Assessment:
Oakley's novel offers up the story of an investigative journalist finding his big break in a small town in Illinois that only homeschools its children. The procedural story -- which features well drawn characters and excellent plotting -- gives readers a glimpse of the political history of Illinois as well as the modern day politics of education.
Date Submitted: September 15, 2016
I read this on Kindle this summer while traveling, and it is a really good airport book. I've also ordered a paper copy to lend out. Might buy another..never know if i'll get back what i send home with people. My neighbors are both teachers and they home-schooled their kids, but after reading CARPE DIEM i think their girls were unschooled. They say the girls (2) kind of learned what they wanted. One volunteered with a science team counting frogs and she discovered a frog no one knew lived this far north. At 16 y.o. Just by listening to the frog calls! Way cool.
This novel is really interesting because the mystery is so cool, but it is the unschooling that keeps me talking. i guess because i would love to have been encouraged to follow my heart... to discover what my heart wants... in that totally free way. i hope the trend in education is going that way. i'd love for everyone to be unschooled.
But like i said: the mystery is really surprising... a number of surprises, in fact. Well done! A real page turner. Intellectually satisfying because this reviewer wants to have been be an unschooled child (maybe in my next life?). But also thrilling in the author's ability to build a mystery where the stakes are believably high.
I can't wait for the next Leo Townsend novel!
What a page turner! I thought I had figured it out but there were more twists than I anticipated. Very likable, human characters, flawed and believable. I was entertained while at the same time learning about something I knew very little about. What a wonderful debut novel, written from the perspective of someone who has walked this road....
From the beginning of the book to the last page, I was captivated! If we could all live in a town like Carpe Diem! I am looking forward to reading further adventures of Leo Townsend!