My Name Is Mina

David Almond really has a knack for getting insde the heads of young characters, which makes for some very interesting and entertaining reads. In this novel we are immersed in the life of Mina, a young girl who doesn't quite fit in, but who has an amazing inner life and imagination. Almond never makes it clear whether she has learning/social development issues or if she truely is just a unique thinker, which I think speaks to the notion of how our rigid and conformist education systems can stifle both types of children, who are much more unique than we can ever really know. This young girl may have problems communicating with others, but she is fiercely creative and inquisitive throughout her struggle. I really hope that this novel show more makes it way onto the reading lists of educators and parents, because I really feel like it captures a uniquely modern young mind. show less

at the risk of fan-girling over David Almond....

really? why hasn't everyone read this?

Mina is wickedly smart, funny and delightfully freakish. a testament to the glory of fringe-dwelling and the evils of the public school system.

this book, along with Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli ought to be required reading for all pre-teen girls who and every woman who was one.

well - maybe not so much for the Beautiful People...you just wouldn't understand.

Some books you read for the fast and suspenseful plot, some because of the side-splitting humor, then there are books like these where the beauty of the language makes you stop and savor every word. You want to read sections over and over because of the melody they create, the pictures they form, or the feelings they conjur. You want to read passages aloud so that you can roll the words along your tongue.
My only disappointment was the ending. I know this is the prequel to Skellig, but the ending left me flat. But the journey to that ending was worth every word.

Mina was one of the best books I've read in a long time. The book is basically about a young, extraordinary girl, suffering the loss of her father. Almond's voice in this book is fantastic. Throughout the book I would have to stop and remind myself that he in fact was the author, and not the ten-twelve year old narrator. This book covers a multitude of raw, authentic emotions that all people (including adolescents) experience in life. Many aspects of the book qualify this book as one that would be great for gifted learners. The book's structure calls readers to jump back and forth through time sequences. The vocabulary and language used is unique, and the content leaves the reader constantly asking critical thinking questions. I would show more absolutely use this book with middle-high school girls, or a coed, gifted high school class. show less

"My name is Mina and I love the night. Anything seems possible at night when the rest of the world has gone to sleep. It’s dark and silent in the house, but if I listen close, I hear the beat beat beat of my heart. I hear the creak and crack of the house. I hear my mum breathing gently in her sleep in the room next door."

So starts this book. I vaguely remembered Mina from Skellig – she was this strange girl who quoted William Blake and was home schooled. The basic reason to getting this book was because it was pretty. Yeah, it's a kind of prequel to Skellig. But it's so pretty!

And once I got it I realized it wasn't just the cover. My Name is Mina is something of a diary book, not the regular Dear Diary type, but one where Mina show more rambles about stuff she likes, and writes her bizarre thoughts. In her words, a diary of exciting things, and exciting things of course cannot be written in boring typeface – so the book is pretty cool inside too.

There is not really a plot as such, it's just Mina telling about herself, how she hated school and how she loves her tree and her cat and making up words. But Mina is lovely and I had great fun reading more about her and getting to know her. She is a strange kid, and I couldn't help but relate to her. She had weird ideas and thoughts, and she was usually up to no good (especially when she was in school – think Calvin, from Calvin and Hobbes). There were parts for laughs and smiles, and parts for really laughing at loud.

But underneath it all, we still had a little girl still trying to come to terms with the death of her father. There were parts that really warmed my heart, some that really made me wish for something good to happen to her, something exciting and magical (well, I guess it did, in Skellig).

I really enjoyed this book, a mixture of fun and aww moments. It's for younger audiences, but I think anyone can love it. I sure did. (Plus, pretty cover!)

Also at Spoilers and Nuts show less

Spinoff-prequel di Skellig, l'ho letto con piacere, ma non l'ho trovato all'altezza del capostipite. C'è poesia, c'è la scrittura ammaliante di Almond e c'è una protagonista che tutti avremmo voluto avere come amica da bambini, ma manca quel sottile senso di inquietante mistero che l'autore riesce a evocare nelle sue opere piú compiute.

Molto curata l'edizione Salani, che introduce pagine nere, font di dimensione variabile e altre soluzioni grafiche per cercare di riprodurre le multiformi variazioni di un diario di una ragazzina curiosa e con la testa tra le nuvole.

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Precedente: [b:Lo strano mondo di Carrie Pilby|18348812|Lo strano mondo di Carrie Pilby|Caren show more Lissner|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1565014204l/18348812._SY75_.jpg|86478]
Successivo: [b:Franny e Zooey|23602311|Franny e Zooey|J.D. Salinger|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1611262724l/23602311._SY75_.jpg|3118417] show less

I don't often hand out 5 start ratings, but this book captured my heart and imagination. Mina the quirky gifted, creative pre-teen leads readers on a journey of her inner life via her diary - a series of poems, narrations, drawings with an annotation or two thrown in for good measure. Mina is complex character who is coming to terms with her own unique cognitions as well as the loss of her father. To be read, and read, and read some more. (Oh and I suppose I could share this with students too!)