shainaeg's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.0
stenaros's review against another edition
4.0
Read for Librarian Book Group
It's Lock-in Night at an international school and the kids are excited. But when Marisa and her friends chain themselves to the doors of the school to protest the degradation of coral reefs they REALLY lock people in and plans change.
Alsaid effectively manages point of view of six characters plus a few more. Nicely done.
It's Lock-in Night at an international school and the kids are excited. But when Marisa and her friends chain themselves to the doors of the school to protest the degradation of coral reefs they REALLY lock people in and plans change.
Alsaid effectively manages point of view of six characters plus a few more. Nicely done.
kayladaila's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-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? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement
Moderate: Classism, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Injury/injury detail, and Bullying
Minor: Alcohol, Fire/Fire injury, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, and Mass/school shootings
heykellyjensen's review against another edition
Tonight is the night of the International School’s annual lock-in. It’s a beloved tradition and one that’s always legendary. All kinds of activities take place, from decathlons to dance parties, and this year, Peejay is eager to be the master of ceremonies. His brother earned incredible respect when he was in charge, and Peejay is desperate to top him.
Tonight, Amira wants to win the decathlon, keeping her passion for sports and her interest in other girls from her conservative mother.
Omar wants to finally kiss Peejay tonight.
Kenji wants to star in the improv show, proving acting chops are alive and well.
And Celeste? As the new girl in the school, she’s hoping tonight she can make her first real friend since moving to another country from her Chicago suburban home.
All of it looks like it should go on….until it doesn’t. Tonight, driven by her passion to make change in the world, Marisa Cuevas and a group of fellow environmentally-conscious students chain themselves to the doors of the school and refuse to let anyone else enter or exit the building until all of their demands are met. And those demands are many, ranging from the school banning single-use plastics to protective measures being enacted to protect a local island from destruction.
As the night drags on, it becomes Marisa and her team won’t back down until their demands are heard -- and not just heard, but met.
One night bleeds into the next and then the next, and the protest goes on for a full week before things reach a breaking point. Students once inconvenienced and angered by Marisa are now listening and even stepping up to help her. They know people who know people who can make change happen. So they do what they can now, hoping that meeting those demands not only gets them set free but also really does help change the world for the better.
It’s not smooth sailing, of course, as there’s a group within the school who are hoping to take down Marisa and her team, and they get closer and closer through the story.
Will all of her demands be met? How? And will everyone else be able to achieve the things they desperately hoped for when the lockin began?
Alsaid’s book is a smart look at standing up for what you believe in, and it’s really creative in execution. Marisa isn’t seen as a hero for championing these causes for a long time. She’s rather seen as the enemy until something drastic happens to her, and her peers not only begin to listen to her, but they begin to understand why it is she chose this as her hill to die on and why it is she chose to execute her protest during the lockin.
I’ve read a ton of books this year on student activism and student activists, and this is a worthy addition to that collection. It’s especially noteworthy for the lack of immediate agreement seen among students, though -- and this is an extremely diverse student body, as well as a student body with the means to make change happen, as they come from wealthier families. It’s a reminder that even though this generation of teenagers is vocal and stands up for their beliefs, it’s not universally agreed-upon or followed. It’s easy to forget that sometimes kids want to be kids and that in and of itself can be the challenge with making change. Are they supposed to be anything more? And why do we expect that?
A couple of things that didn't land as well for me: it was VERY hard to understand the layout of the school and how the chained students managed what they did. I would have loved an image of it in the book. I also thought at times it was especially slow, but I recognize a lot of that has to do with the fact the story's pace mirrors precisely what those teens were themselves experiencing.
Creative, thought-provoking, and timely.
Tonight, Amira wants to win the decathlon, keeping her passion for sports and her interest in other girls from her conservative mother.
Omar wants to finally kiss Peejay tonight.
Kenji wants to star in the improv show, proving acting chops are alive and well.
And Celeste? As the new girl in the school, she’s hoping tonight she can make her first real friend since moving to another country from her Chicago suburban home.
All of it looks like it should go on….until it doesn’t. Tonight, driven by her passion to make change in the world, Marisa Cuevas and a group of fellow environmentally-conscious students chain themselves to the doors of the school and refuse to let anyone else enter or exit the building until all of their demands are met. And those demands are many, ranging from the school banning single-use plastics to protective measures being enacted to protect a local island from destruction.
As the night drags on, it becomes Marisa and her team won’t back down until their demands are heard -- and not just heard, but met.
One night bleeds into the next and then the next, and the protest goes on for a full week before things reach a breaking point. Students once inconvenienced and angered by Marisa are now listening and even stepping up to help her. They know people who know people who can make change happen. So they do what they can now, hoping that meeting those demands not only gets them set free but also really does help change the world for the better.
It’s not smooth sailing, of course, as there’s a group within the school who are hoping to take down Marisa and her team, and they get closer and closer through the story.
Will all of her demands be met? How? And will everyone else be able to achieve the things they desperately hoped for when the lockin began?
Alsaid’s book is a smart look at standing up for what you believe in, and it’s really creative in execution. Marisa isn’t seen as a hero for championing these causes for a long time. She’s rather seen as the enemy until something drastic happens to her, and her peers not only begin to listen to her, but they begin to understand why it is she chose this as her hill to die on and why it is she chose to execute her protest during the lockin.
I’ve read a ton of books this year on student activism and student activists, and this is a worthy addition to that collection. It’s especially noteworthy for the lack of immediate agreement seen among students, though -- and this is an extremely diverse student body, as well as a student body with the means to make change happen, as they come from wealthier families. It’s a reminder that even though this generation of teenagers is vocal and stands up for their beliefs, it’s not universally agreed-upon or followed. It’s easy to forget that sometimes kids want to be kids and that in and of itself can be the challenge with making change. Are they supposed to be anything more? And why do we expect that?
A couple of things that didn't land as well for me: it was VERY hard to understand the layout of the school and how the chained students managed what they did. I would have loved an image of it in the book. I also thought at times it was especially slow, but I recognize a lot of that has to do with the fact the story's pace mirrors precisely what those teens were themselves experiencing.
Creative, thought-provoking, and timely.
emmehuffman's review against another edition
3.0
Things I liked:
-Large cast of characters, each well developed
-Marisa's cause was good
-Interesting set-up, especially since I read it during the safer at home order
Thing I didn't love:
-This kinda reminded me of Swipe Right for Murder, in which a group of people resort to murder and terrorism to fight back against homophobia. In this case: a rally is one thing, a protest is one thing, holding your classmates hostage is a different.
-Large cast of characters, each well developed
-Marisa's cause was good
-Interesting set-up, especially since I read it during the safer at home order
Thing I didn't love:
-This kinda reminded me of Swipe Right for Murder, in which a group of people resort to murder and terrorism to fight back against homophobia. In this case: a rally is one thing, a protest is one thing, holding your classmates hostage is a different.
jbrooxd's review against another edition
4.0
[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]
4.5 stars. This was fascinating. The first thing I noticed is that the point of view is changing all the time, sometimes from paragraph to paragraph. It was jarring at first, but once I got used to it, I liked how it added to the quick pacing of the story and how it helped me connect with the large number of characters in the book. The romantic stories inside the larger novel (both same-sex relationships) felt a little heavy-handed to me, but that may be because I am an outsider. It might also be because it was such a HUGE cultural piece for one of the characters it was given extra weight.
There is a TON going on in this book, but I thought the author did a great job holding all of the pieces together. This reminds me of a school shooting sort of book (like This Is Where It Ends), but with lower stakes, so the stress isn't quite so high (at least until the end).
4.5 stars. This was fascinating. The first thing I noticed is that the point of view is changing all the time, sometimes from paragraph to paragraph. It was jarring at first, but once I got used to it, I liked how it added to the quick pacing of the story and how it helped me connect with the large number of characters in the book. The romantic stories inside the larger novel (both same-sex relationships) felt a little heavy-handed to me, but that may be because I am an outsider. It might also be because it was such a HUGE cultural piece for one of the characters it was given extra weight.
There is a TON going on in this book, but I thought the author did a great job holding all of the pieces together. This reminds me of a school shooting sort of book (like This Is Where It Ends), but with lower stakes, so the stress isn't quite so high (at least until the end).
kizzabell's review against another edition
challenging
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
2.75
marisabuller's review against another edition
3.0
L/G
•••
I almost DNF’d this book about 20% in. I’m glad I didn’t.
•••
I almost DNF’d this book about 20% in. I’m glad I didn’t.
emilyyyyyy's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5