Official Review: A Bell For Jimmy by Theo Wadsworth

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Samantha Simoneau
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Official Review: A Bell For Jimmy by Theo Wadsworth

Post by Samantha Simoneau »

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "A Bell For Jimmy" by Theo Wadsworth.]
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2 out of 4 stars
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When the constant blizzard rendered
Eden Town an endless white,
Their final hope of rescue
Jimmy carried through the night.

As the brave pup ventured
Toward faraway Ardenboer,
Eden's folk couldn’t but wonder:
Is Jimmy gone forevermore?

As my attempt at a poetic blurb hopefully illustrates, A Bell for Jimmy, by Theo Wadsworth, is the many-stanzaed story of an abruptly snowbound little town known as Eden. After several weeks of continuous snowfall and a failed attempt to reach the nearest source of help, which claimed the lives of 20 people, the villagers are facing their own mortality when a literal underdog emerges. Jimmy, initially thought to be a “foolish mongrel,” courageously strikes out into the “glacial blaze” in search of Eden’s much-needed assistance. Will he return with help and supplies, or was the furry hero swallowed up by the bitter blizzard?

A Bell for Jimmy is a 50-stanza, rhyming poem meant for children. Each 4-line stanza occupies a right-hand page, accompanied on the left by the full-page, black-and-white crosshatch illustrations of Julia Naurzalijeva. The rhyme scheme, storytelling style, and drawings all gave me a Victorian vibe, although the book never mentions a specific year in which these events are supposed to have occurred. The reader follows a traveler, a stranger to Eden Town, who hears the church bell ringing when he arrives. It has been ringing for hours when the stranger finds the store in the middle of the village, where he meets an old man, who then explains the story behind the bell-ringing tradition.

As a lover of poetry, traditional or otherwise, I was eager to get into this book. I actually really enjoyed books like this one when I was a kid. After the first several pages, I was engrossed and looking forward to writing this review. At first, I thought this book was for very young kids, with the expectation that an adult would read it aloud to a child in order to fully appreciate the rhymes and so both would admire the illustrations. I was a bit disappointed that the illustrations weren’t colorful, as my little ones would prefer. I did like the style of the pictures though, especially those of buildings or nature. When I arrived at some of the full-on faces, I felt they were a bit distorted-looking, reminding me of Tim Burton animation. Personally, I found a few of the people-heavy images were too creepy for kids. Then, somewhere around page 40 and the sixth week of uninterrupted snow, this story gets really bleak. As a parent, I think it gets too bleak, at least for children.

The villagers start losing cattle, send for help, and start rationing their resources. I felt that this was enough to get the point across, but Wadsworth apparently didn’t think so. After the “20 young ones” fail to return,
“The painful days which followed had an unreal quality, with every home an island hell of crucifying misery.”
And I don’t even want to speculate about what is implied by,
“There were acts of frightful cowardice, there were deeds supremely bold, as under the strain we all became more striking to behold.”
At this point, I wouldn’t read it to my little kids, so I figured maybe the story is intended for older children to read to themselves. This theory is a weak one, however, with words like “treachery,” “harbinger,” and phrases like “mordant quietude of tombs.” As a result, I have no idea what exact age group this book is intended for, but I think the vocabulary and heaviness of subject rule out kids under 10. I’m not sure how many kids over age 10 would want to read a very traditional, long poem, but I suspect there aren’t many. I visited the book’s dedicated website, but other than referring to it as a children’s story, a target audience isn’t suggested. Additionally, the main character, Jimmy, is not even mentioned until page 75, which made him feel like an afterthought, in my opinion.

On top of all this, A Bell for Jimmy needs editing, with numerous missing and misplaced commas, missing hyphens, and lack of appropriate quotation marks. These errors were distracting and kept me from feeling enveloped by the story. I love the premise of this book (who doesn’t love a dog-heroics story?), and I appreciate that Wadsworth and Naurzalijeva apparently want to reinvigorate interest in a traditional style, but the executed result was a very depressing, almost Poe-like story that I wouldn’t share with my children, at least not as-is. I would only recommend this one to die-hard ABCB rhyme scheme lovers who don’t mind paying $16 for a book about a dog. Perhaps, after some tweaking, trimming, and polishing, Jimmy’s bell could ring much more clearly and joyfully in the hearts of readers. Until then, though, I have to give A Bell for Jimmy, by Theo Wadsworth, 2 out of 4 stars.

******
A Bell For Jimmy
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Samantha Simoneau

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Post by Cecilia_L »

At this point, I wouldn’t read it to my little kids, so I figured maybe the story is intended for older children to read to themselves. This theory is a weak one, however, with words like “treachery,” “harbinger,” and phrases like “mordant quietude of tombs.” As a result, I have no idea what exact age group this book is intended for, but I think the vocabulary and heaviness of subject rule out kids under 10. I’m not sure how many kids over age 10 would want to read a very traditional, long poem, but I suspect there aren’t many. I visited the book’s dedicated website, but other than referring to it as a children’s story, a target audience isn’t suggested. Additionally, the main character, Jimmy, is not even mentioned until page 75, which made him feel like an afterthought, in my opinion.
Based on your review, the book sounds disappointing and not very well executed. I appreciate your honest review.
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Post by kandscreeley »

I have read books such as this before. It's like the author just doesn't quite know what age he is writing for. If the author isn't sure, the audience certainly can't be sure. The bleak nature of some of the lines is quite alarming. I think I'll be skipping this one, and I definitely wouldn't read it to any children. Thanks.
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Post by gen_g »

Oh dear, this sounded promising at first, but it's a pity that it fell short of the mark. The book would definitely benefit from a round of editing indeed. Thanks for the amazing review!
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Post by Connie Otwani »

The plot is intriguing but certainly not well executed. I agree the author isn't sure of his target audience. The illustrations seem geared to young children while the bleak narration seems to negate this. And introducing the main character at page 75? Great review all the same.
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Post by Samantha Simoneau »

Cecilia_L wrote: 15 Nov 2018, 08:36
At this point, I wouldn’t read it to my little kids, so I figured maybe the story is intended for older children to read to themselves. This theory is a weak one, however, with words like “treachery,” “harbinger,” and phrases like “mordant quietude of tombs.” As a result, I have no idea what exact age group this book is intended for, but I think the vocabulary and heaviness of subject rule out kids under 10. I’m not sure how many kids over age 10 would want to read a very traditional, long poem, but I suspect there aren’t many. I visited the book’s dedicated website, but other than referring to it as a children’s story, a target audience isn’t suggested. Additionally, the main character, Jimmy, is not even mentioned until page 75, which made him feel like an afterthought, in my opinion.
Based on your review, the book sounds disappointing and not very well executed. I appreciate your honest review.
Thanks for reading and replying! I appreciate the honesty in your reviews as well.
Samantha Simoneau

“But upon the stage of life, while conscience claps, let the world hiss! On the contrary if conscience disapproves, the loudest applauses of the world are of little value."
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Post by Samantha Simoneau »

Cotwani wrote: 15 Nov 2018, 12:10 The plot is intriguing but certainly not well executed. I agree the author isn't sure of his target audience. The illustrations seem geared to young children while the bleak narration seems to negate this. And introducing the main character at page 75? Great review all the same.
Yes, I was thrown by many aspects of this book. Thanks for reading and commenting!
Samantha Simoneau

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Post by Samantha Simoneau »

gen_g wrote: 15 Nov 2018, 10:57 Oh dear, this sounded promising at first, but it's a pity that it fell short of the mark. The book would definitely benefit from a round of editing indeed. Thanks for the amazing review!
Yeah, as I said, it's a great premise, but ends up being really troubling. Thank you for stopping by!
Samantha Simoneau

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Post by Samantha Simoneau »

kandscreeley wrote: 15 Nov 2018, 10:19 I have read books such as this before. It's like the author just doesn't quite know what age he is writing for. If the author isn't sure, the audience certainly can't be sure. The bleak nature of some of the lines is quite alarming. I think I'll be skipping this one, and I definitely wouldn't read it to any children. Thanks.
This children's book is strangely not kid-friendly, for sure. Thanks for reading and replying!
Samantha Simoneau

“But upon the stage of life, while conscience claps, let the world hiss! On the contrary if conscience disapproves, the loudest applauses of the world are of little value."
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Post by Book Lover 35 »

The plot sounded good. Thank you for the points you brought up. I'll keep looking. Great review!
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Post by kfwilson6 »

I didn't expect this book to even have 75 pages, let alone not introduce the title character until then. At first, I thought this might be the rare kind of poetry I could get on board with. After this review, I'm definitely not interested. This book needs a lot of work.
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Post by Fozia-Bajwa »

This is a book containing the story about the adventures occurring during the snowfall and glaciers. all the story is in the form of poetry. You gave a good translation and explanation to this poetic language. good review.
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Post by Samantha Simoneau »

Book Lover 35 wrote: 18 Nov 2018, 01:02 The plot sounded good. Thank you for the points you brought up. I'll keep looking. Great review!
Thank you for reading and replying!
Samantha Simoneau

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Samantha Simoneau
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Post by Samantha Simoneau »

Fozia-Bajwa wrote: 22 Nov 2018, 10:15 This is a book containing the story about the adventures occurring during the snowfall and glaciers. all the story is in the form of poetry. You gave a good translation and explanation to this poetic language. good review.
Thank you for stopping by and commenting!
Samantha Simoneau

“But upon the stage of life, while conscience claps, let the world hiss! On the contrary if conscience disapproves, the loudest applauses of the world are of little value."
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Samantha Simoneau
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Post by Samantha Simoneau »

kfwilson6 wrote: 19 Nov 2018, 00:13 I didn't expect this book to even have 75 pages, let alone not introduce the title character until then. At first, I thought this might be the rare kind of poetry I could get on board with. After this review, I'm definitely not interested. This book needs a lot of work.
I agree, and it is certainly long for a children's book, even if every other page is an illustration. Thanks for commenting!
Samantha Simoneau

“But upon the stage of life, while conscience claps, let the world hiss! On the contrary if conscience disapproves, the loudest applauses of the world are of little value."
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