Don’t just read Places We’ve Never Been…Experience it. 

I picked up Places We’ve Never Been by Kasie West when I was still looking for summer road trip reads. When I grab one of her books I always know I’m going to get a fast read that will tackle potentially tough issues in a way that makes them feel light and manageable. I also know I’ll get a little romance and a good dose of family. Places We’ve Never Been hit all of these marks. 

Here we go: All Norah wanted was to be reunited with her childhood best friend, Skyler, for a fun summer road trip. But when Skyler makes it clear he isn’t looking forward to spending time with her, things take a turn for the worst. Norah is confused and alone, especially when she starts suspecting this long overdue trip with her and Skyler’s families was maybe planned with a motive…one no one wants to talk about. Even worse, her brother is seemingly hiding something. As Norah tries to get to the bottom of all the things no one is saying, how will the secrets she uncovers affect her and those she loves? 

I can’t claim to be any where close to as good at video games as Norah. From a young age I was video game deficient. We never had game consoles at my house, and at my grandparent’s my brother took over every game system, never wanting me involved because I was sure to, at best, decrease his play time, and at worst, ruin his chance of beating any boss ever. On weekends I’d get to play at my best friend’s house, where I was no better, but still given a turn. Later in college, I would occasionally be allowed the opportunity to drive a bus through a busy street in Grand Theft Auto, or spend hours on end attempting to make the silhouette man on Echochrome meet his checkpoints in record times. These days, I’m happy to periodically try my hand at Castle Crashers, Towerfall, or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredders Revenge if it makes my kids happy. Fortunately they don’t expect much of me, instead throwing out words of supposed encouragement, such as, “Wow, Mom, you didn’t die.” In the event I do something slightly above average, I might even get a high five accompanied by a look of awe and overflowing praise: “See, Mom, you’re not terrible!” Words every parent hopes to hear at some point in their life.   

Norah, on the other hand, has serious skills when it comes to video games. This facet of her character is rooted in her past with Skyler. It is also the foundation for her future aspirations. Her talents with gaming combined with her drawing abilities have led her to set her sights on a career in video game design. The last stop of her summer road trip will take her to a meeting at her dream college where she has a chance to see where she could be in a little more than a year.  

For Norah, I really wanted to have one of those moments where I picked up the controller, turned on Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and had an epiphany about what I was missing. Or suddenly developed proper coordination in my left hand to get the timing right to do absolutely anything. Or didn’t feel the need to make sarcastic comments about the fact that Link can wear a set of armor known as “Tingle Armor”. But it turns out I’m just not that person. I will never understand spending what feels like countless hours traveling to specific shrines to force a Bloodmoon so I can feed a claymore to an Octorok in order to get an upgraded weapon. If that sounded like a bunch of gibberish, you are in good company. If it all made sense, more power to you. (And side note: It’s highly possible I got some of those facts wrong, because, well, I’m me.)  

Despite my sordid history with video games, I’m not sad I took some time to play Zelda in Norah’s honor. In fact, I’m glad that I can read and enjoy a book about a character that is different from me. I love that I can try something outside of my comfort zone because a book inspired me to do so. Even if it isn’t something I’m going to do consistently, it’s still a new experience that I wouldn’t otherwise have if I hadn’t picked up a book.

There you have it. Do yourself a favor and read Places We’ve Never Been. Find a video game to try so you can experience the fruit of a video game designer’s labor. Maybe you’ll be able to see the appeal in Norah’s chosen career path. 

If you haven’t already read Places We’ve Never Been what are you waiting for? If you already have, why not pick it up again? Either way, take my advice when you do—don’t just read it, experience it! 

Want information about purchasing this book from Neighborhood Reads, a local Washington, MO book store? Click the book cover above!