Official Review: A Is for Apple by Matrinna Woods

[Fazzier]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "A Is for Apple" by Matrinna Woods.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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A Is for Apple is a gripping young adult novel written by Matrinna Woods. It features a now-ten-year old, ambitious young girl, Matrinna Woody– the author's near-namesake. Growing in an economically-disadvantaged neighborhood, Woody has big dreams; one of them being to become famous either as a singer, an actress, or any of the performing arts exploits. She wants to be famous and reap all the benefits fame can possibly bring. Above all, she hopes fame would lift her from the kind of life they were living to one she could, at least, afford some few comforts of life. But with a humble background, it sure requires a lot of hard work, dedication, and an eagle's focus. Will this visionary young girl realize her dreams?

I greatly enjoyed this book and liked how well it was executed. A Is for Apple has that natural, unstrained flow, and I couldn't help but acknowledge the author's prowess in storytelling. The author adopted the first-person narrative approach, in Woody's perspective, and this story reads like a memoir. The dialogues are also realistic and relatable, something that made it even more outstanding. I also appreciated the author's use of short, engrossing chapters and the fact that there was a link between one chapter to the next, further enhancing the flow. Those, coupled with the fact the characters’ inner feelings were also aptly captured, enhanced my enjoyment of this poignant novel and overall reading experience.

My favorite aspect of this book was how wonderful the author depicted and developed the characters. Not only are they natural and unique, but also interestingly represent various real-world personality types. Niecy, Woody's mother, is known for “the look,” and if you saw one, you'd be certain you're in big trouble for having done something awful; backing away was more than being wise. Aunt Pearls is known for her low tolerance for junk food. If you were caught having one, you'd be sure it'll be tossed out, unapologetically. Grandpa is an introverted, no-nonsense man who doesn't mind using corporal punishment to bring kids back in line (he had a soft side though); kids strove to be in the right terms with him. These, and many more interesting characters within Woody's large extended family, made me enjoy this novel more, as I devoured it from the beginning until the end.

All in all, I didn't find anything to dislike about this book. I believe it was professionally edited since I found just some minor errors. Since the errors were not distracting and couldn't influence my final rating, I'm glad to award A Is for Apple by Matrinna Woods 4 out of 4 stars.

For fans of gripping, character-driven young adult stories, I highly recommend this. It will also appeal to fans of basketball. As to language use, I noticed words that may be considered disparaging although, for the most part, the author tried to keep this book profanity-free. Most instances of cuss words I came across were just minor ones such as “darn”. I believe that, together with the fact that there was no erotic content at all in this book, make it suitable for a wide range of readers, including children. On the other hand, I can't find anyone who may consider skipping this, except for those not into young adult stories.

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A Is for Apple
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[Phelicia Gloria]

Many people must be dying for popularity and fame, they want to be celebrities and enjoy what celeb brings with it like Woody wanted. Otherwise great review.

[Joan642]

This book has an interesting storyline, I would really love to read it. Thanks for the insightful review.

[Abi_kanda]

Such a captivating storyline.I love how you have summarised the family and their "specialties",and my favourite one yet,without even reading the book is Nicey's "look".

[AJ_Williams011]

This is such a wonderful review! I am particularly fond of reading books within the young-adult genre as I found them relatable at most. With the mentions of well-crafted characters, I'm interested to read it. Other authors tend to focus on plot development without actually noticing how character development depicts the direction of the storyline. Nevertheless, thank you for the review!

[Tablito]

Characters within Woody's extended family must be unique in their own way.