The First Ten Focus Group Feedback for A Long Ago place
Because A Long Ago place was Book of the Day, some of our most trusted members have carefully looked over the cover, the description, and other aspects of this book as a part of purchase-intent focus group. We then asked each participant in the focus group if they planned to buy and read the book, and why they planned to buy and read the book or not. Their answer to that question and reasons are displayed below. We call this awesome feature The First Ten Focus Group.
Keep in mind, the responses from the members are not reviews. This is purchase-intent focus group which means the participants are people who have NOT yet bought or read your book. A purchase-intent focus group is an important and extremely useful marketing tool for any product, not just books. For other products, you might walk on the street and show people an item in a package and poll them about whether they would buy if or $X or not. These kind of focus groups are one of the ways big marketing companies find the ideal price points for products and test the effectiveness of different packaging. The focus group can help you identify your market so you how to target ads of your book, and it can (but may not) provide you new useful info about your "packaging" (e.g. your book cover, your book synopsis on Amazon, etc.). The point of the focus group comments is to give you information from people who have not bought or read your book about why they plan to buy your book which will help you in marketing the book. These are not reviews or critiques of your book because they are not from people have read the book. This is a marketing tool, not reviews. The trick of book marketing and book advertising is that you have to convince people who have not read your book yet that your book is worth buying and reading. For marketing, it doesn't matter much if people love your book after reading it if you cannot convince potential buyers before they read it that they will love it.
IMPORTANT: Any score over 10% is considered very good. And any score above 0% is acceptable. This is because we only poll about 20 or so readers, and all readers have to say "no" to almost all books. Over a million books are published each year. Even a very active reader cannot come close to even reading 1% of books out there.
This is also why publishing books is such a tough industry.
Ekta Kumari
This is a book dedicated to being young and enjoying that feeling. I loved that, at the very beginning, it was addressed to mothers who were once a little girl. And I loved sampling the book. I would have read it based on the artwork on the cover page, which caught my attention right away. The thing I loved the most while sampling is the author's language, and the way she summarises the mundane thoughts in such beautiful phrases. I also liked the illustrations that were in contrast to the page's background color. This made reading more eye-pleasing. I didn't see an official OBC review, but that doesn't affect my decision to read the whole book. I'll read it because I've found the sample to be engaging. As for the editing, I did find one error in this sentence, "This place is where I dreamed of the woman I would become and of the mother I would have to be to Porky, Jemoo, Serena, Lindy Loo, Semolina, Wendy, Suzanna, Pinky, and of course, the one-eyed teddy, Teddy." I think there should be a comma after 'and'. I don't have any recommendations for improvements in the book except rectifying the editing error.
First Ten review added on May 30, 2021, at 5:00 am by Ekta Kumari.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
va2016
The title "A long ago place" indicates that it is a story about memories. The cover with a child sitting under a tree indicates that it is probably a children's book. There is only one Amazon customer rating, which is not a sufficient number for me to decide if I should sample the book or not. The Amazon summary is very short, and does not convey much details. Since there are not much details available about the book, I would have skipped sampling the book if not for the First Ten program. As I sampled through the book, I found the narration describing the author sitting beside the tree and narrating that experience. As I am not interested in the theme of the book, I am not going to read the book in full. I found the sample professionally edited. There were no grammatical or mechanical errors. I didn't like anything specifically about the book. As an improvement, I would suggest changing the background color of the pages, which is too bright for comfort, and also increasing the character font size. Although I didn't find any OBC review of the book, my decision to not to read the book in full is based on my own sampling.
First Ten review added on May 30, 2021, at 4:49 am by va2016.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Alice Heritage
This isn't a book I would have sampled without the programme as I'm not in the market for children's books. I also won't buy it today as it seems to be only about remembering childhood games. I only want to read children's books that have some intriguing premise that makes me want to know what happens. I'm not sure if the text was professionally edited as I noticed one error in the short sample: in "as the bitter smell of the dying purple flowers try to rob me of the perfect afternoon", the verb should read "tries" because "smell" is the subject. I enjoyed the illustrations and descriptions, particularly the list of the girl's children in her game. I enjoyed trying to see which name belonged to which toy, but there were more names than toys visible. It would be a improvement to show all of them because a child would probably also want to put all the names to the faces. There wasn't an OBC review, but that didn't affect my decision as I was able to gain a good impression from the sample.
First Ten review added on May 30, 2021, at 4:43 am by Alice Heritage.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
smolbird
I loved the title and watercolor-like cover of the book because it evokes a feeling of nostalgia in me, so I would have sampled this book outside of the program. I didn't see any OBC review for this book, but it didn't deter me from sampling it. I really liked the nostalgic feeling this book gave me, which was the book's goal. I did find it a little difficult to read the texts in the book because of the background color, so I would suggest removing the background color or enlarging the font size for better readability. Based on the sample I read, it seems like the book is well-edited, as there were no errors. Despite enjoying the illustrations, I've decided not to buy this book because it's difficult for me to read the text, which affects my reading experience.
First Ten review added on May 30, 2021, at 4:40 am by smolbird.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Mutai Marshal
I don't enjoy reading children's books. Therefore, I wouldn't have read this book based on the conspicuous cover page and title. It is narrated from the first-person perspective. My favorite aspect was the colorful graphical presentations used. They make the read memorable and paint an image of the book's setting. The lack of the OBC review didn't influence my decision about reading this book. As stated, I will not buy this book since it is best suited for children. The short sample seems exceptionally edited. I only recommend using a bigger font to prevent readers from straining their eyes.
First Ten review added on May 30, 2021, at 4:18 am by Mutai Marshal.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Catherine Hsu
If I had not read the sample, I would not have read the book. The blurb seems very vague and so I don't really feel interested from that alone. After reading the sample, I have not changed my mind. The writing is really pretty and I like the figurative language like footsteps on skin. It was also professionally edited. From the sample, however, I still don't really think I got a clear idea of what the book was about, and from a visual standpoint I loved the drawings but the yellow and green splotchy pages were a little distracting and rough on the eyes; I'd change it to a solid color. I did not read an official review but that did not affect my decision.
First Ten review added on May 30, 2021, at 2:55 am by Catherine Hsu.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Manang Muyang
Children's books, regardless of cover, title, or blurb, always call to me. I would have sampled the book even outside of the program. This book is not one for kids to read alone, though. It should be shared by an adult woman, preferably a mother, with a little girl, preferably the woman's daughter. The language and theme are complicated for little girls, and the topic involves reminiscing about an adult's pretend play as a child. I think it is a great bonding tool for a mother and her daughter. I won't buy the book, though. I have no child to read it with, and the text is tiny. I could hardly read it. I did not find any errors, but the text was too small to really be sure. The illustrations are a bit dark, as well. I could not distinguish the dolls. I hope the author can do something to make the book more reader-friendly. There was no accompanying OBC review for the book, but I doubt that one would affect my decision.
First Ten review added on May 30, 2021, at 2:00 am by Manang Muyang.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Howlan
The free sample on Amazon has only three pages, so I am basing my review on that and the Amazon synopsis. The official OBC review and the Amazon customer reviews are both missing, so I was really confused about what this book is about. The first three pages were quite poetic and mentioned a mother returning to her children. I liked the poetic vibe, but I am not interested in poetry. Also, since I do not enjoy reading books that are not story-based and the book did not feel as if it was plot-oriented, I am not going to buy and read this book today. No typos were found in the Amazon sample. I also found nothing that I would like to improve in the Amazon sample.
First Ten review added on May 30, 2021, at 1:29 am by Howlan.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Ann Ogochukwu
Being that it is a children's book and there was no OBC review of it, I wouldn't have read this book outside this program.
However, I enjoyed sampling this book, and I intend to complete it. The narrator in this story reminisced on her childhood. The book made me feel nostalgic, and I liked that. Also, I liked the beautiful illustrations and the poetic lines employed in telling this story. I think both adults and children can enjoy this one.
This book seemed professionally edited; it was error-free. I don't think it needs any improvement. The absence of the OBC review did not affect my decision on this book.
First Ten review added on May 30, 2021, at 1:05 am by Ann Ogochukwu.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
AvidBibliophile
The cover art of this children's book feels visually calming, and the title evokes a comforting sense of nostalgia. The Amazon product description only offers a one-sentence summary (that is broadly vague), with no added mention of specific characters or a historical timeframe for this book's setting. There is only one currently posted Amazon user rating, and the review provided there is glowing, but it is very short in length. I would have liked to have seen at least one published OBC review for comparison, but I couldn't find one that is currently published. With a limited description and lack of quantitative feedback from other readers, I'd be cautiously hesitant to buy this book. Since some sample pages were available for access on Amazon, I decided to try and gauge for myself how engaging this one might be. I always appreciate when authors and publishers are able to provide a short excerpt for complimentary perusal, so I valued having access to a small handful of pages of this book. I did not encounter any typos or grammatical errors while reading, and I found each of the hand-drawn pictures to be very childlike and sentimental. I was immediately transported to the place being described, and I could easily envision the cooing pigeons, "cotton candy" clouds, warm rays of sunshine, sharp segments of tree bark, fragrant gardenia bushes, and a one-eyed teddy bear named Teddy. I can't think of a single thing that would warrant needed improvement, based on the pages I had access to, so I will definitely buy this book in order to read the remainder of the story!
First Ten review added on May 30, 2021, at 12:42 am by AvidBibliophile.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Sonya Nicolaidis
I thought this book had a whimsical quality and a title that was lazily appealing. In spite of this, I would probably have only looked closer at it if I were buying a gift for a younger reader. There was no OBC review today to rely on for a background to the story which is always a bit strange, but the minute I started reading I was lost in another world. I loved the way the author writes: the adjectives and adverbs abound and create a sensory experience second to none. What did disappoint, however, were the internal illustrations which I found a bit dark and potentially disturbing. I saw no errors in grammar suggesting that the editor had done their job thoroughly. I would suggest a rethink of the illustrations to increase the appeal to young readers, but apart from this, I thought it was a lovely sample. I wouldn't read it as I am not the target audience for this literature, but would recommend it to my children.
First Ten review added on May 29, 2021, at 12:19 pm by Sonya Nicolaidis.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Sanju Lali
It became apparent to me that this children's book is about the childhood memories of a woman. So, I considered reading the official review of this book to know more about the woman's childhood life. I felt stranded when I could not find the official review. It is the official review that makes me decide whether or not to buy any book. However, I thought of looking at the sample of this book. After reading the first ten pages, I realized that this book is not professionally edited because I found some grammatical errors in the sample. For example, the sentence, "This brief moment of affection is followed with a frantic burst of cleaning energy...". The sentence could have been, "This brief moment of affection is followed by a frantic burst of cleaning energy... ". The thing l liked the most is the bunch of illustrations, which convey a lot of information regarding the woman's childhood to the reader. Unfortunately, the text in the book is a bit complicated with unusual irony for children to understand without help from their guardians. My suggestion to the author would be to go for a round of professional editing and consider the shortcomings raised by me in the above sentence. I also suggest the author go for an official review so that a reader like me can have some idea of the book before buying it. After looking at all these aspects, I decided not to purchase and read this book today. I will wait until the author considers my suggestions so that reading this book could be helpful to me and also make me nostalgic.
First Ten review added on May 29, 2021, at 11:56 am by Sanju Lali.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Vickie Noel
I like children's books generally, but I'm not sure I'd have bothered with this one had it not been for the First Ten program. There's something about the cover art that I don't like; it has this dark theme. Reading the sample didn't change my mind. The writing style is simple and would be instrumental in introducing and teaching children how to incorporate easy descriptions into their creative writing activities. A good example is in the sentence, "Rays of sunshine dance on top of my arms and legs, tingling warmth into the middle of my soul." However, the illustrations didn't appeal to me, especially the one on the page where the girl fantasized about being a mother to her imaginary children. There's too much charcoal-black, and it was hard to make out proper images. Moving away from the pictures, the presentation of the story really isn't aesthetically my favorite. Despite otherwise being an attractive color combination, the mix of green and yellow in this book didn't work well. Throw in the black, microscopic font size and my having to peer right into my laptop screen to make out the words, and I've ultimately had a rather unpleasant sampling experience. I couldn't spot any errors within the sample text; it appears the story is professionally edited. My recommendation for improvement lies chiefly on the illustrations, though; they should be modified to make them easier on the eyes, with clearly distinct features and more fun color combinations. Additinally, the author should consider increasing the font size because this one is not friendly to the eyes of both adults and the book's target audience - the children. I didn't see an OBC review, but it didn't influence my decision.
First Ten review added on May 29, 2021, at 5:07 am by Vickie Noel.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Rayah Raouf
I would not have chosen to sample the book due to the genre. It is a children's book and I don’t read that. I will not read the whole book. The book is aimed at children. I do not have any reason to want to complete it. The content of the book is reminiscing but I do not need a book for that. I noticed no grammatical errors in the sample. Therefore, the book seems to be professionally edited. I like the illustrations. The only improvement I can think of is changing the background color. I found it difficult to read the text. There was no official review, but that did not affect my decision.
First Ten review added on May 29, 2021, at 4:36 am by Rayah Raouf.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Jeremie Mondejar
By just looking at the cover photo, I know this book will make me happy. The genre is one of my favorite, so I will read this book with my kids. Though I don't see any OBC review to further my knowledge, I like the sample, the drawings and the story. Plus, I don't see any typos while sampling the book, however, the font in the sample is too small for small screen users. I recommend enlarging the fonts in the book because the target audiences are children.
First Ten review added on May 29, 2021, at 4:29 am by Jeremie Mondejar.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Shrabastee Chakraborty
Although I couldn't find an official OBC review, I would have read this book based on its genre, the cover, and other reviews. I found a single error in the first ten pages (location 39: "try" should be "tries"). The narrator described her experiences in the garden, including charming notes from birds and sweet smells of the flowers. I loved the poetic expressions and the relaxed tone of the book. I had no suggestions for improvement. Based on my reading experience, I would gladly read the book.
First Ten review added on May 29, 2021, at 4:11 am by Shrabastee Chakraborty.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
J_odoyo
A Long-Ago Place by Donna Betten is seemingly a well-written children’s book. After reading the sample of this book, I’ve noticed that the book’s cover page is wonderfully done, and the title is also attractive. Its storyline is gripping and well written. Reading sample reminded me of my long-ago days, and I bet even parents will afford a smile while reading it. However, the book didn’t have an official OnlineBookClub review, and this denied me an insight into what the book entails. Moreover, the book’s description on the Amazon website was also too short to enhance an accurate guess of what the book was all about. Therefore, I have one recommendation for the improvement of this book: the author should improve on the Amazon description. I didn’t find any error (in the first ten percent of this book I’ve read), and It’s easier to wager that the book was professionally edited. The illustrations by Julie Westmaas were commendable, and I liked the book's colored pages. Having read the sample, I’m not going to finish reading this book because I’m not a fan of children's books.
First Ten review added on May 29, 2021, at 3:16 am by J_odoyo.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Verna Coy
I liked the peaceful quality of the book’s cover even though I don’t intend to purchase it. The book isn’t quite my type but I know it will be a draw to readers who love this style of children’s book. What I liked best about what I sampled today was how the author’s writing seemed to verge on poetry without quite managing to do so. I also liked the way it reminded me of pretending as a child. It seemed professionally edited. I couldn’t find anything that needed improving upon as far as other aspects of the work. I didn’t see an Online Book Club review for this book, but I think it would appeal to kids as well as adults.
First Ten review added on May 29, 2021, at 2:12 am by Verna Coy.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Kaitlyn Canedy
If A Long Ago Place was not the OnlineBookClub's book of the day, I likely would have skipped the sample of it. As I do not have any children, I do not think that I would enjoy this book as much as a parent with kids. There isn't an official OnlineBookClub review for it yet, but it would not have mattered even if one did exist. I liked that the author attempts to connect with children and reminisce about how things were years ago. I did not see any grammatical errors in the sample, nor can I think of any improvements. If parents want to read a book to their children that stimulates the imagination, this may be the book for them.
First Ten review added on May 29, 2021, at 12:31 am by Kaitlyn Canedy.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
MsH2k
I wasn’t attracted to the cover or intrigued by the blurb, so I would not have sampled this book if I were not part of this program. It is listed as a children’s book, but the writing style in the sample pages has a maturity better suited for an adult reader. It was hard to tell if the narrator was reminiscing or if they were actually sitting by the tree. Since I did not connect with the writing style or the illustrations, I will pass on buying this book. I did not notice any grammatical errors in the sample pages. A suggestion for improvement would be to provide more of an introduction to the setting either in the blurb or as an introduction in the book. Also, I’m not certain this should be in the children’s genre. I did not see a featured OnlineBookClub review, but its absence had no bearing on my decision.
First Ten review added on May 28, 2021, at 11:20 pm by MsH2k.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Scerakor
After reviewing the title, genre, cover, blurb, and description of this book, I would not have read this book. I'm very particular about the children's books that I read and this one didn't seem too exciting. After reading the first ten pages I didn't change my mind and therefore will not be buying and reading the rest of this book. I enjoyed the dreamy, reminiscent style that the writing had even early on in the sample. The whole comparison of the bird song to gardenias was very well done. That being said, the images and the story itself were a bit too ethereal for my children and they wouldn't enjoy it. Although the book looked well written and edited, there was one error that I came across in the sample that I read. On the last page of the sample the author writes that the kids get a kiss "for being so well-behaved". In this context, as "well" is modifying "behaved" this shouldn't have a hyphen. The thing I would have improved from the sample I read is the run on sentence (in my opinion) on the last page of the sample. The sentence that starts with "This place is where I dreamed..." was long and awkward (to me) as written. There wasn't an official OBC review that I saw, but the lack of a review did not affect my decision at all.
First Ten review added on May 28, 2021, at 8:37 pm by Scerakor.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Gabrielle Sigaki
Long Ago place by Donna Betten is a children's book about the relationship between generations. If I didn't sample this book, I would read it based on its genre since I'm interested in educational children's books. After sampling it, I didn't change my mind and I will read the entire novel since I found its theme interesting and because I liked the soft colors of the illustrations that mixed with the light narrative created a lovely atmosphere. Besides, the book seems professionally edited and there's nothing to be improved in it. However, this book didn't have an Official OnlineBookClub review, but this fact didn't affect my decision.
First Ten review added on May 28, 2021, at 7:47 pm by Gabrielle Sigaki.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Justine Ocsebio
I wouldn’t have sampled the book based on the genre, as I’m not interested in children’s books. The book opens with a woman dreaming about the bygone days of her childhood. She described all the little things that reminded her of those days. I like the dream-like quality of the prose. However, I’m not going to read the book, as I’m not interested in the premise. The lack of an official review did not affect my decision. I disliked nothing, and I didn’t see anything that needed improvement. The text is well edited.
First Ten review added on May 28, 2021, at 6:56 pm by Justine Ocsebio.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Bertha Jackson
I would not have checked this book out due to its beautiful book cover or title because I am not fond of this genre. I was disappointed that there was only one customer review for this book. There were no editorial or OnlineBookClub reviews to influence my decision. The blurb was too short to influence my decision. I enjoyed how the first ten pages promoted togetherness between the children and their mother. I did not see any errors in the first ten pages or anything I would change. The illustrations and narrative appeared to have been edited by a professional editor. The only reason I will not be purchasing and reading the book is because of the genre.
First Ten review added on May 28, 2021, at 6:11 pm by Bertha Jackson.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Yvonne Monique
The book cover does not look like a typical children's book, nor is the book title specifically kids themed. As I would be unsure about the target audience of this book, I would not pick it up if I would see it in a book store. The blurb explains that this is a children's book with a beautiful theme that unites children, parents and grandparents. I could not find an OBC review. The first ten pages are well edited, but I personally found the vocabulary more apt for older children. For example, the sentence "This brief moment of affection is followed with a frantic burst of cleaning energy" is too difficult for young children. I would suggest to mention on the book cover that this is a children's book, and I would mention the target age group on the back cover. I will not buy this book because I am not part of the target audience.
First Ten review added on May 28, 2021, at 5:52 pm by Yvonne Monique.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Odette Chace
I love the title and cover. The synopsis on Amazon was incredibly short. I wish I had more information to go on. There was no official review for this book, which is a shame. It would have been nice to get a better grasp of what the book is about. I don't typically read children's books, so I wouldn't normally sample this book. The writing style is more sophisticated than I expected from a children's book. I enjoyed it, but not enough to buy the book. I don't have children and did not get invested in the story. So far, nothing has happened. I don't think the book is too slow-paced. Rather, I think the sample ends too soon. My favorite aspect of the book was the illustrations. I believe the work was professionally edited as I did not notice any errors. I can't think of anything to improve the book based on what was provided in the sample.
First Ten review added on May 28, 2021, at 5:33 pm by Odette Chace.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Timothy Rucinski
There was no Official Review to cite, and only one review appeared on Amazon. It wasn't very informative. However, the cover is quite lovely. The cover, as the images inside the book, is not neatly done, and seemingly not drawn by an expert hand. However, the images are intriguing and the colors vibrant. I think I would have skimmed through this book had it caught my eye in a bookstore. As for the writing, it was extremely poetic and I most liked the way in which the author intermingled smell with sounds, such as perfume and birdsong. There wasn't anything that I disliked about this and from what I could see, it appears to be professionally edited as I found no errors.
First Ten review added on May 28, 2021, at 4:28 pm by Timothy Rucinski.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Mariana Figueira
Before reading the first pages of the book, I wasn't interested in it because I have no place in my life for a children's book, especially not one in a digital format. Unfortunately, sampling the book didn't change my mind about that. Also, the font makes the reading really challenging, the illustrations seem a little too dark and what I read from the sample did not allow me to understand what is the Long-Ago place. It seems professionally edited and it doesn't have an official Online BookClub review, but that didn't affect my decision. There's nothing in particular I enjoyed.
First Ten review added on May 28, 2021, at 4:20 pm by Mariana Figueira.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Chelsy Scherba
The author has a beautiful, stylistic way of writing. I love the maturity and creativity in her words. She makes it possible for people of all ages to enjoy her story. I also like the presentation of the book and the illustrations. There was no review, so I’m not entirely sure what the book is about, but the sample was quite appealing. The editing also looks pristine without errors. I don’t really have any suggestions for improvements. I generally read more nonfiction books though, so I’m probably not going to get this book today. I wouldn’t have searched for this genre outside of the program.
First Ten review added on May 28, 2021, at 4:12 pm by Chelsy Scherba.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Kelyn
Even if I had not been in this program, it is possibke that the genre, title and cover, taken together, might have attracted me to this book. I am always perusing the children's book section for books to read with my grandson. The cover is interesting to me because it looks like a bayou and we are from Louisiana. The figure's clothes also seem to fit that theme. The author is unknown to me, so that would not have affected my decision. The blurb was very brief, but it laid out the book's plot adequately. There was a single review on the Amazon site, which was positive but not much to go on. Although I did not see a review on the Amazon site identified as being from this program, if I had, I would have been interested in what the reviewer had to say. The review on this progran's site was complimentary of the book. This encouraged interest in the sample. Unfortunately, the book seems too advanced for my grandson. Additionally, the author's reminiscing about when she would play house as a child and dream about her future was sweet, but I don't think it would interest him. Though the book is lovely the way it is and I would not change a thing, I will not be getting it for the reasons mentioned above. The book seemed well-edited. I found no errors in the sample.
First Ten review added on May 28, 2021, at 3:52 pm by Kelyn.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Brenda Creech
I checked this book out based on the cover because it caught my eye. I was also intrigued enough to check it out due to the title to find out what the 'long ago place' was. Unfortunately, there was no official review to read, so I didn't have anything to guide me about the story. When I read the short sample, I did not find any errors, and nothing I read and saw needed improving. I like the illustrations on the cover and the inside pages. Looking at the illustration of sitting under a tree and remembering what it was like to be young was soothing. The sample was short, so there wasn't much to read to do this review justice. However, I think children will love looking at the pictures and will try to connect what is being said in the book to what it must have been like when their own parents were children. This seems like a lovely book for young children. If any of my grandchildren were young enough for a children's book, I would definitely get this for them. However, I don't plan to read the rest of it myself because that would make me too lonely.
First Ten review added on May 28, 2021, at 3:51 pm by Brenda Creech.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Diana Lowery
I liked the ethereal drawing on the cover. Even though the blurb was only 12 words long, I did learn that it is a children's book. I could not find any reviews on this book except for a few words on Goodreads. I liked the poetic writing style. The descriptions of the bird sounds were enjoyable. I did not see any errors in the pages that I read. I will not finish reading the book because it is a book for children. I do not have any suggestions for the author. There was nothing that I did not like.
First Ten review added on May 28, 2021, at 3:12 pm by Diana Lowery.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Laura Ungureanu
The cover looks pretty. I like the fact that it is like a drawing. I felt the need to check out another opinion, so an OBC review would've been nice. Without it, I'm afraid that I wouldn't have checked this book out by myself. The author has a very delicate writing style. I like the fact that she is focused on descriptions. This makes everything more visual for the readers. The sample seemed pretty well-edited. One inconsistency is that the title appears as "Long-Ago Place" at the beginning of the book, so it's missing the article. The sample is too short for me to make a proper opinion, but I can surely say that this isn't the book for me. I'm not the nostalgic kind, so a book about childhood doesn't touch me right now. I don't feel like the book needs improvement of any kind.
First Ten review added on May 28, 2021, at 2:53 pm by Laura Ungureanu.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Kajori Sheryl Paul
'A Long Ago Place' is written by Donna Betten. The book is a children's book. The narrator sits admiring nature and thinking of her life as a woman. I liked the poetic language. The editing is professional. The book has no scope for improvement. An OBC review would have been helpful. Based on the cover, title, genre, blurb, editorial reviews, and customer reviews, I would give this book a try as I like the genre. The lyrical language of the book intrigued me. Hence, I will read it.
First Ten review added on May 28, 2021, at 1:44 pm by Kajori Sheryl Paul.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Sarah_Khan
The cover and title of this book are average. I would not have sampled this without the First Ten program because the Amazon blurb is too vague. The book seems well edited. I liked the green and yellow background of the pages filled with text. Personally, I found this book a little boring, I can't say I am interested in reading descriptions of clouds and flowers. I feel like some kids might have a hard time staying interested in this book because of the descriptions. I did not see any official OBC review. Overall, this book is not for my age range. Therefore, I will not be reading the rest.
First Ten review added on May 28, 2021, at 12:21 pm by Sarah_Khan.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Emy Katherine
The story follows a woman as she remembers her childhood while sitting under a tree and being surrounded by nature. I would not have read the book based on the genre. I am not a huge fan of children's books, so I did not change my mind after reading the sample. The story was told from the woman's perspective by using a descriptive writing style. I particularly liked the full-page illustrations. I would suggest another round of editing, though, as I found some distracting errors. For example, it should be written "I am still sitting there as the bitter smell of the dying purple flowers tries to rob me of the perfect afternoon..." instead of "I am still sitting there as the bitter smell of the dying purple flowers try to rob me of the perfect afternoon..." (location 39 of 55 • 70%) Of course, the lack of an official OBC review did not influence my decision.
First Ten review added on May 28, 2021, at 12:21 pm by Emy Katherine.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Jorge Leon Salazar
The sample is considerably short like the book. Although it seems aimed at a childish audience, I think it is appropriate for all ages, especially women. It is presented as a book about remembering being young and playing house. Based on what I read, it seems to narrate a woman's experiences when she remembers her childhood days when she enjoyed nature, sounds, smells, birds, and clouds, among other things.
The book has an artistic focus on both the illustrations and the narrative. However, I do not feel part of the target audience of it. Therefore I am not interested in reading the rest of the book. This book does not have an official review, although if it did it would not influence my decision.
The editing seems good since in the sample I did not see any details to comment on. The cover is artistic, it seems made with colored pencils. The image of a girl, a bird, and a tree almost the same size creates a contrast that is pleasantly striking. The combination of the title and the cover are in line with the content, I think they would capture the target audience. On balance, I did not see anything that I believe could be improved.
First Ten review added on May 28, 2021, at 11:29 am by Jorge Leon Salazar.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
AntonelaMaria
Even though children's books are not my usual reading choice, I enjoyed the sample of this book. The colors of the illustrations and the positive message of the book are delightful. It seems like a great book for mothers to read with their daughters. I didn't notice any grammatical errors. I wouldn't change anything about this book. This book doesn't have an Offical Onlinebookclub review. It doesn't affect me as it is not a genre for me. But those reviews are helpful.
First Ten review added on May 28, 2021, at 11:14 am by AntonelaMaria.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda
The cover is very creative, and the wordplay in the title, interesting. The blurb is way too brief for me to know what to expect. Even if the ratings are good, I wouldn't know if this is a children's book, so I wouldn't have bought it based on my first impressions.
The sample didn't comprise ten pages (probably due to the length of the book), but I liked the almost poetic imagery ("I know that sound as well as the sweet perfume scent of the gardenia bush") and I loved being remembered of when I was a little girl and pretended I was a mom (I didn't even have a ten-minute secretary job, I was just a mom). The illustrations are fascinating. I didn't find editing mistakes. I would suggest giving more information on the blurb. Unfortunately, I still don't know what kind of book it is because it lacks an official review, so that was essential for my decision not to buy it and read it.
First Ten review added on May 28, 2021, at 10:28 am by María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Total ~ 18%
A Long Ago place earned a score of 18%.
In other words, out of the top-level reviewers who read at least the first 10 pages of this book, 18% plan to read the whole book.
IMPORTANT: Any score over 10% is considered very good. And any score above 0% is acceptable.
Over a million books are published each year. Any given person could not even read .0001% of the books out there. This means readers have to be very selective. Even taking the time to look over reviews and blurbs, let alone read samples, is more time than most readers can afford for most books. The First Ten is a powerful focus group that addresses those issues. It creates a helpful tool for authors, publishers, and other readers.
Go to main Bookshelves page for A Long Ago place
