Dark Dude

Reader: Payton G
Age: 13
Title: Dark Dude
Author: Oscar Hijuelos
Publisher: Atheneum
Pub Date: 9/16/08
Galley: Yes
Nominate for Top10: No
Did the cover reflect the contents: The cover sort of interested me, but reading the back was what actually made me pick it up. The cover didn't really reflect the contents.
Recommend: No
Compelling Aspect of the Book: I think that the most compelling aspect was that it was a very real story. In that it didn't have the main character suddenly turn into a magical flying pony, although that would be awesome!
Did you finish: No
Were you disappointed with the book: I was sort of disappointed, because I thought that it was going to be really more of a fast-moving story, but was actually very slow. The characters were very dully written, and didn't interest me. A character should be able to really excite the readers. The characters in this book were un-exciting.
Age Range: 14-15
Quality: 2Q Needs more work
Popularity: 3P Some teen appeal:
Annotation: Rico is a stranger in his own family. He has fair hair and light skin, unlike his thoroughly Cuban family. When his best friend Gilberto wins the lottery, though, Rico finds himself in Wisconsin. He no longer has to prove his Latino heritage, but because of this he almost loses it. He can't entirely shake it though, because some things can't be left behind.