The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
crystal_reading's review against another edition
3.0
1954 Newbery Winner
Initially the broken English was bothersome, but eventually it just became the voice I heard. Miguel is such a sympathetic character, because I think most people can relate to that time in life when it seems you can't grow up fast enough. He is really an engaging character. I enjoyed this one much more than I expected to.
Initially the broken English was bothersome, but eventually it just became the voice I heard. Miguel is such a sympathetic character, because I think most people can relate to that time in life when it seems you can't grow up fast enough. He is really an engaging character. I enjoyed this one much more than I expected to.
kristinamskinner's review against another edition
2.0
I liked learning about some details of sheep herding, and that’s about it.
ajsterkel's review
1.0
The Good: So . . . it’s a book about sheep? Okay. When I was a kid, I loved animal books, and I might have liked learning about sheep. The story gives the reader a glimpse into the life of rural New Mexican shepherds. Miguel has a strong bond with his family. He’s eager to grow up and become a shepherd like his father, uncles, and brothers. I always like seeing functional families in children’s literature. They’re becoming rare these days. Miguel comes from a big family, and I understand why he would feel overshadowed by his older siblings and want to be like them.
The Bad: I guess this is a black sheep review (haha, see what I did there?) because I kind of hate this book. If it wasn’t a Newbery winner, I wouldn’t have finished it. Everything about it got on my nerves. It’s cool for a book to teach kids about sheep, but I wish the sheep facts had been blended with other elements of Miguel’s life. Unfortunately, Miguel has no life. It’s just all sheep all the time! Even when Miguel goes to school and sees his friends, they only talk about sheep! The kid needs a hobby or something.
The dialect is tedious to read. I understand that Miguel’s first language isn’t English, but 247 pages of dialect slowed down my reading and made a boring book even more boring.
Miguel is frustratingly immature. He wants his father to take him to the mountains, so he invents schemes to show how grown-up he is. Shouldn’t scheme #1 be asking his father if he can go? Why doesn’t he just ask? I guess his immaturity is realistic, but I still wanted to shake him.
The Bottom Line: My least-favorite Newbery winner so far.
Want to see more of my reviews? Check out Read All The Things!
The Bad: I guess this is a black sheep review (haha, see what I did there?) because I kind of hate this book. If it wasn’t a Newbery winner, I wouldn’t have finished it. Everything about it got on my nerves. It’s cool for a book to teach kids about sheep, but I wish the sheep facts had been blended with other elements of Miguel’s life. Unfortunately, Miguel has no life. It’s just all sheep all the time! Even when Miguel goes to school and sees his friends, they only talk about sheep! The kid needs a hobby or something.
The dialect is tedious to read. I understand that Miguel’s first language isn’t English, but 247 pages of dialect slowed down my reading and made a boring book even more boring.
Miguel is frustratingly immature. He wants his father to take him to the mountains, so he invents schemes to show how grown-up he is. Shouldn’t scheme #1 be asking his father if he can go? Why doesn’t he just ask? I guess his immaturity is realistic, but I still wanted to shake him.
The Bottom Line: My least-favorite Newbery winner so far.
Want to see more of my reviews? Check out Read All The Things!
lemon_drop's review against another edition
2.0
Unless you're really into sheep ranching, I would avoid this one.
tamikan's review against another edition
2.0
I did not enjoy this. I actually liked the parts about sheep husbandry best and found Miguel really annoying. I just didn't care. Why was it so important that he go up to the mountains this year? Get over it kid. I think it would have been more enjoyable if it was called "...And Now Maria" and it was about a girl wanting to be a sheep farmer instead of doing housework.
margardenlady's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
A boy living on a New Mexican sheep ranch navigates the world of adulthood in his context. Very detailed description of lambing and packing sheared fleece.Â
sammah's review against another edition
2.0
I can't believe this is by the same author who wrote Onion John (I book I read as a kid and vaguely remember enjoying). It's not that the writing is bad, but this book is just downright dull. I don't honestly need over 200 pages about sheep in my life, I just do not. I don't like to skim when I read, but I found myself skimming in this one because it was just downright blah as far as content went. The best part was probably the last 20 pages, I won't even lie. So glad to have this particular Newbery winner done and over with.
toad_maiden's review against another edition
3.0
I'm giving this 3 stars because I somehow can't decide between 2 stars and 4 stars.
I really loved certain aspects of this book: the setting, the pared-down narrative, the archetypal symbolism, and some of the characters. I even loved the voice at certain points, the little asides and observations Miguel makes about his family and community.
However, I couldn't love this book all the way because I couldn't shake the feeling that the author was somehow mocking Miguel and his family. The super-colloquial syntax throughout felt forced (was he trying to recreate some sort of Spanglish syntax?). And frankly, Miguel's behavior and ideas were, for a twelve-year-old boy, so immature that I kept questioning his age. This felt like a fault in the author's writing, as though he were writing down to Miguel, rather than being realistic and respectful toward the very real shame and anxiety that kids often feel when they are trying to prove their own agency and worth to adults.
So I guess that's what it is. I loved Miguel and his story, and thought his writer let him down by making him look a fool, instead of helping readers to sympathize and identify with his struggles.
I really loved certain aspects of this book: the setting, the pared-down narrative, the archetypal symbolism, and some of the characters. I even loved the voice at certain points, the little asides and observations Miguel makes about his family and community.
However, I couldn't love this book all the way because I couldn't shake the feeling that the author was somehow mocking Miguel and his family. The super-colloquial syntax throughout felt forced (was he trying to recreate some sort of Spanglish syntax?). And frankly, Miguel's behavior and ideas were, for a twelve-year-old boy, so immature that I kept questioning his age. This felt like a fault in the author's writing, as though he were writing down to Miguel, rather than being realistic and respectful toward the very real shame and anxiety that kids often feel when they are trying to prove their own agency and worth to adults.
So I guess that's what it is. I loved Miguel and his story, and thought his writer let him down by making him look a fool, instead of helping readers to sympathize and identify with his struggles.