rieviolet's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
fast-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
4.5
I think it is really wonderful to have middle grade books that deal with such important topics, and in such a good and sensitive way too. I wish I could have read a book like this when I was that age myself.
Also, I always love a good found family trope and here we have a lot of disparate people coming together and caring deeply about each other, it really warmed my heart.
The only fault that I can pinpoint is a bit of overexplanation (especially of the characters' feelings), but that might just be incidental to the intended audience's age range.
Also, I always love a good found family trope and here we have a lot of disparate people coming together and caring deeply about each other, it really warmed my heart.
The only fault that I can pinpoint is a bit of overexplanation (especially of the characters' feelings), but that might just be incidental to the intended audience's age range.
"So there is a word for it."
"Oh honey, there's a word for everything on God's green earth. And if there isn't, we can just make one up.”
Content Warnings
Moderate: Hate crime, Transphobia, Homophobia, Classism, Violence, and Racism
Minor: Car accident, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, Sexism, Racial slurs, Murder, War, Dysphoria, Bullying, Gun violence, Sexual harassment, Death of parent, and Grief
ojreads's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
informative
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? It's complicated
5.0
I listened to this book and my picking it was entirely random, I saw an author and a narrator that I recognized and said why not! This middle grade read was so fast and easy but our leading characters, ages 10 and 11, have a lot of life to learn and the heart break of reality is shifted from sadness to a sense of adventure!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Racism, and Racial slurs
duobond's review
emotional
reflective
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Racism, and Transphobia
Moderate: Hate crime and Racial slurs
kta's review
adventurous
emotional
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? Yes
3.75
I could listen to Stockard Channing read the phonebook, thankful the book itself was also enjoyable. Lots of issues to discuss in this book: family secrets, racism, homophobia, transsexuality, immigration, and the holocaust. You would think there wouldn't be time for an actual story with all these underlying issues being woven through the story, but it was artfully accomplished by a varied cast of unique characters.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Hate crime, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Transphobia, and Violence
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