Picture Me Gone

"Not everything you want to know is explained properly on Google."Just for featuring that sentence, I love this book. But apart from containing that sentence, which I have quoted unknowingly a million times to my googlaholic children, it is also a beautiful story about a girl confronted with the problems of the grown-up world, set up as a quest to solve a mystery. There are brilliant, wonderful language reflections, showing the importance of finding the right words and translating not only betwe [...]

This reads like the sort of self-consciously literary book that wins awards and ends up on school curriculums to be dutifully read by bored middle schoolers, forced to explore the themes of adulthood vs. childhood or friendship and communication. I admired most of the writing and kept reading to find out what happened without really connecting emotionally with any of it. The voice of the main character was consistently appealing but I found her unconvincing as a twelve-year-old and her special p [...]

My first Rosoff. I am underwhelmed. I didn't quite buy Mila's "special abilities" and I found the voice to be, while consistent, way older than twelve.

This review is also on my blogThis ebook was provided for review purposes by Penguin Books Australia via NetGalleyMy first reading experience with Meg Rosoff was just a few months ago when I decided to read How I Live Now because of its upcoming adaptation. I enjoyed it enough to know that I wanted to read another one of her books and the synopsis for Picture Me Gone immediately drew me in. Rosoff’s latest Young Adult novel is reminiscent of How I Live Now in its writing style and themes. Inst [...]

Have you ever seen a terrier at work? It stands stock-still, quivering all over with anticipation, waiting for the moment the slip collar comes off. Then there’s a fraction of a second where it seems to explode, launching itself forward at its prey. And a terrible snarling and growling and shaking and squeaking as it gets to grips, quite literally, with the rat. It’s not nice, but it is impressive. And quick.It is not a sense of responsibility or a desire to please that makes a dog do this. [...]

From page one, when Mila describes how she was named after a dog, and recognizes her own special "doglike" abilities, it is obvious this book will not be like any other you've read before.Mila is a child thrown into an adult world. She has never before considered her parents' past lives, their previous relationships, or any mistakes and regrets that led them ultimately to their current (content) lives. She doesn't want to consider these things either, but she is forced into doing so when her fat [...]

I've read the issues people have had with Picture Me Gone but I don't share them. I found this book completely engaging and I liked the way my assumptions were turned upside down. How often in life does the exotic and exciting turn out to be far more mundane than we imagine? Daily life is full of those split-second actions and decision that can turn tragic in the blink of an eye. How we manage those is the real stuff of life as Mila realizes. Her expectations and ours as readers of some dramatic [...]

Link naar mijn recensie: femkel33st.wordpress/2016'Samenvattend vind ik dit zeker een goed boek, het beviel me beter dan ik had verwacht. Ik dacht dat het verhaal niet echt ergens over zou gaan, maar het goede verhaal verraste me. Hoewel het uiteindelijk meeviel, denk ik dat Meg de aanhalingstekens beter wel had kunnen plaatsen om verwarring te voorkomen. Ook is het raar dat Mila haar ouders bij hun naam noemt. En ze had een andere leeftijd dan 12 moeten krijgen, want het boek is niet zo kinderl [...]

Rosoff, as always, delivers a stunning, emotional read with PICTURE ME GONE. 12-year old Londoner, Mila, has accompanied her father, Gil, to New York where is estranged best friend, Matthew, has disappeared. Mila notices things. An observer with a keen eye, she connects small details others dismiss or overlook. She's puzzled by Matthew's disappearance, and as she and Gil attempt to unravel the mysteries of Matthew's life - his motives, his relationships, his guilt - Mila comes to realize big ide [...]

4,25 starsUntil 50 pages before the end, this book was definitely a five-starred book for me. But I didn't like the ending at all. Why? Because it felt like the author wanted to "teach" us something. Though that's pretty much always what an author wants to, this "lesson' was way too obvious, and I always feel uncomfortable with that.Okay, BUT I liked the rest of this book so much! This book looks like a cute contemporary, but it's a detective story. It was really interesting. It was weird to rea [...]

It's not that bad but also not that good. I liked it but i was waiting more mysterious things! That's why i give 3 out of 5 stars

This review was originally published on Blogs of a Bookaholic.Astoundingly honest, raw and insightful. Whoa.I'm kind of blown away.There’s nowt so queer as folk, as Gil the father of the main protagonist in Picture Me Gone would say, and he sure was right.Meg Rosoff is a fascinating writer. Her style is bizarre but distinct and has a sort of understand brilliance about it. I have a feeling it will divide readers, causing just as many people to hate this novel as well as love it. When I first b [...]

this book was so not as good as i needed it to be.i picked this one up because it seemed "important" and "award-winning". not that book awards are really ever a reason to read a book. it also promised the vague potential of mystery with an unexpected detective (a 12ish year old girl with sherlockian powers of observation). all of that sweetened the deal. then it started off with how the protagonist had been named after a dog and i began to lose my faith a littlet that being named after a dog is [...]

The MC was pretentious in a way somewhat similar to John Green in that the 12-year-old protagonist is very wise beyond their years. There were subtle instances of sexism that colored her worldview that really irritated me, particularly because she was supposedly very wise beyond her years. There was also a subtle condemnation of how secondary characters lived their lives that gave off extreme why-isn't-everyone-as-smart-as-me-vibes. It passed the time at work but overall, wasn't exactly worth th [...]

I read this book on the recommendation of a friend who was blown away by the story, and I'm so glad I took her suggestion. It's a quick read but a powerful one, with not a lot of action but an abundance of emotion. The characters are rich and fascinating, and the writing is beautiful, and it left me extremely thoughtful which to me is part of the definition of a great book. Thanks Becky :).

Full of mysteries, full of secrets. Who knew translating was such an emotional process.Mila's ability to read into people deeper than normal somewhat connected to her father's job. Not sure if I liked where the story was left, but I did enjoy this as a binge read.

There should be a 6 star category for Meg Rosoff books. That is all.

מילה, ילדה חדת אבחנה, נוסעת מלונדון לארה״ב עם אביה ויוצאת למסע חיפושים בעקבות חבר ילדות שלו שנעלם שהוא גם מסע התבגרות שלה.מילה היא דמות מעניינת שכותבת כמה פעמים שהיא בת 12 אבל נשמעת בוגרת יותר רוב הזמן. חוץ ממנה לא קורה יותר מדי בסיפור והוא די משעמם. משום מה הסופרת וההוצאה לא שמ� [...]

I first saw the cover for Picture Me Gone quite a while before it was published and I thought it was going to be a silly, whimsical story. (I think it reminded me of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy!). But the categories on are pretty accurate: young adult, mystery, contemporary, family, road trip and coming-of-age.Mila is a twelve-year-old whose maturity means that you cannot tell her age just by listening to her. She's both intuitive and rational at the same time. She can tell whether you [...]

Things I loved about this book? The little, well-observed observations about life in north New York State. What people eat for breakfast in a motel. What they sell in Wallmart. I also liked the fact that Mila's family and friends had an eclectic and interesting background. The characters were well-drawn and believable.Things I didn't like about this book? The single draw in this book is 'what's happened to Matthew'. But Matthew, the central character in all of this, isn't a young adult, he's a g [...]

3.5 stars.As I get older, the most baffling thing to me is how I still apparently have the emotional maturity of a 16-year-old. I've been waiting – probably since I turned 30 – to feel like I've got it all figured out. Now that I'm on the other side of 40, I'm understanding that there's no such thing as figuring it all out. And that's the important lesson Mila learns in Picture Me Gone: adults are all just 16 year-old-kids, only with mortgages and kids of their own.It's a book where not much [...]

Twelve year old Mila is looking forward to an adventure with her father. Traveling from their home in London to visit her father's best friend in New York should provide something to brag about when she gets back home. She promises her mother she will watch out for her absent-minded father and they depart.The first disappointment comes when Mila discovers "New York" means a thinly populated area of upstate New York not the hustle and bustle of New York City. The second unfortunate element of the [...]

***Disclaimer: I won this as a First Reads winner. This did not shape my opinion in any way.***This book just wasn't for me. I couldn't get into it, and I didn't feel any connection to almost any of the characters. I think that one important aspect of a book, at least for myself, is understanding or at least liking the protagonist. But I just couldn't connect or feel almost anything for Mila.Now, the books isn't terrible, but it just wasn't great, in my opinion. The plot felt very lacking and s [...]

Mila van 12 is goed in het oplossen van raadsels en voelt mensen feilloos aan!In gedachten zet ze alle aanwijzingen op een rijtje en komt zo tot een conclusie.Deze ''gave'' is zeer handig maar vooral, als Matthew, een oude vriend van haar vader spoorloos verdwijnt.Mila weet zeker dat zij hem kan vinden!Als haar zoekpogingen tot niks lijken te leiden,begint ze te twijfelen aan haarzelf & haar gave.De situatie blijkt toch wat complexer te zijn!Dit boek heb ik gelezen omdat ik deelneem aan de ' [...]

"Me pregunto en qué momento un niño se convierte en un adulto. ¿Pasa de repente o es más bien poco a poco, como por etapas? ¿Hay una edad, una semana, un momento, en el que se revelan todos los secretos del universo y la madurez desciende del cielo en una nube cambiando el cerebro para siempre? ¿Se escabullirá un día la niña que hay en mí para no volver jamás?"No sé qué esperaba de esta historia, pero ciertamente nada de lo que leí. Se le notan los premios encima, y se nota lo que [...]

Mila is really good at solving mysteries and noticing details that others don't. When her dad's friend disappears, she accompanies her dad to the United States to help find his friend. Along the way, Mila picks up on a lot of clues that others would miss, but she misses the most important clue of all. When that information is uncovered, Mila has to decide whom she should trust.This book sounds a lot more thrilling than it actually is. The story isn't bad, although Mila, being British, notices an [...]

I would call Picture Me Gone "edgy," but that implies violent or dark, and it's more than that. You could call it a psychological mystery novel for middle-grade readers, and that would be closer. In it, the narrator is about to travel with her father from the UK to the US, to visit his oldest friend, when the friend disappears. They go ahead with the trip, hoping to be able to find him. The narrator prides herself on her powers of perception, and she uncovers a number of small mysteries about th [...]

I enjoyed reading this book a lot and appreciated its strong writing and sense of depth of characters. But, my question is this: how many quirky, adult-like young adults can we read about before it seems like a "easy way out for the author." It is easy to write in the voice of a kid who acts and thinks like an adult, much harder to get in the head of an actual kid.Also, I felt that many kids would not be all that interested in reading about the disappearance of an adult, and once they understood [...]

A dark, slightly mysterious book about complex lives told from the perspective of an intuitive girl who is uncomfortably in between childhood and adulthood. Her ability to navigate this complicated space and understand the relationships of those around her and wisdom that can be learned from them is explored through her narrative here. I would not say this book is compelling, but it's well-written, accessible, and layered with much to unpack from both an emotional and a literary perspective.

I love this book so much. The main character is easily likable, the family issues are serious without being pretentious, and the setting is so vivid. Mila is probably one of the best narrators I've ever encountered. And the ending- although a bit vague, is very thought provoking :) recommended!