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missbibliography's review against another edition
3.0
A good read - inclusive, covers how disabilities like dyslexia were approached in the past, but also felt a little bit too morbid/sad of an ending and done a little bit too quickly for my taste.
sarah06r's review against another edition
3.0
While not the worst book it starts slow and the main character is incredibly tiresome. He seems to complain about everything with his only likeable quality being his friendship with Adonis. However while Joseph may be the worst main character ever made the other characters more than make up for it. That being said the plot is basic and the plot twists are obvious making it a tedious and unexceptional read bar a few funny moments.
charissa_g's review against another edition
4.0
This book is a bit of a slow burner but it wrings you out by the end. Fascinating read about the power of connections between animals and people as well as the dangers on the home front of WW2.
marshmallow1911's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
lawbooks600's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Representation: Main character with dyslexia
Score: Seven points out of ten.
I wanted to read this for a while and not long after I picked it up from one of the two libraries I regularly go to and the last book about war I read was so long ago so I got this one, cracked it open not knowing what I would get out of it. As I turned the last page I felt that this was an enjoyable read and I'll get this author's books soon enough, especially When the Storm Rages. It starts with the main character Joseph whose last name I don't know and he is forced to move to another house for some reason (I still don't know why?) with another major character, Mrs F for most of the book. I had some... thoughts about Joseph, for one he's flawed and not the most likable character ever but that could be an opportunity for character development and I know one book that pulled off the unlikable character but still enjoyable in some way. This was like that, also the book tried to make me feel sympathetic towards Joseph but I felt there was a barrier between him and me, I don't know how to explain this other than the fact that he wasn't a person I could deeply connect to, but that doesn't ruin the entire story.
Only a few pages in Joseph meets another character Syd (as unlikable and hard to connect to, doesn't ruin the story) and then he goes to school which isn't the best experience for him because of all the bullying and even physical abuse from the headmaster in the form of beatings which wasn't the most entertaining part of the novel. He tells me about this condition that he has that whenever he tries to read the letters keep moving, now known as dyslexia but! There is yet another critical character, a gorilla named Adonis and you can see there's a lot of characters I must follow and now it almost feels like character soup. I don't know which character is the most likable but it could be either Mrs F due to her calm demeanour or Adonis who develops a friendship with Joseph.
Towards the end of the book Mrs F pulls Joseph from school but beforehand there were a lot of heavy backstories from them and Syd which each revolve around a loss of someone they knew which devastated me and the ending is heartbreaking when Adonis didn't make it to the end of the novel. Wow. That's a low note.
Score: Seven points out of ten.
I wanted to read this for a while and not long after I picked it up from one of the two libraries I regularly go to and the last book about war I read was so long ago so I got this one, cracked it open not knowing what I would get out of it. As I turned the last page I felt that this was an enjoyable read and I'll get this author's books soon enough, especially When the Storm Rages. It starts with the main character Joseph whose last name I don't know and he is forced to move to another house for some reason (I still don't know why?) with another major character, Mrs F for most of the book. I had some... thoughts about Joseph, for one he's flawed and not the most likable character ever but that could be an opportunity for character development and I know one book that pulled off the unlikable character but still enjoyable in some way. This was like that, also the book tried to make me feel sympathetic towards Joseph but I felt there was a barrier between him and me, I don't know how to explain this other than the fact that he wasn't a person I could deeply connect to, but that doesn't ruin the entire story.
Only a few pages in Joseph meets another character Syd (as unlikable and hard to connect to, doesn't ruin the story) and then he goes to school which isn't the best experience for him because of all the bullying and even physical abuse from the headmaster in the form of beatings which wasn't the most entertaining part of the novel. He tells me about this condition that he has that whenever he tries to read the letters keep moving, now known as dyslexia but! There is yet another critical character, a gorilla named Adonis and you can see there's a lot of characters I must follow and now it almost feels like character soup. I don't know which character is the most likable but it could be either Mrs F due to her calm demeanour or Adonis who develops a friendship with Joseph.
Towards the end of the book Mrs F pulls Joseph from school but beforehand there were a lot of heavy backstories from them and Syd which each revolve around a loss of someone they knew which devastated me and the ending is heartbreaking when Adonis didn't make it to the end of the novel. Wow. That's a low note.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Chronic illness
Minor: Bullying
Trigger warnings: Military violence and war themes, World War Two, blood depiction, death of parents and an animal, death of a daughter and child from influenza, (fatal) physical injury, near-death experiencessammymus's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
cheyburn92's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
5.0
lucymayjackson's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
teri_b's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is such an intense and amazing book. I am glad that I went for it for Middle Grade March and read it then. Thanks to my local library in Cardiff.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and War
readingrara's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
WW2 fiction for ks2