From the moment I saw 'I Am David' it annoyed me. The way it was barely half an inch thick and the fact that a 7th grader's name was written inside. I felt insulted at having to read a book thinner than those that my 9 year old sister is reading.
However, after putting it off for several days, I finally read it and ... It was just as bad as I had expected. The concepts were too simple and I found the whole book to be rather confusing and anti-climatic. I felt as though the book had so much potential but couldn't quite deliver. In short, I seriously disliked the book.
Then I was told to write a report on my thoughts towards the book and I felt I owed it to 'I Am David' to at least attempt to see it in a more positive light.
I see now that the reason for the simplicity of the concepts is the age of the main character, David. Not only is he a very young boy but he also (as he mentions in the book) spends almost all of his time avoiding thinking. This would mean that naturally his comprehension of concepts is a little rusty. Also the fact that he is a child, no matter how intelligent, would mean that there are many little details he misses. This would account for the lack of clues in his duration of the camp about his surviving family.
The fact that I understand what the author is doing does not, in my mind, excuse it. I still feel that the book is lacking in so-called rising action before the climax and that the characters are too static (for lack of a better word), verging on monotony.
I am sooooo glad you were annoyed, Amber. An emotional response is a positive response. It's the apathy that scares me......... :-)
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