Green Angel

Title: Green Angel

Author: Alice Hoffman

ISBN: 0545204119

Summary/Review: Green, a shy 15-year-old girl, lives in a village with her mother, her father, and her perfect sister Aurora. They grow vegetables and sell them in the city. One day, when her family goes to the city, Green must stay behind to tend the garden and the house. On that day, of all days, disaster strikes the city. The buildings burn. The people burn. The vegetables burn. Green's family burns. "Green Angel" follows her transformation from Green to Ash--a tough-shelled, tattooed girl with cropped hair. While learning to protect herself, she also seems to lose herself.

Alice Hoffman's books are always poetic. "Green Angel," though, sometimes becomes supersaturated with flowery language. Hoffman's penchant for metaphor definitely fits the story. It's told from Green's foggy, grief-stricken perspective, and the vague, poetic language creates the right mood. But there are times when Hoffman repeats herself solely to insert a new simile. If I could edit this book, I would make it even shorter than it already is. However, 13-year-old readers might not be quite as picky as I am about Hoffman's writing... "Green Angel" should definitely appeal to Francesca Lia Block fans, as well as Hoffman fans. I'd also recommend it to tween readers looking for a higher-level, but short, book.