Sprout

Sprout by Dale Peck (April 30th 2009—Bloomsbury)

Grade: 3 stars out of 5

Summary: “How many secrets can you hide in plain sight? Sprout Bradford has a secret. It’s not what you think—he’ll tell you he’s gay. He’ll tell you about his dad’s drinking and his mother’s death. The green fingerprints everywhere tell you when he last dyed his hair. But neither the reader nor Sprout are prepared for what happens when Sprout suddenly finds he’s had a more profound effect on the lives around him than he ever thought possible. Sprout is both hilarious and gripping; a story of one boy at odds with the expected.”

Review: Forget what you think you might know about this book because you don’t. Seriously from the summary alone this book heads in an almost completely opposite direction.

While the gay factor is there in the book there is quite more. Daniel aka Sprout is an intelligent child that is similar to that of Holden from Catcher in the Rye. He has a certain mindscape and drive with a large lexicon that forces the reader to bring out the dictionary at points. But he is still a child in some areas. Relationship wise and sexuality wise he reminds me a baby chick. Hesitant, passed off constantly to another person every turn, and adorable in the whole “skinny guy with the bright green hair” type of way…ish.

I just have a teensy weensy compliant about how the author can write a 25 letter long word but cannot seem to write the word between=btw. It just bothers me a tad more than it should I guess.

I think I’m just going to give up. I can’t seem to come up with anything decent to write! ARGH!

Overall: Confusing at times, odd most of the time, and intriguing all the way.

Cover B-
I’m not exactly sure which is the final cover…Is it the one with the design on it? Or the one with just plain SPROUT on it?