'Mosquitoland,' a new YA book, gets rave reviews
'Mosquitoland' is the debut work by writer David Arnold.
'Mosquitoland' is by David Arnold.
Author David Arnold is receiving some rave reviews for his debut young adult book book, 鈥淢osquitoland.鈥�
鈥淢osquitoland,鈥� which is billed as being for readers ages 12 to 17, centers on Mim Malone, who moves to Mississippi with her father and stepmother but soon travels back to Ohio to see her mother, meeting various interesting characters during her journey.聽
critic Brian Truitt gave the book four stars, calling it 鈥渋rresistible.鈥澛�
鈥淗eartwarming, heartbreaking, and hilarious, but always maintaining a distinctly innocent brilliance,鈥� Truitt wrote. 鈥淎rnold proves his worth as a top-notch storyteller鈥� he has a gift for giving nuance to the ordinary鈥� The author distinguishes himself in the young-adult landscape through the opinionated and obsessively individualistic Mim.鈥�
And Mary Quattlebaum of the named it among the best new children's books, writing of the title, 鈥淩eaders will take this straight-talking 鈥楳istress of Moxie鈥� to their hearts鈥� David Arnold combines brio with compassion in this captivating first novel, which holds surprises, big and small, right to the end. Welcome to the road too little traveled by females in realistic YA fiction.鈥�
and both gave 鈥淢osquitoland鈥� starred reviews, with PW calling it 鈥渨holly enjoyable鈥� a delightfully eclectic cast of characters, who are made all the more memorable by Mim鈥檚 descriptions鈥� There is no shortage of humor in Mim鈥檚 musings, interspersed with tender scenes and a few heart-pounding surprises. Mim鈥檚 triumphant evolution is well worth the journey.鈥� KR wrote that 鈥淢im鈥檚 inner monologues [are] hilarious, cutting and full of bravado鈥� Arnold pens a stunning debut, showcasing a cast of dynamic characters whose individual struggles are real but not always fully explained, a perfect decision鈥� mesmerizing.鈥�
However, Angie Manfredi of New Mexico鈥檚 Alamos County Library wrote for that 鈥渄ebut author Arnold's book is filled with some incredible moments of insight. The protagonist is a hard-edged narrator with a distinct voice. There is a lot for teens to admire and even savor-but there are also some deeply problematic elements.鈥� Manfredi counted among these Mim鈥檚 habit of using lipstick to create what she calls 鈥渨ar paint" and the book's depiction of a character with Down syndrome, which she called "stock."
鈥淢osquitoland鈥� was released on March 3.