Little Joe by Michael E. Glasscock III

Little Joe sounded like a heartwarming story. I love the slice-of-life stories, really, I do! But, while Little Joe was descriptive, it was like coke without bubbles - flat. (Don't get me wrong, Coke without bubbles is awesome when you're ill. Coke with ginger is.... depends on whether you like ginger)

You see, Little Joe is about Little Joe Stout, who goes to live with his grandparents after his parents die in a tragic car accident. So he makes friends, gets bullied and learns a lot of life lessons (like how much his grandparents love him), amid the backdrop of the World War II.

The problem with Little Joe is that it's just a slice of a little boy's life. I didn't feel as though I read a story, I feel as though I read a snapshot. While there are several learning events, they don't feel very well connected, so to me, something felt lacking. Which is another way of saying flat.

I think that if just one event was chosen, and that event amplified, it would have been much more engaging. For example, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer or The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn are both episodic, but they each have one main adventure at the end that. In the case of Huck Finn, there's a narrative thread, which is what made the book literature.

So all in all, this is a so-so book. It's interesting, but well, I'm not that interested in finding out what happens.

Disclaimer: I got a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a free and honest review.