I've been hearing great things about the realistic fiction story by this debut author Baldwin. Watermelon is the story of 12-year-old Della, who lives in a very hot and humid North Carolina town with her mom, dad and baby sister. Her mother has had bouts of schizophrenia since Della was born, and as her mom's symptoms amp up in the story, Della can't help but feel responsible for causing the disease, and thus somehow figuring out how to help cure it.
I can't recall reading anything else that details schizophrenia so precisely, but this book did remind me of some other really good books about diseases and disorders that affect people, kids and parents, and make for heart-wrenching stories. Wonder and Crossover come to mind. The writing style of this book reminded me of some other good books, like Moon Over Manifest and most of Kate DiCamillo's books.
So there is a lot that this book made me think of, and it was written well and carries important messages. But I couldn't help but think that some of the other books mentioned above are...well, just a bit better. Watermelons is a very good first book for Baldwin, and I would be interested to see what she writes in the future. This is a good read if you have an interest in schizophrenia. And it isn't a bad book, so if you just happen upon it and read it through I don't think you'd feel like you wasted any time. But it isn't great, and there are others that do this better. How's that for being noncommittal? 3 paws, and a wag for addressing a topic not seen often in YA or teen books.
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