Liesl & Po

I picked this up on whim at Barcelona Airport, and initially I thought it might be the kind of nice children's book that's equally suitable for adults.

I liked the writing style and the main (child) characters, and the book features a rather original concept of what ghosts are and how they work.

However, the adult characters tend to be simple and predictable, and I found the story development rather weak by the end.

This seems odd, because the author doesn't talk down to her readers in her writing style, but she serves up characters and story more lazily constructed than I think she would do for adult readers.

To my mind, a good writer for children creates characters and plot sufficiently complex and interesting to engage an adult reader. I think Lauren Oliver has the capability to be such a writer, but on this occasion she doesn't seem to have thought it necessary to make the effort.

This book is pleasant and might delight some children. It's readable by adults if you don't expect too much.