Title: Naming the Stars
Author: Susan Koeford
Genre: Young adult mystery?
Published: September 5th, 2016
Source: Received from author for review
My rating: 3 stars
I was contacted by the author of this book back in May to review this title. I didn't get to it until December unfortunately. The story definitely has an interesting plot line. I am unsure what genre to call it exactly, because it kind of seemed like some magic, but it wasn't anything actually magic.
The main character is a girl named Mary-Louise. When we start the story she's coming home from swim practice where she has finally passed the basic test in order to move on to the next level. But when she gets home, it's like no one can see her or hear her. Not only that, it's as if she's never existed. She rides off on her bike, still with no one seeming to notice or see her, except for one boy. The boy is someone who teaches swimming lessons, but he will only tell her his name is Fish. Together the two of them try to figure out what is going on, how come her family no longer seems to see or remember her, and if anyone else besides Fish is able to see her.
Fish is living above an old antique/flea market/junk store. He says he is just watching the building while the owners are out of town. While they are there he tries to take a picture of her, and it is with a REALLY old fashioned camera. But she doesn't show up in the picture. She finds some other belongings down in the store, and one of the pictures of a girl from a long time ago turns out to be what Fish actually sees when he looks at her, not what she remembers looking like before she became invisible.
All of this ties together, the people from the past that they find more of their belongings down in the store. Fish has something in his past that also seems to tie to Mary-Louise. When all of a sudden there seems to be someone out there who remembers her and can see her again, things really start to click into place. Beginning with a "Have You Seen This Girl" photo on a milk carton that shows Mary-Louise's picture.
I like the idea behind the story, it definitely had some great ways to connect all the little pieces in the end. Unfortunately I didn't enjoy it very much. It was slow, and I had trouble picking it up as well as keeping my attention in the book as I was reading. It was a short read, so I soldiered through, and like I said, the ending was good, everything wrapped up pretty neatly and uniquely.