First sentence: We weren't orphans after all. That was the first surprise. The second was that we were going home.
Premise/plot: Rosi and Bobo are two of many children who are being sent back home to their real parents. For the past twelve years, the children have been raised not by their birth parents, their "real parents" but by the Freds of Fredtown. The children range in ages and reactions. Some are hopeful; some are angry. A few are very, very suspicious. Among the most suspicious is a boy named Edwy. Rosi is typically annoyed with Edwy's conspiracies and negativity. But she changes her mind after arriving "back home." Nothing in Fredtown could have prepared her for the harsh, cruel "real" world of her parents. And assimilation is not easy. Are the children safe? Are their lives now in danger?
My thoughts: Haddix's novels are always--or almost always--quick and compelling reads. Even if the plot later falls apart as you think more and more about the characters, the story, the writing. For better or worse, I'm rarely plagued with questions and doubts as I read the book itself. Did I love Children of Exile. I don't know now. Ask me later. As in when I've finished the second book in the series. Personally, I'd rather have one large book that tells a whole story than two smaller books that just tease you and leave you frustrated.
© 2017 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
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