Book Summary: Mina's father has passed away recently and she has questions about life and death. She decides to put her thoughts down in a journal. When she finds out that her elderly neighbor across the street, Mr. Myers, has passed away, she wonders what will come of his home. She feels out of place at school and her teacher, Mrs. Scullery, is not entirely receptive to Mina's opinions. Mina is taken out of school to be homeschooled by her mother. She sees a family considering moving into Mr. Myers' former home. A little boy seems just as alienated as she feels. As the family is moving into the house, Mina musters up her nervous energy to become a friend to the boy.
This book is a the prequel to Skellig, written by the same author.
This book is a the prequel to Skellig, written by the same author.
APA Reference of Book:
Almond, D. (2010). My name is Mina. New York, NY: Delacorte Press.
Impressions: In the beginning, it is apparent that Mina's father has passed away. It is difficult to discern how he died, but you understand that it has happened fairly recently. Mina appears to be a girl that is simultaneously in grief, but also realizing the gratifying aspects of simple day to day things. There does not appear to be much in the way of a plot as it is written very much like a journal Mina has kept. There are random poems, questions, and thoughts with the book that makes up the depth of the novel. In one sense there is cohesion in her ramblings, but for those that do not like reading pages with only a few words and fonts that change, this could be a challenging book.
Mina's teacher has instructed the kids at St. Bede's Middle School to write only when they have a plan in place, which baffles Mina. When she intentionally fails a national exam by writing nonsense because she believes the exam is nonsense, it is evident that she has developed a sense of maturity. Also, as Mina senses an unhappiness in the boy moving in across the street, she decides to put aside her own loneliness to become his friend.
Mina's teacher has instructed the kids at St. Bede's Middle School to write only when they have a plan in place, which baffles Mina. When she intentionally fails a national exam by writing nonsense because she believes the exam is nonsense, it is evident that she has developed a sense of maturity. Also, as Mina senses an unhappiness in the boy moving in across the street, she decides to put aside her own loneliness to become his friend.
Professional Review: "Her own story, related in her journal, reflects the clutter and wonder of a mind trying to make sense of her loneliness after the death of her father, her treatment as a somewhat loony outsider at school, and her earnest hope for a friend or two, perhaps in the boy moving into Ernie Myers' old house down the road (Schneider, 2011, p. 1)".
Schneider, D. (2011, October 10). [Review of the book My name is Mina, by D. Almond] Retrieved from
Library Uses: With an interest in books that have a journal-like feel, this book may appeal to readers that are moving away from the format that uses mostly graphics to convey a story. For some, the various fonts and parts of the story conveyed on single pages with much negative space, it could be a distracting read. Otherwise, it may be a friendly looking book to children and tweens that like the varied format.
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