Reviewed by Amber Elias, age 15<\/p>\n
The fast-paced, crime-ridden life of Jack Nevin always kept the scrawny boy hopping from one place to the next with his equally as con-oriented keeper, the Enchantress, and his half sister Lucia. The trio tormented big cities with their illusions, which were usually stolen from talented magicians who couldn\u2019t quite catch the spotlight. They went wherever the Enchantress saw her next bright opportunity, and after a scare in France, it happened to be Seattle\u2019s Alaska-Yukon-Pacific World\u2019s Fair Exposition in The United States. The easy gig that started as a way to make a large sum of money became the most life-altering experience of his life, as he encounters the secretive, mystical Wilhelm who apprentices the questionable, uprising magician Laszlo. As he unravels the twisted secrets behind this boy\u2019s past and foreseeable future, Jack must find a way to save Wilhelm with the help of his new friends, as well as look deep within himself to find what he truly wants out of life.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Before We Disappear is a wonderful YA historical fantasy with an interesting plot and diverse, relatable characters. Hutchinson did an incredible job at illustrating the feel of a world\u2019s fair through the view of rowdy teenagers during the 1900s, which allowed for a fun and immersive read. Because the span of the story wasn\u2019t too long, only a few months, the pacing seemed to drag at some points, especially when the same events were covered through both Jack and Wilhelm\u2019s POVs. While this style of writing is enjoyable to read, as it shows the differences and parallels between characters, it can sometimes get a bit confusing and slow. However, the plot is clearly well thought out and the novel serves as an enchanting read with great LGBTQ+ representation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n 3 stars.<\/p>\n Find this book in our catalog: N\/A<\/p>\n Catalog Number: N\/A<\/p>\n 492 pages<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Reviewed by Amber Elias, age 15 Before We Disappear by Shaun David Hutchinson The fast-paced, crime-ridden life of Jack Nevin always kept the scrawny boy hopping from one place to the next with his equally as con-oriented keeper, the Enchantress, and his half sister Lucia. The trio tormented big cities […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":7026,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[120,54],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6916","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-book-reviews","category-teen-reviews"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2022\/06\/Beforewedissapear.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5ZwbD-1Ny","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3279,"url":"https:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/2016\/the-testing-teen-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":6916,"position":0},"title":"The Testing — teen review","author":"Teen Blogger","date":"November 2, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Review by Jacob Chon, grade 9 The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau Summary: In a world after chemical bombing and total warfare has decimated the globe, Malencia Vale, daughter of an agricultural scientist, is chosen for the Testing, a government program that is made to find the next leaders of the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Book Reviews"","block_context":{"text":"Book Reviews","link":"https:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/category\/teen-reviews\/book-reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2016\/09\/testing.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1214,"url":"https:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/2014\/summer-selections-for-jrhi\/","url_meta":{"origin":6916,"position":1},"title":"Summer Selections for Middle School — teen reviews","author":"Jane Gov","date":"September 9, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Our library teens reviewed a wide variety of books this summer, including a few favorites that are also perfect for middle school students (starting in grade 4). \u00a0 Dork Diaries by Rachel Rene Russell this book is great for young teens that understand the difficulties of being a teenager. 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