You Talking to Me?

A couple months back, my sister and nieces and nephews had a movie night at my house where we ended up watching Ferris Bueller's Day Off because none of the under-sixteen-year-olds there had ever seen it before, which my sister and I thought was a crime against nature that needed to be fixed immediately.

So you know that scene at the end of the movie where Ferris comes back on screen after the credits are over and asks what we're still doing here, then tells us to go home? Lydia asked at this point, "Is he talking to me?"

After that, she wanted to watch this movie, like, EVERY night for weeks. The husband even got her into walking around the house, calling, "Bueller? Bueller?"

I know it probably puts my parenting skills into question for letting my three-year-old watch Ferris Bueller's Day Off repeatedly, but...hey, she loved it! And I think she liked it so much because, like Dora the Explorer, Blues Clues and many other children's shows, Ferris takes time out of his busy story to talk to her and include her. She was invested in his tale because she was actually a part of it.

Which brings me around to this awesome book I just read. Tangled by Emma Chase is written in first point of view from the hero (I know, the HERO! Isn’t that awesome), and he pauses the story every couple of lines to monologue to the crowd with a bunch of “I know what you’re thinking,” and “Trust me, this is what us guys like,” kind of stuff.

I loved it and think it totally worked. I felt included and closer to the characters, like I understood them (especially the hero) a million times better.

What is your opinion on characters addressing the audience in a story? Because my heroine does that in Price of a Kiss ALOT, so I’m really hoping most of you think it’s awesome. But it’s okay if you don’t like that kind of stuff. At least you’ve been warned about Price!!