Book Review: Liesl & Po

Liesl & Po
Author: Lauren Oliver
Pages 320 Hardcover
Reading Level: MG
Release Date: October 4th 2011
Review Source: HarperCollins
Available: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Borders

Summary: (from goodreads) We meet Liesl the night after the day her young father has died. That same day she is visited by a ghost, Po, an eight year old boy who lives on the other side, the territory between life and death that runs parallel to the living world. Po has come to tell her that her father is stuck on the other side, and that she is the only one who can help him cross over. A couple of wooden boxes. Some ashes. Some magic dust. A ghost, its pet, and a boy who forgot to wear a hat in the cold. From these seemingly odd, random characters Oliver weaves the enchanting story of how, with the aid of Liesl, these elements come together over the course of one week to restore love and luster to a world gone grey and heartless.

This is a book that would get young middle school minds thinking and becoming more interested in books. Filled with coincidental twists and turns Liesl & Po will entertain readers of the middle school age and under. Even though this is her first youth book Lauren Oliver has written a very exquisite and thoughtful novel.

In the novel we find a young girl named Liesl who is locked in an attic by her stepmother after her father dies. As the novel goes on, mysterious coincidences begin to happen and they, in some way, deal with Liesl. Her magical expedition begins when a ghost named Po appears out of nowhere in her attic room. I thought this was a delightful book, however I did have one problem. My concern was that sometimes in the book it got a little predictable. Overall this novel was a really good book and one that would be a hit with young readers.