Camden, Steven. Tape. Great Britain: Harper Collins, 2014.

I find that I put off writing about a book when I didn’t love it. I am not interested in being judgmental or in hurting anyone’s feelings. But while I wanted to love this title, I just didn’t quite. I remember ordering it for a couple of reasons. I was fascinated by the premise of the cassette tape. My childhood is the cassette, so some sentiment. We talk about cassette tapes when I book talk Thirteen Reasons Why, so I was envisioning the same bit of fun. Also, one of the protagonists is a 13 year old boy. Those seem hard to come by for my boys, so I went for it.

The premise is so good. Two teens, twenty years apart, mysteriously connect through an old cassette. The boy in 1993 is mourning the loss of his mother to cancer, and adjusting to a new family with a step brother who is beyond difficult. The girl in 2013 is also mourning the loss of her mother and is intrigued by the voice she hears on her old cassette tapes. So… a bit of a mystery, but so much else is going on that the mystery seems forgotten for pages and pages. I don’t really understand the dynamics with the best friends, Nan’s man friend, Amaliah’s budding romance. I’m not sure that any of these things are fully dealt with. I think that I will have to find some dedicated readers to stick with this and get to the rather lovely ending. I love that it is set in the UK, but some of the cultural terms and references may also be difficult for struggling readers. Many will get frustrated and give up.

I will look for this book’s readers. I will likely give it a boost with a talk in which I will pair it with Thirteen Reasons Why or with other books that tap into the vibe of 90s music and culture. For the right student, dealing with grief and loss, this book can provide hope. My job is to pair books and readers, and while this one will prove a bit more challenging than some, I will certainly be working on it.