The One Left Behind

I'm going to keep this simple - The One Left Behind is one book that you should leave behind. Here are the final words that Scholastic wrote on the back of the book:

"In her final book, Willo Davis Roberts proves once again why she is considered one of the greatest mystery writers for young readers. The One Left Behind is a haunting tale of love, loss, and - ultimately - hope."

Hello, Scholastic! Whoever wrote those words deserves a bonus! That's some real salesmanship there. (If you did not read those words with sarcasm, please go back and read them again. There....that was better.)

I've got nothing to which I can compare this book. I've never read anything else written by Willo Davis Roberts. I wouldn't have even read this book had it not been given to me. And don't get me wrong - this book is wholesome, doesn't cause me concern for anyone who reads it. I just think it's SLOW and BORING! It doesn't really get interesting until chapter 7, and there are only 11 chapters total. I think it's completely predictable - most of the pages I just glanced over, looking for where something would begin to happen.

A year ago, Mandy's twin sister died suddenly. While the rest of the family has begun to move on, it is understandably difficult for Mandy to do so. Her parents are going on a little trip, older brothers are staying with friends, and everyone thinks eleven-year-old Mandy is going with someone else. That's why she gets left at home alone - but in this small Michigan town, that's nothing to worry about. Nobody even locks their doors around here. But why the TV is on in the middle of the night, why peanut butter sandwich fixings are left out on the counter, and why the dirt from a flower pot that has been knocked over has a footprint in it are all mysteries to Mandy. (I'm really leaving you hanging here, just in case you ignore my recommendation and read this thing.)

I think if you are going to spend your time reading that you should make the reading worthwhile! Don't spend your time reading mindless drivel!!! (That's a purple word for all you MM students out there. FYI: "drivel" means nonsense - synonyms for drivel include "hogwash," "poppycock," "idiocy," "claptrap," and "twaddle." All purple words! What fun!)

Okay, there is one redeeming factor about this book - but I wouldn't read it just because of this. Mandy has an uncle who suffers from schizophrenia. He is supposed to take medication for it, but he says the medication makes him feel rotten. A woman at a grocery store gets wierded out because he is talking to the tomatoes. He believes that evil people are wearing masks, disguising themselves as his relatives. These examples are part of his illness. But I think Roberts does an admirable job in explaining schizophrenia in a compassionate way. Mandy thinks: "Uncle Frank couldn't help the way he was. For the most part he was not dangerous, though strangers often perceived that he was, and taking the drugs the doctors wanted him to take made him feel so horrible he'd rather be thought insane than deal with the unpleasant side effects....There were a lot of things in life that didn't seem to have any satisfactory answers or solutions."

Schizophrenia and purple words. That's all you're getting out of this review. If you do read The One Left Behind and agree with Scholastic, then you are crazy and full of balderdash! (Purple word.)