Unlocked

If you have ever met a child with autism, you may enjoy Unlocked  by Karen Kingsbury. It's about a teenage boy named Holden trapped in a world of autism. He is  befriended by Ella, a highschool classmate who helps him find his freedom through music. But it is more than that. It's about bullying, high school drama (in more ways than one), family relationships, faith, and the miracles that can happen.

Reading this book helped me understand a little more about autism, and therefore intrigued me. I found this the most fascinating part of the story. Other than that, the storyline and characters were quite predictable. It has all the usual stereotypes you would expect in a story set in a high school. But, nevertheless, it still held my attention (although I did skim a bit). It moved along quickly and was a good bedtime read.

There were some difficult issues being tackled in this story, and at times the resolutions seemed too simplistic. On the other hand, not everything ended up 'happy' in the end. Nonetheless, this story would be encouraging to those who believe in the power of God to change lives.

Even though this is not my favorite genre of book, I would definitely recommend it to Karen Kingsbury fans, especially teenagers.

Thanks to Zondervan Books, who generously sent me this book for free in exchange for a review.