Reviews tagging 'Child death'

En King i les libèl·lules by Kacen Callender, Kacen Callender

46 reviews

callme_tippy's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

Kacen writes books that seem like they are for Black people on the outside, but in reality they are actually written for white people. 

I find it very interesting that in a book where Callendar themselves sates they wanted to make a book for young Black boys that have a Black gay lead, they still made the 2nd lead a white boy. 
And not just any white boy, he'  the son of the racist white sheriff, and the brother of the racist young man that killed a Black man by tying him to his truck and dragging him around town. 

In what world is this written for young Black boys? 

Wouldn't it have made more sense to have the main character as well as the 2nd main character/"kind of love interest" also be a young Black boy?

This novel could have given so much more than what it did. I think the book would have been much more powerful and impactful had both of the leads been young Black boys struggling with being gay.

On top of that, I found Sandy very annoying, I was sad for his situation but he was not a likeable character. 

And to top it off, the only other young Black boy that speaks (besides the lead), is a misogynistic bigot.  Meanwhile the young white boy in group is shown to be understanding and open minded. 

I think some of the authors internalized anti-blackness and need for white approval shows through this book and characterizations. 

This is the second book where I have had issue with the way Callendar portrays and writes their Black characters vs non-Black characters. I will not be reading another one of their books. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Misogyny, Pregnancy, and Outing

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Grief, and Classism

chemeducator's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful medium-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia and Grief

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, and Racism

Minor: Bullying and Abandonment

taleofabibliophile's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Hate crime, Homophobia, Racism, Grief, Murder, and Outing

Minor: Sexism

cats33's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Beautiful story about growing up and figuring out who you are, despite all the hindrances the world throws at you. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Hate crime, Homophobia, Grief, and Outing

Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Chronic illness, Cursing, and Death of parent

danajoy's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Homophobia, and Racism

therealmsroth's review against another edition

emotional hopeful mysterious 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? No

4.0

Sweet book about a young black boy questioning and accepting his own sexuality, while also dealing heavily with grief. Lots of conversations with friends and family that I found healing to my inner child. King finds love and acceptance, even if getting there is complicated and hard and scary and sad and sometimes shameful. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Homophobia, Racism, Police brutality, Grief, and Outing

dominicangirl's review against another edition

emotional inspiring slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse and Child death

kxc319's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

A very emotional and moving story that covers a lot of ground - death of a family member, homophobia, child abuse at the hands of a parent, and racism. Even with all that, the story reads smoothly and your love for the characters helps you empathize with all these topics. I can’t wait to read more by Kacen Callender!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Homophobia, and Grief

Moderate: Bullying, Physical abuse, and Outing

kaitidid's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Outing

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racism, and Grief

Minor: Emotional abuse, Police brutality, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment

throwback682's review against another edition

emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A YA novel about death, grief, racism, homophobia, and Black masculinity. I wish I had more eloquent words for it but… it was just very good. Touching. Really captures well the middle school “dating” relationships, friendships, and bullying. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia and Grief

Moderate: Child abuse and Child death

Minor: Domestic abuse, Murder, and Abandonment