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Reviewed by Carol Thompson for Readers' Favorite
To be honest, when I selected this book for review I was expecting a somewhat "been there-done that" book. Author Katie Sparks pleasantly surprised me with her well-written prose and spunky characters. Reality Natalie is about a young girl, Natalie Greyson, who has high ambitions and dreams. She's a nicely developed character with a lot of personality. Natalie wants to audition to be a guest host for a popular kid's show, yet she has many obstacles to overcome. Not only that, but her talented best friend wants to audition as well. What really impressed me is the way Sparks handled the competition between friends. It was handled realistically, as were all the characters and conflicts. At that age, many of us have faced a competing moment with a friend, and Sparks doesn't give a pretentious view of this.
Natalie is an overly-ambitious child and one who has her ups and downs. She has twin siblings that add to the story as well as friends who most kids can relate to. Sparks kept it real, she didn't glamorize her characters and she didn't over compensate. I do feel this is more of a Young Adult reader than a general children's book. I think ages fourth grade and up could better relate to the book. I highly recommend Reality Natalie to any parent who is looking for a good book for their youngster. It teaches life lessons through fun and thoughtful prose. The story is told in first-person from Natalie's POV, and it works well, allowing the reader to better connect to Natalie. This is Sparks' debut novel, but hopefully it won't be her last.
