 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
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 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
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Repossessed
- By A. M. Jenkins
- Genre: Fantasy
Common Sense Media says
Human life through the eyes of an awestruck demon.
Parents say
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that there is quite a lot of talk about sex, though nothing graphic, and no scenes beyond one of kissing.
What's the story?
Kiriel is a fallen angel with a dead-end job in Hell. Bored and fed up, he decides to take an unauthorized vacation by taking over the body of a teenager just before he dies. He knows he will only have a few days at best before he is caught and punished, but he's determined to experience as much of human life as he can in that time. But life as a human is much more complicated than he realized.
Is it any good?
Seeing normal life through the eyes of an ignorant innocent has been done before, going all the way back to David Hume. But a demon has a unique point of view -- he may not understand much of normal life, but he knows where the patterns he sees on earth will eventually lead. And being fed up with dealing with the torment of souls in Hell, he'd like to prevent a few from ending up there, if he can. So, while there is much he doesn't understand, there are some things he understands all too well, and better than ordinary humans.
This ingenious conceit allows author A. M. Jenkins to explore both the wonders of the everyday and the metaphysics of sin, retribution, and the afterlife. His concept of the latter, in which the only punishment is what souls inflict on themselves by constantly reliving their sins, is intriguing, and should provoke much thought and discussion, as it seems intended to do. In fact, what misleadingly seems like a lightweight trifle of a story has layers of ideas that would make for some great class discussions -- if only there wasn't all that talk about sex.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about the little changes Kiriel tries to make. Is it possible that such small things could make a big difference? If they are so easy and so within our power, why don't we do them more often? Can the ripple effects of small acts really change lives? Also, what do you think of the depiction of Hell and punishment presented here?
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- Teens & kids
AGE
Life learning things in books that MOST people don't approve of
I love the book. I was just thinking about it and am going to recheck it out later today. Personally, it is one of my favorite books along with The Catcher in The Rye. I think that parents should worry to much about what their children read. Us kids know a lot for our ages and we learn it through society. Reading books just helps our knowledge ofthe world as we grow up and discover things that maybe parents are too overprotective about. I would say buy it. I would read it every month if I truly had the time, but that is just me.
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AGE
Go to Hell and Back for a Moderate Find
I would say that I would 'go to hell and back' for said book, but I'm not sure if that's the right word for it.
There are plenty of awkward themes to it but all in all I found it a very interesting portrail of the concept of how Demons think. Ironically enough though, you could say he is one of the most innocent characters here. What disapointed me about it was that his goal didn't turn out right and that he ended the story on a very happy note. I think it deserves a sequel, for both a positive and negative reason.
Slightly Above Average.
6.5 Pitchforks out of 10
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AGE
my review
i think this book is good for teenagers but not good for kids but overall it was a great book.
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AGE
Some is awesome and some is boring
In this book, part of it is interesting, like when he's learning about life, but part is boring, like when he's talking about life in hell and stuff. Overall, this book was entertaining, though.
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AGE
Great Story
Despite the innapropriate language (it is for older kids) the book is great and goes into why people act the way they do. Kiriel is fascinated by things we take for granted every day, brushing your teeth and eating and living life. He's also a great representation of how teenagers view church and school, yet he's also nice enough to do things normal teenagers might not, such as inviting his little brother to go to his friend's house with him. You can see some character developement as well, and the book gets teens to think about their relationship with God, even if (before) they didn't have one. A+
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AGE
awesomeness!
i loved thiss book. im a teen in middle school and i had to do a book report so i randomly chose a book, i hate reading but thiss book was such a page turner i had to read it. it was fantastic!?
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AGE
teenagers
i dont love but on the other hand i dont hate cause like its young adult bacause off some of the stuff in it.
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| Author: | A. M. Jenkins |
| Book type: | Fiction |
| Genre: | Fantasy |
| Publisher: | HarperTeen |
| Publication date: | May 1, 2007 |
| Number of pages: | 218 |
| Hardcover price: | $15.99 |
| Publisher's recommended age(s): | 14 - 14 |
| Read aloud: | 14 |
| Read alone: | 14 |
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