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sarah mlynowski

Book Review

REVIEW: Don’t Even Think About It by Sarah Mlynowski

Posted on 22 August, 2014

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What would you do if you could read the minds of the people around you? It sure would be handy when you’ve fallen out with someone and don’t know what you’ve done wrong, or need to tell if someone is lying. Don’t Even Think About It explores this in a fun and gripping way.

When Class 10B have their flu injections, things seem normal at first. Then they start to hear the voices. With all of their secrets laid bare, how will this group of students cope as they’re forced to cooperate by something completely out of their hands?

Although I’m sure there are many novels about telepathy out there, Mlynowski has taken on a very contemporary attitude in Don’t Even Think About It so, even if we take the telepathy out, it still stands on its own with other things going on that are equally as interesting to read about.

Don’t Even Think About It is unusual in the style it is written. Instead of your conventional first or third person, it is written in a collective third person, from the perspective of the group of students as a whole.

My favourite characters by far were Mackenzie and Cooper, who I wholeheartedly ship, no matter what happened during the novel.

Even though there are a lot of characters to get to know and get used to, you learn to love each one individually, despite the manner of the narrative. There’s betrayal and drama, but there’s also a sense of the cute and sweet side to contemporary fiction. It’s a perfect mix!

Whilst reading, I was constantly thinking: How would I act if I were in the same situation as the ESPies? I know I’d freak out big time!

I really, really, really can’t wait to read the next instalment from Mlynowski because I can already tell how much I’ll love it! If it’s half as good as Don’t Even Think About It, it will be amazing.

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Wrapping up April!

Posted on 1 May, 2014

So April was quite a busy month for me! I was off school for over two weeks so I got lots of time to catch up on reading, and it was really nice to just be able to relax.

I announced I would be starting a new blog schedule, but, you know what? That’s now going! I’m now not going to have a blog schedule and I’m hoping this will take a lot of weight off my shoulders. I feel pressured all the time and I hate it. Now, I’ll only be reviewing books I want to and at any time too. I won’t be posting on a particular day or scheduling for a particular time – I’ll just be posting whenever I feel like it.

In April month it was my two year blogoversary, which was rather exciting. I celebrated by reading and eating chocolate all day. Can you think of a better way?! Thank you for all your lovely messages!

In April I read:

Blog Tour

Don’t Even Think About It Blog Tour: Q & A Part 1 with Sarah Mlynowski

Posted on 29 April, 2014

A Q&A in Which We (Other Authors) Ask Sarah a Bunch of Questions and She Answers Them (part one)

Q. From your first thoughts about writing Don’t Even Think About It to your last revision, what concept or character changed the most? —SUSANE COLASANTI (Susane is the author of seven teen novels. She is thinking that visits to the nurse’s office aren’t what they used to be.)

A. The most radical change in my book was the point of view. When I outlined the novel, it was all from Olivia’s perspective. But some early readers—hi, Jess Rothenberg!—suggested that the book might be better served by showing multiple points of view. So that’s what I did.

Q. Hi, Sarah! Speaking of point of view, I love how the narrator in Don’t Even Think About It isn’t just one person—it’s everyone! What were some of the biggest challenges you faced in writing from the perspectives of so many characters at once? —JESS ROTHENBERG (Jess is the author of The Catastrophic History of You and Me. She is thinking about how much more fun high school would have been if she could have read everybody’s mind.)

A. The biggest challenge I faced was deciding when and how to jump into various characters’ heads. I had to balance staying true to rules of first person plural with helping the reader care about the individual characters. I also had to choose whose thoughts I showed—and whose I left out.

Q. Should I write a book in first person plural? It seems hard. And I’m lazy. —ROBIN WASSERMAN (Robin is the author of The Waking Dark and The Book of Blood and Shadow. She is thinking about taking a nap.)

A. Since you’ve written over seventy books, I don’t think the word lazy can be applied to you. But yes, it was hard. And yes, you definitely should do it. A book in first person plural by you would be amazing. And likely scary. Oh! Oh! It should be from the perspective of a group of serial killers! Or murder victims! Or decades-old-secret- society members! C’mon, Robin. Everybody’s doing it.

Q. Sarah, there is a character in this book named Courtney. She is not very likable. But you find me likable, don’t you? —COURTNE Y SHEINMEL (Courtney is the author of several books, including Positively and the Stella Batts series for young readers. She is thinking about naming a character in her next book after Sarah.)