Shades of Simon Gray

LEXILE 900 young adult

When my eighth-grade son was assigned Shades of Simon Gray by Joyce McDonald, my 18-year-old daughter and I were intrigued, so we decided to read it too. She completed it in a day, and I almost gave up when I was halfway through. In a nutshell: interesting storyline wasted on uninspiring characters and humdrum writing. And, the plot has nothing to do with Dorian Gray. I wish it did.