Lila is an eight year old girl with a very rare allergy – she’s allergic to sunlight. She spends most of her days sleeping, and does her playing, schoolwork, and chores at night. Even though she’s different, she has a few very special friends who help her to feel normal.

I think I must have been in the wrong headspace when I read this book because I didn’t get as much out of it as I wanted to. The concept is so interesting. I had no idea people could be allergic to sunlight! It’s a little scary to think about needing to be wrapped up in layers, sunscreen, and sunglasses even in the middle of the night, and having to be careful which kinds of artificial light you can be exposed to as well. The things Lila’s family had to adjust to must have been very difficult for them, but that’s not the focus of the book. I sort of wish it had been. I think I would have connected with it more from an adult point of view instead of Lila’s.

Not that Lila’s voice wasn’t well done. She sounded like a very genuine eight year old and her thought processes work in ways I recognize from my own children (who are near her age). It’s just…well maybe it’s partially because I have children that age and sometimes I feel a little caged in by that. I’ve read a lot of juvenile/children’s lit this year and I think I’ve grown a little tired of it. This is one I think I’d like to revisit when I’m in a different mood.

The book itself was wonderfully written and very beautiful. There’s a secret woven through it that I’m not sure when people are supposed to guess, so I’m not going to include it in case it’s a spoiler. I guessed pretty early on, though, and generally I’m bad at figuring such things out, so it’s possible Johnson wanted the reader to know pretty quickly. The transformation in Lila’s world that takes place throughout the book is gradual and natural, which is how I would imagine such transformations happen in real life (though I never went through one myself). Those who have read the book will understand what I’m talking about…sorry to be so cryptic!!

I don’t want to turn anyone away from this book with my blahness. I just wasn’t in the right mood to feel this one properly. I’m keeping it around both for my kids to read and for me to read again when I’m in a better place to take it all in. Hmm, this review is kind of pointless…