Reading Journal #4

Acceleration by Graham McNamee is a fast-paced and action-packed novel that reads like a suspense movie in your mind. The dialog is witty, with a bit of dark humor that any teenage reader is sure to appreciate. The characters are believable and there are themes of family, friendship, romantic love, deviance, and cruelty all messed together to create a thrilling read that leaves you wanting a sequel. Readers in a literature circle would likely enjoy reading a few chapters at a time and then coming together to make predictions and inferences. There is also a sense of surrealism as a result of the word choice, which may prompt artistic readers to express their response to the book through a creative work such as a drawing or a painting. For example, the image described on page 58: “I lean back in my chair and stare at the ceiling, where a fly is beating its brains out against the bare lightbulb” may provide an impetus for those imaginative minds. Overall, McNamee has done a great job writing an entertaining and attention-grabbing novel.