that tree writing those fantastical musings and stories of hers. This book is told from the perspective and many "persons" (as in, first and third person narrative) of Mina McKee, a misfit and a middle-schooler. Almond does a beautiful job of getting into this unusual girl's head and pulling out every whimsical, obtuse, philosophical, quirky, and endearing aspect of it. Mina is the kind of little girl I would have been drawn to as a kid, as I was drawn to my own "Mina" character in real life. Someone who stands out and stands for what it is they, not necessarily believe in, but just know. As I believe it is with all kids that age. I wanted to take Mina in my arms and hug her and love her and call her my little Sweetie Face. Anyway. Enough of this rambling. Here is what I thought of My Name is Mina.1. OK. So. Literary Fiction: I know this can be a touchy way to classify a book amongst us intelligent YA bloggers, but just going off the definition alone that "literary fiction" is character based fiction,* I'd definitely put this book more under that description. There is very little plot to the book, but don't fear. This book IS NOT BORING. It is the opposite of boring, but only because of Mina's character, which is exactly the way good "literary" (character based) fiction should be, if you ask me. For a young reader, it's a great segue into a different realm of literature they very likely haven't yet experienced. 2. The Religion Thing: There is some discussion about God in this book, but also about other religions as well. Even just the "after-world" or the "underworld" or the "any-world," Mina goes there...in her head of course, but really, what difference does that make? It was refreshing to see this subject approached in such a comprehensive, thoughtful, and respectful way. 3. It's a Memoir (Sort of): The book primarily consists of Mina writing stories about herself in the journal, and when she does so, she often uses first person or third person past tense, because she's cool like that. The result is surprisingly introspective, and I absolutely loved it! 4. Quick (But in My Opinion, Quite Accurate) Comparison: If Luna Lovegood were a MG book, she would be this one.I will at last leave you with a list of words I believe capture the essence of this novel: nonsensical, William Blake, paradox, loss, mythology, birds, owls, trees, poetry, the Underworld, archaeopteryx, peeing, dreams, friends, lonely, Extraordinary Activity, A Single Sentence, glibbertysnark.Brave. less

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