Book: As Simple as It Seems (2010)
Author: Sarah Weeks
Genre: MG, Contemporary
Rating: 4 stars
Basic plot: Verbie (short for Verbena) is having a hard time. Her best friend, Annie, is suddenly no longer her friend. And then she learns a secret… about her parents and who they really are. This news is hard for Verbie, so when she meets the new neighbour boy, Pooch, she lets him think she’s the ghost of a girl who drowned years earlier.
WHAT’S COOL…
1) I really felt for Verbie as she struggles with learning some of the facts regarding her parents. I believe Sarah Weeks did an excellent job making us empathize with her. I like how we learn, along with Verbie, about her past… little by little.
2) Pooch is such a good friend. (We’ll talk about his name later!)
3) To be honest, I’m not a huge fan of ghost stories. I almost put this book back at the when I read that it was a “ghost” story. Sure, Verbie “pretends” to be a ghost (or rather, she doesn’t correct Pooch’s misconception), but it’s definitely NOT a ghost story!
4) I do like how the nightgown fits into the story. At first, I was wondering WHY it’s mentioned that she’s wearing a nightgown. But then, when we meet Pooch, it all comes together. No wonder he thinks Verbie’s a ghost!
5) A lot of excitement in this book. And some of it has to do with… nuts!
WHAT’S NOT COOL…
1) Pooch’s name drove me batty. I mean, why would they call him “Pooch”? Especially considering it’s a nickname given to him by his mom’s old boyfriend (who’s no longer in the picture!) I wish Sarah Weeks had come up with a different backstory.
FINAL THOUGHTS
My rating is 4 Stars (out of 5) – Overall, I liked this book. Be prepared to go on an emotional journey, though!
YOUR TURN…
Have you read this book? What are your thoughts? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!
Note: I’m posting this for Greg Pattridge’s Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday…
Of Maria Antonia 
Lovely review. 🙂 Seems like a fun read. I, too, am bewilldered why the name “Pooch” stuck with the boy.
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I wish she’d come up with a different reason why he’s called Pooch. Like, maybe when he was a baby he had puppy-dog eyes? That’d have been cute!
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Hahaha! Loved your thought. 😛
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This is a new-to-me author who I will be investigating as soon as our library system reopens. Thanks for your review on this Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday!
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Yeah, I just recently discovered her myself.
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I haven’t read anything by this author but this sounds like a good one. Thanks for sharing.
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I’ve read a few books by her and have really enjoyed them!
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What an interesting premise! It does sound like a mysterious and emotional read. Pooch sounds like a dog’s name.
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Poor Pooch. I can’t remember his real name, but I think the mom (as in Verbie’s mom) always calls him Robert or Henry or whatever it is.
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This sounds like a really unique story! I’ve seen many books about ghosts, but I don’t think I’ve seen any books about people perceived to be ghosts who are, in fact, not ghosts. Thanks for the great review!
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Yes, like I mentioned, I don’t really like ghost stories. But in this one, Pooch happens to think Verbie’s a ghost and she doesn’t correct him!
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I enjoyed one of her previous titles, SAVE ME A SEAT, and this story sounds like another good one. Thanks for sharing on MMGM. I’m going to track down a copy for my summer reading.
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I haven’t read Save Me a Seat. I will have to put it on my TBR list!
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This sounds like a storyline I haven’t come across before. I’ll have to take a look!
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I found the story very interesting. I hope you get a chance to read it!
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This sounds like a unique book. I think I would be bothered by the name Pooch as well. Thanks for telling me about this one. I will look for it.
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Yes, Pooch’s name bothered me to no end. Especially the reason he was called that! (by some no-good boyfriend who wasn’t even in the picture anymore!)
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I’m with you on the nickname. Or, perhaps let him keep it and then through the course of the story let him make the decision to get rid of it or change it to something else that inspired him.
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