When Hope's parents leave baby sister Honey by the side of the road for laughing, Hope is so stunned and heartbroken that she retreats into herself, and her parents move on with their lives as if they never had daughters. Hope sleeps in the garage and in fact spends most of her time asleep (her parents give away all of her clothing except for her nightgowns) instead of living and making memories. She discovers this is a bad thing when a man comes to pick her up and take her to the memory bank, where she learns that her memory account is badly depleted. She also learns that she is a champion dreamer, and it is through dreams that she manages to find her beloved Honey. Readers who like Roald Dahl, or even J.K. Rowling, may find some similarities (horrendous parents, for example--where else do we find such appalling adults?). The art, which helps to tell significant portions of the story, is interesting and expressive. This title received a starred review in Booklist for its brilliance or bizarreness--you decide which. Middle grades and for those who like a good sister story. Different kind of fantasy story where a bank stored all the memories. Hope and her sister, Honey, have the worst parents in the world. There is no laughing, crying, or anything! When Honey forgets one day and laughs in the car, her father stops the car and drops her off on the side of the road. He tells Honey to forget her. Honey is quickly picked up by a group of kids, later to be revealed as the Clean Slate Gang. Hope is eventually called to the WWMB to explain why her memory "deposits" have gone down. The story alternates between text and illustration- similar to The Invention of Hugo Cabret, but with less detail. The illustrations tell Honey's story while Hope's story is told in text. A happy reunion occurs at the end of the book with some surprising twists.
What do You think about The Memory Bank (2010)?
Seems like this takes the same visual storytelling approach as "Hugo Cabret" -- I'm intrigued.
—Cutelibran
Wow, Hope's parents are even worse than the adults in the Roald Dahl books.
—stefaniehart
For kids who like Hugo Cabret - not as good but close!
—katrina
My stars may change when I see final art.
—AznSkullz
