Dr. X

Interesting fable that I understood but couldn't help wondering if the messages in it would be fully grasped by young adolescent readers. Part of me wants to recommend it as a text to be used with Gifted and Talented students, who would be comfortable with the narration, but might not pick up all but the most blatantly obvious messages. For example, the leg shortening disease caused by too much game playing, i.e SLAKARS (read slackers or slack arse in Australian vernacular) is just too obvious, but perhaps that was Dr X's intent. The part of the fable I found most intriguing was that relating to Olivia Payne and the concentration on the "meaning in literature" versus the lack of emphasis in school on grammar and spelling. As an English teacher, this hit home as the real meaning of the text could be, stop looking for meanings! Ha! Very thought provoking and I feel that Dr X may be having a good old laugh at the reader's expense....and if so, good luck to him or her and well played! NetGalley review… (meer)