This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
Reviewed by Jennifer Joyce
Ten-year-old Sandy Drue dreams of becoming a writer, so when she finds an electric typewriter in her father’s office, she starts to compile a collection of short stories, made up of observations of herself, her family and her friends. Set in the 1970s, Mailbox tells the story of Sandy as she grows from a young girl to an adolescent.
I’m not quite sure what to make of Mailbox. It was an interesting concept having the short stories build up a bigger picture but, for me, they were too loosely connected and I would have liked a more solid narrative. The short stories flit around everywhere, so there was no definite timeline to follow. Having said that, the stories were fun and varied, ranging from the carefree antics of children to more emotional events in the life of young Sandy. Sandy is a fantastic character. She is young but she is strong-minded and prefers to question rather than blindly follow, especially when it comes to her peers.
Mailbox is a short read but it’s packed with the musings of a curious and witty girl. I loved the voice of Sandy and her adventures, but I was left a bit bewildered by the end, wondering what the point of the book was as a whole.
7/10