Play Book Tag discussion

I really did NOT expect to love this book, but I did. The description of the plot seemed too simple and contrived, and it sounded like it might be too sugary, so I postponed reading it for some time. I was in need of a feel-good story this weekend, so I figured this might be the good time to read it. And it was. There was quite a bit of pain, snark, and darkness to balance out the sugar, perhaps more than I expected. I went into this book expecting a fantasy, which allowed me to suspend disbelief when needed, and see the charm in the story. I liked the fairy-tale story within the story, and recognized it's role to help the girl deal with her grief. (It also helped me set aside my annoyance that this seven year old had the vocabulary and reasoning ability of a much older child.) The structure of the story was actually quite clever and well done. I grew to appreciate the nuances in many of the characters, though one or two retained a fairy-tale quality. I can understand why some people might not like the book, but today it really worked for me.