“Liesl & Po” by Lauren Oliver was highly recommended to me by my daughter. She repeatedly reminded me that this was a book I had to read. When my dear friend, Sally, and I were discussing books; I mentioned this one to her, and she read it that night. After reading it, she raved about the book as well. I knew I needed to read it, and last night, I finally picked it up. I wasn’t expecting that it would be impossible to put down, but it was. It was one of those incredible books that pulls you in. I was so emotionally invested in the characters, I needed to see how the story would end.
Liesl is trapped in the attic of her house, being held being a locked door by her stepmother. Her father has just died. She is alone, until a ghost, Po, appears in her room and becomes her friend. Po helps Liesl escape the attic, and they go on an adventure to bring her father’s ashes to the place he loved the most. They face many obstacles on their adventure, befriend a runaway orphan, and are chased by those who believe there is something far more powerful than ashes in the box Liesl is carrying. Will Liesl and Po make it to the far away favorite place and deliver the ashes to their final resting spot? Is the box Liesl carrying filled with something more powerful, like the others believe? This book is worth checking out to find the answers to these questions.
This book was so brilliantly written, I found myself photographing pages as I read, so I didn’t forget these passages. While the intended audience is children, the words speak to readers of all ages.These words make the reader think. They make the reader feel. Without giving away the ending, I will share my favorite quote from the book.
“And this, really, is the story-within-the-story, because if you do not believe that hearts can bloom suddenly bigger, and that love can open like a flower out of even the hardest places, then I am afraid that for you the road will be long and brown and barren, and you will have trouble find the light. But if you do believe, then you already know all about magic.” – Lauren Oliver
Oliver wrote this story to deal with the pain of the loss of her own friend. She didn’t write it with the plan of it being a book, she wrote it because she needed to write this story. As a reader, I needed to read this story. I highly recommend this book. Don’t turn away from this book because it starts off so sad, keep reading….it is worth it.
*This was originally printed on Books, Ink (HamletHub) in December 2015.
