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Oh, this book. I really really wish it has been at the top of my review pile…but it wasn’t. AND I do need to honour the order in which books arrive. What a rollicking ride of hats and watching a young boy become something more. Each hat adventure contains clues that he needs to put together to get some answers. I’ll warn you straight up, the answers might not be what you expect!
The Basic Details for The Hat Diaries
Title: The Hat Diaries: the secret life of Ryan Rigbee
Author: Nadine Haruni
Publisher: Speaking Volumes
Series: The Hat Diaries
Pages: 252
Intended Audience: middle school, 6-18 years,
Genre: magical realism, coming of age, teen & young adult,
Available formats: Kindle, Paperback
The Author
Nadine Haruni is best known for her Freeda the Frog children series. The Secret Life of Ryan Rigbee is her debut foray into the middle school realm. She is also a practicing attorney, Certified yoga instructor, and the proud mother of a blended family of five children.
The Book
The Hat Diaries: the Secret Life of Ryan Rigbee is the first in a trilogy. Ryan undertakes a magical adventure in the form of hats that bring him into a series of adventures. Through those adventures he develops more into the person he is meant to become. A confident young man who sees his own potential. Coming of age books are good to read eh?
What you’ll find
You will find text meant to appeal to middle school through young adult. A very easy to read tome, filled with a variety of adventures, in different fields of employment. Magician, FireFighter, Policeman, Safari Guide and more. A variety of occupations to delight the imagination of 13 year old boy. A boy who, through the change of a hat, changes his life in the course of an evening.
Each chapter starts off simply with an image fitting it. In black and white. Nothing fancy, just something to add a bit to the storyline.
I will freely admit that I didn’t read every word. I tend to skim read books when short on time and I really wanted to let you know about this read. The imagination, and the pulling together of the story was delightful. I LOVE feeding the imagination of children.
Through Ryan’s imagination, and the help of those magical hats, Ryan learned more about his family. Enough that he was able to as good questions of his mom, and figure some things out about his deceased father.
If I were still homeschooling I’d be tempted to use this book to help in a story telling class. What kind of story would YOUR imagination spin up with a baseball cap, mala beads, or _________. All these things that Ryan has to work with, and then read what Ryan’s mind came up with. Wouldn’t that be an interesting class to teach?