rfelt's review
4.0
really touching. I thought K.L. Going captured kids and their fears really well-without being overly cheesy or annoying, as other books often do.
dlberglund's review
3.0
It takes place in the early 1970's, in a community still struggling with desegregation. It doesn't come across as a heavily historical or educational book, though...it's mostly the story of 2 friends and how they help each other overcome their fears. I enjoyed it (and then wrote my own list of fears...you should try it!).
crabbygirl's review
2.0
[guessing at the star rating / mining my old FB notes now that they are almost impossible to find]
a gentle introduction for young readers to america's post civil rights era where the klan still exists, but it's grotesque actions aren't detailed. the main story revolves around 2 fifth graders and their lists of fears that they plan to conquer in one summer. too mild for my liking.
a gentle introduction for young readers to america's post civil rights era where the klan still exists, but it's grotesque actions aren't detailed. the main story revolves around 2 fifth graders and their lists of fears that they plan to conquer in one summer. too mild for my liking.
tschmitty's review
4.0
This was a wonderful story about two childhood friends learning to face their fears in Georgia circa 1976. I loved that this one took place during my childhood. Gabe and Frita were a dynamic duo.
abigailbat's review
4.0
Fourth grader Gabriel King has decided that he's not going to the fifth grade. It's too scary. So his best friend Frita comes up with the idea of writing down everything they're afraid of and using the summer of 1976 to face every single fear on their list so that they'll be braver. Gabe's list is quite long. But when he finds something that Frita truly fears in their town, he knows he'll have to be brave so he can stand beside her and help her fight it.
This book was an unexpected joy to me. It started off as a goofy summer friendship story, but soon delves into more serious topics, namely race relations in 1970s small-town Georgia. It does this with aplomb, and I liked the serious bits just as much as the funny bits. This is fairly painless historical fiction, though some topics might do better with a bit of scaffolding. Highly recommended.
This book was an unexpected joy to me. It started off as a goofy summer friendship story, but soon delves into more serious topics, namely race relations in 1970s small-town Georgia. It does this with aplomb, and I liked the serious bits just as much as the funny bits. This is fairly painless historical fiction, though some topics might do better with a bit of scaffolding. Highly recommended.
dlew's review
4.0
great book to teach kids to overcome their fears
theme - takes place in the decade you were born
theme - takes place in the decade you were born
funsized327's review
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
corncobwebs's review
3.0
I read this one because I liked "Fat Kid Rules the World" so much. But this one - not so much. I'm not really sure why - maybe because I was expecting something a little edgier, a little funnier. I think it was edgy in that it deals with KKK activity - that's pretty heavy for a children's book. But the writing and the characters seemed to miss the spark that they had in Going's first book. Maybe she's just more adept at writing for teens, where it's OK to be irreverent and throw around some bad words. My recommendation: Skip this one, and go for "Fat Kid Rules the World," or try her new one for teens, "King of the Screwups," which I haven't read yet but has gotten good reviews.