This is an unusual book, and based on the early reviews, apparently one you either love, or really don't. I found it so confusing at the start that I wondered if there was a problem with the digital file of the ARC I had received. There's invented vocabulary in an invented world of Hokey Pokey, where different aspects of childhood are represented by places such as a big screen constantly playing cartoons and a place where you can wait in line to get a snuggle. I enjoyed the creativity of these places, once I got the hang of the language, but never quite understood it all. I think I'm just more of a concrete thinker. The problem is, a lot of kids are too, and I'm afraid only a select few will stick with this book and enjoy it. As an allegory for a child's transition into adulthood, it didn't quite work for me either. It's neat to think of it as a special moment, but in reality doesn't it happen gradually, and usually with your friends along with you going at about the same pace? In other words, not something you dread, with your friends watching you go? I look forward to reading further reviews of this, hoping maybe they'll help me make more sense of things.Thank you to Random House Children's for providing a digital review copy to me via Edelweiss.
