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thenextgenlibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
Harbor Me meets The Breakfast Club in It Wasn’t Me.
apenguinkeeper's review against another edition
2.0
I read it a few years back, and I read it again. Because I’m not used to middle grade, and I prefer romance in books, it just wasn’t my favorite, or as good as I remember it. Then again, it’s been a few years. Good book, just not my kind.
teganbeesebooks's review against another edition
5.0
This was really good! I did not suspect the ending at all. Great for younger readers that want to read One of Us is Lying. Lots of interesting things to talk about & discuss. I really liked all of the characters & am glad I got to know them. Looking forward to discussing with my 7th & 8th grade book club.
nssutton's review against another edition
3.0
Finally got around to reading this Breakfast Club for the modern era, with the local mom book club as it’s our town middle school’s One School, One Book pick. So jealous that those teachers get to work with students on this one, there’s a lot of good stuff in there - restorative justice, how to get to know the people around you, why tweens might make the choices they do.
librariandest's review against another edition
3.0
Not a quick read for me, but I think the ending was worth it. Here are some takeaways:
1. I think this succeeds in its attempt to reinterpret themes from The Breakfast Club for a younger audience. The point is to see past the labels we put on people. To know that everyone is fighting unseen battles. Kids from different cliques can and should get to know each other better.
2. I don't know much about restorative justice, so I can't speak to how well it was portrayed in the book. What I can say is that the concept slows down the book with didactic passages but ultimately enriches the story.
3. There are some big coincidences that make this pretty unsatisfying as a mystery. Obviously, the premise makes you want to read to the end to find out who really did it. But this book is way more about relationships than plot.
Overall, I might suggest this to middle schoolers looking for middle school drama with a social conscience.
1. I think this succeeds in its attempt to reinterpret themes from The Breakfast Club for a younger audience. The point is to see past the labels we put on people. To know that everyone is fighting unseen battles. Kids from different cliques can and should get to know each other better.
2. I don't know much about restorative justice, so I can't speak to how well it was portrayed in the book. What I can say is that the concept slows down the book with didactic passages but ultimately enriches the story.
3. There are some big coincidences that make this pretty unsatisfying as a mystery. Obviously, the premise makes you want to read to the end to find out who really did it. But this book is way more about relationships than plot.
Overall, I might suggest this to middle schoolers looking for middle school drama with a social conscience.
ebralz's review against another edition
4.0
Solid MS book that has a Breakfast Club vibe. I liked how i was wrong who vandalized the artwork and how you really got to know each character. Loved how the POV of the main character (a boy!) didn’t overtake the secondary characters stories or character development.
withthebanned's review against another edition
4.0
I looooved this. I loved each character and thought that they learned so much about themselves and about each other. The lessons were awesome and so enjoyable. I loved that it was a throwback to The Breakfast Club. Loved, loved, loved.
megatsunami's review against another edition
4.0
A re-make of the Breakfast Club centered around a restorative justice process? By the author of the Family Fletcher books? I'm in!
I felt like this book did a lovely job portraying the power of RJ while also acknowledging some of the difficulties that can come up. Also, kudos for accurate use of the RJ questions.
I loved the ultimate solution of the mystery.
Side note: Speaking as a former RJ facilitator, I wouldn't recommend a week-long justice circle for a small group of middle school age youth, and I don't think anyone would! Their attention span isn't that long. And the stuff that is described in the book wouldn't have actually taken a whole week to do. This would have been a little more believable if it had taken place over a single day.
I felt like this book did a lovely job portraying the power of RJ while also acknowledging some of the difficulties that can come up. Also, kudos for accurate use of the RJ questions.
I loved the ultimate solution of the mystery.
Side note: Speaking as a former RJ facilitator, I wouldn't recommend a week-long justice circle for a small group of middle school age youth, and I don't think anyone would! Their attention span isn't that long. And the stuff that is described in the book wouldn't have actually taken a whole week to do. This would have been a little more believable if it had taken place over a single day.
thenextgenlib's review against another edition
4.0
Harbor Me meets The Breakfast Club in It Wasn’t Me.
thereadingwren's review against another edition
3.0
3/5
The Breakfast club but middle grade and less stereotypical and sexist. (Don’t get me wrong I ADORE The Breakfast Club, but some aspects haven’t aged well)
I liked the plot of this and the whole time I just really wanted to know who was targeting Theo and why. Theo is a nice kid and some parts of his journey made me cry.
Even though this is based on stereotypes the characters felt very real. There are always layers to people. I am totally loving Alice, what a wonderful weirdo, I love her spirit. Also shoutout to my fellow metal head Andre, who makes my heart ache sometimes.
I appreciate what this book was trying to do. It was saying it’s okay to be whoever you are as long as you aren’t hurting anyone. It was saying how important honesty is but that it’s more important to understand how actions affect other people.
I’m not usually one for messages in books but I really enjoined this one and think it’s important for kids to read books like this.
The Breakfast club but middle grade and less stereotypical and sexist. (Don’t get me wrong I ADORE The Breakfast Club, but some aspects haven’t aged well)
I liked the plot of this and the whole time I just really wanted to know who was targeting Theo and why. Theo is a nice kid and some parts of his journey made me cry.
Even though this is based on stereotypes the characters felt very real. There are always layers to people. I am totally loving Alice, what a wonderful weirdo, I love her spirit. Also shoutout to my fellow metal head Andre, who makes my heart ache sometimes.
I appreciate what this book was trying to do. It was saying it’s okay to be whoever you are as long as you aren’t hurting anyone. It was saying how important honesty is but that it’s more important to understand how actions affect other people.
I’m not usually one for messages in books but I really enjoined this one and think it’s important for kids to read books like this.