Click

Reviewed by coollibrarianchick for TeensReadToo.com

How many times have you looked at a photograph and wondered what the story was behind it? Photographs indicate relationships within and among people and nature. Photographs document one's perception of the world.

George Keane Henschler, or "Gee" as he likes to be called, and his granddaughter, Maggie, are the epicenter for all the stories in the book CLICK. The book starts off with a short story by Linda Sue Park. The authors that contributed to this book make up quite an impressive list: Deborah Ellis, Ruth Ozeki, Eoin Colfer, David Almond, Roddy Doyle, Nick Hornby, Margo Lanagan, and Gregory MacGuire

Parks gets the ball rolling, beginning with Gee's death and how it affects his granddaughter and his grandson, Jason. Maggie was terribly close to him and loved to hear his stories about his adventures as a photojournalist traveling the world. When he dies, he gives her a box with seven compartments holding shells with a note telling her to "throw it back." We learn that this serves as a map for her life's adventures. Jason, on the other hand, is a little bitter after finding out he is adopted and decides to reject his grandfather's gift of photographs and wants to sell them so he can look for his real father. He comes across a letter from Gee when he is about to steal something from him that basically changes his life. Gee knew that Jason had pilfered from him and now wants him to think about the people who love him and the road he is on and where it will lead.

The rest of the stories, all by different authors, take a part of the first story and do their own spin on it. One author chooses to write about how the box came into existence. Another author looks at the name "Keane" and writes a story connecting the family to an Irish Legacy. And still another author continues the story of Maggie - now Margaret- as she nears the end of her own life.

Each story, even though different than the one before, blends into each other almost seamlessly. Read by itself it might just be a bunch of nice short stories, but when all the stories are put together like so in this book it makes you realize that many relationships are circular in nature. Connections people make with random people they meet can have far-reaching effects.

CLICK, besides being interesting, is also benefiting Amnesty International. All royalties from the book will be donated to the group, which serves to protect people's human rights.

Say cheese....Click!

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

A reviewer

Finished it in 1 day...because I couldn't put it down! Wonderful collaboration of writing styles and imagination, with underlying messages about the important things about living life and living it well. For all ages!!

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Great!

This book was a great read! I thought that the collaboration of all the authors working together to create a greater story, adventure, and mystery. A jumbled as is might be with ten authors, it was very well executed. I highly recommend it!

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Great!

I loved this book! It was such a good idea to do a collaboration book like this. Ten different authors, ten different writing styles, ten different points of view. It vaguely reminded me of the film 'Paris, Je T'aime' for the fact that that film was directed by several people with several stories all centered around one subject. In this case, it was centered around a man who's mysteries and photographs lasted well beyond his death. What an engrossing story! Go buy it!

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Great.

Just seriously.. awesome.

amazing

loved this book, ive read it over and over again, there is always something you didnt remember or pick up on.

Okay, I guess

I think this was a plot that had a ton of potential to be really good, but it was done all wrong! I didn't like the constant change in point of view, and there were a few times that you had to do some serious inferencing to figure something out. I'd love to see it redone in the hands of ONE author who could piece it together much better.

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