Reviews

The Crying Rocks by Janet Taylor Lisle left a lot to be desired. First, it had a really thin plot, that was incredibly traumatic (though the main character didn’t seem too phased by something that absolutely should have caused a lifetime of therapy) as it unfolded. I didn’t find any of the characters to be compelling or natural. Dialog was forced as were relationships and situations that made the book feel choppy and chaotic. This also read as a story written by someone who did a research paper on the Narragansett tribe of Native Americans, not by anyone who was actually native. I looked into the author and couldn’t find anything regarding her heritage, and while that shouldn’t be an automatic dealbreaker, I will say that I would be surprised to find out that the author was actually native, and still wrote this story they way they did. It definitely read like a report, and felt outdated and superficial, which is disappointing because I actually love authentic stories from native authors. At first glance, that is what this appears to be, but with each page, it veers further and further from that. I really wanted more from this story in a lot of places, and while it was a short and quick read, it didn’t do much to hold my interest, making its 200 pages, feel more like 3-400

hosson6's review against another edition

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1.0

Racial jokes, slurs and stereotypes did not sit well with me at all.
Would not recommend.
The only good part of the book was the reveal after 3/4 of the book about how she got to live with Vernon and Aunt Mary Louise. Thats it. The rest is racial jokes about Native Americans and quotes from racist anthropological figures, promoting their views and stereotypes.

heyshay07's review against another edition

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4.0

I had a hard time getting into the author's writing style and liking her characters. I found the omniscient voice of the narration too jarring. Joell, while understandably hurt and tries to push people away, was kind of hard to like, and I almost gave up and put the book down. However, after about half way through I kind of end up liking her and the eccentric cast of characters in her life. The end of the book pulls together nicely and you end up seeing a little growth in all the characters. Just due to the content at the end, the book is more for high schoolers and not really appropriate for middle schoolers like I was hoping. However, it still a good read.

scenmoyo's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective fast-paced

3.0

arationalvein's review

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2.0

It's the worst written of the middle grade books I've read lately, and the use of blood quanta/race related jokes and slurs did not sit well.

bookishdaylight's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring fast-paced

Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I like the concept of it, very interesting and it captured me from the start. I wish it was longer though since it really had potential. There were some parts that just really needed improving and it lacked depths in some certain topics too. It felt a bit rushed at the end though.. And I just needed to know more.

Content Warnings

selenaskitels's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful informative lighthearted slow-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? It's complicated

4.0

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