The Whispers

Riley’s Mama has gone missing for four months. God hasn’t answered his prayers to find her and Frank the detective is useless in his investigation. Riley grew up on Mama’s stories about the Whispers, fairy-like creatures that grant the heart’s desires. He believes that if he can find the Whispers, they will help him find Mama. Unwinds as a bit of a mystery, the reader is caught up in wondering what really happened. Riley turns out to be an unreliable narrator because of his trauma. Riley’s voice is folksy, southern, humorous, lulls the reader into his friendliness.

Everyone should read this novel. It’s a beautiful story about Riley, a young boy whose Mama has gone missing. He remembers a story about the whispers that his mama told him and sets out to find them, and hopefully her.

I won’t spoil the lot for you. This should be read with an open heart and the imagination of an 11 year old (which I think is hidden in all of us)

Thank you for sharing your hear with us Greg Howard.

This was a decent but simple story about a middle grade aged boy who seeks answers to his mother's disappearance in the woods beyond his house. While I didn’t enjoy it a ton, it was a well done look at young gay boy trying to make sense of the world.

Many years ago, Riley’s mom told him a story about The Whispers in the woods behind his house and how they can grant wishes. Riley decides that maybe the Whispers can help find his mother.

More time is spent with Riley going about his day to day life than anything else. Riley has been taught that his “condition” (the fact that he is gay) is something to be ashamed of and something that needs to be fixed. This story tackles the issue of a pre-teen who knows he is gay but is taught to show more see it as an evil thing.

This book didn't have as much magic or adventure as I was hoping for. It focuses more on Riley and his relationship with his friends and family. It was well done but Riley doesn’t venture into the woods until the second half of the book. It is at this point we find out there’s a twist to the story around Riley’s mom.

Parts of this book were pretty sad, this book was also touted as being funny but it didn’t seem funny to me. As I said this wasn’t really a book I enjoyed reading. It just moved too slow and didn’t have all the magic and wonder I was hoping for. It’s pretty depressing at parts as well.

Overall this is an interesting look at a young gay boy growing up in a rural area. The surrounding mystery about his missing mother is somewhat engaging. The story does a good job of tackling the challenges of a young boy growing up gay in a rural area. I do not recommend to those looking for a magical read but I would recommend if you are interested in themes of grief and growing up gay in a rural area. show less

Everyone should read this novel. It’s a beautiful story about Riley, a young boy whose Mama has gone missing. He remembers a story about the whispers that his mama told him and sets out to find them, and hopefully her.

I won’t spoil the lot for you. This should be read with an open heart and the imagination of an 11 year old (which I think is hidden in all of us)

Thank you for sharing your hear with us Greg Howard.

diverse children's middlegrade fiction (magical realism, 10/11-year old boy who likes boys in South Carolina #ownvoices). The trauma of the death of his mother (cancer) leads Riley to believe she is still out there, and that the Whispers (will-o-the-wisps) can help him find her and bring her back.
He makes friends along the way with Dylan, an older boy whose abusive father has caused him to run away, and a grizzly outcast that lives in the woods away from the townsfolk (who believe him responsible for a small boy's disappearance many years ago), and also comes to terms with his own self (when he suddenly remembers that his mom didn't die because he is queer, that she told him she loved him unconditionally).

nice vocab sprinkled show more throughout--the 'word of the day' calendar was something he used to do with his mom. show less

Everyone should read this novel. It’s a beautiful story about Riley, a young boy whose Mama has gone missing. He remembers a story about the whispers that his mama told him and sets out to find them, and hopefully her.

I won’t spoil the lot for you. This should be read with an open heart and the imagination of an 11 year old (which I think is hidden in all of us)

Thank you for sharing your hear with us Greg Howard.

Riley, the main character of the story believes in this fairy tale known as whispers from these magical fairies, in the story we found out that they also grant wishes if you give them tributes. Riley makes wishes in the story to stop being bullied, wishes his crush liked him, and wishes he would stop wetting the bed, and for his mom to come home who disappeared. As riley starts to want to investigate further what is going on and where his mother is he takes matters into his own hands and embarks on a journey to figure this out. In doing this his life changes forever. This book is a good book to implement into an ELAR classroom because one it is a chapter book that it is a good read, but it also is very relatable for the students. show more Students go through bullying, wanting their crush to like them, and wish weird things like wetting the bed won’t happen to them. This is a fun read and would be very relatable for any 4-8 student. show less