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smallskim's review
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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? Yes
4.25
alyssaarch's review
emotional
inspiring
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
4.0
mlangman's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
3.75
missbreathing's review against another edition
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
bibliobrandie's review
4.0
Loved this novel in verse set against the backdrop of the 1989 world series and San Francisco earthquake. This book is about so many things but it doesn't suffer for it. This is an immigrant story. This is a story about a mother who is spending time in a hospital for a mental illness. This is a story about community. This is the story of bullies and baseball. But mostly it is a story about friendship. Etan has stopped speaking since his mother left and Malia has stopped going to school because her acute eczema has spread to her face. The bullies call her "the creature" and it is only through her friendship with Etan that they both find their voices. Beautiful and magical.
trix21's review
emotional
lighthearted
sad
medium-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
4.5
love the poem-style, makes it more fun to read.
bickie's review
4.0
Loved this book about family, friendship, community.
I had some trouble with a few things:
**"houses decorated for Halloween / with jack-o'lanterns in the windows" occurs about 100 pages before "NL West (Sunday, October 1)." I kept trying to sort out the timeline because carved Halloween decorations and not knowing who would be in the world series at the same time seemed wrong, especially in the late '80s.
**in the first "Mom" poem, Etan talks about going past the Golden Gate Bridge and up and down hills to get to the heart of the city, but later, says the GGB is north of where he is, and even later, mentions that he lives near Santa Cruz. I was confused about this geography; even coming up 1 or 280, you wouldn't pass the GGB (or really go up or down much) to get to near Golden Gate Park.
**the illustration on the cover shows "Blankie" looking evocative of Navajo weaving, but the character is Filipino-American, and the blanket is described as having musical notes and at least one treble clef on it in the book
There is some discussion about the town's being settled by people in the gold rush and immigrants coming through Angel Island from the same ship. Malia communicates with the redwoods, and she and Etan spend time on the Sitting Stones. There is no mention of the Ramaytush, Ohlone, or Muwekma, or even indigenous people in general.
I had some trouble with a few things:
**"houses decorated for Halloween / with jack-o'lanterns in the windows" occurs about 100 pages before "NL West (Sunday, October 1)." I kept trying to sort out the timeline because carved Halloween decorations and not knowing who would be in the world series at the same time seemed wrong, especially in the late '80s.
**in the first "Mom" poem, Etan talks about going past the Golden Gate Bridge and up and down hills to get to the heart of the city, but later, says the GGB is north of where he is, and even later, mentions that he lives near Santa Cruz. I was confused about this geography; even coming up 1 or 280, you wouldn't pass the GGB (or really go up or down much) to get to near Golden Gate Park.
**the illustration on the cover shows "Blankie" looking evocative of Navajo weaving, but the character is Filipino-American, and the blanket is described as having musical notes and at least one treble clef on it in the book
There is some discussion about the town's being settled by people in the gold rush and immigrants coming through Angel Island from the same ship. Malia communicates with the redwoods, and she and Etan spend time on the Sitting Stones. There is no mention of the Ramaytush, Ohlone, or Muwekma, or even indigenous people in general.