Delilah Dusticle

"Delilah Dusticle"

York, A. J. (2013). Delilah Dusticle [Kindle version]. Author published. Retrieved from http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BOXRDDE

Genre: Fantasy, Short Story (Children’s/Middle-Grade)

Delilah is no ordinary girl. She has powers. Delilah Dusticle can eliminate dust better than anyone can. Others are envious and Delilah receives several others to clean in glorious places all over the world but her heart keeps her working as a maid in the Fenchurch-Whittington house. You see, Delilah is in love with Charlie Fenchurch-Whittington III and there are a handful of obstacles that keep her from him. When Delilah’s heart breaks, her powers seem to break too. Can she get them back? Will she ever be happy again?

Reaction: the fantastical aspects of the story intrigued me. While, they were not the focus of the story, I found the talking armor and bear head to be charming. Perhaps it sparks my fondness of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast…

Delilah is likable enough but lacks depth in some ways. I look forward to seeing her character grow as the series continues.

The unlikely friendship and other relationships featured in Delilah Dusticle are ones that readers can learn from. York offers readers a message that friends understand each other, offer support, and see the extraordinary in the seemingly ordinary. 

There are a few instances of unfinished words and typing errors, apparently these are due to formatting issues in the Kindle App (some devices seem error free). However, York’s descriptive language evokes visuals that balance out these small mistakes. The descriptive language is refreshing to see in a middle-grade story as readers in this age range often crave richer vocabulary as they venture away from transitional chapter books. 

*I received this short story free from the author in exchange for an honest review. To see my interview with the author, A. J. York, visit: http://randiesreviews.blogspot.com/2013/05/a-j-york-author-interview.html