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deschatjes's review
4.0
3.5 stars. I'm reading this kind of back-to-back with Alan Gratz's "Ban this Book" and there are a LOT of similarities - including the use of school lockers as adhoc library shelves.
I'd agree with other people's comments that the book by Gratz is for a slightly younger audience and this is more firmly middle grade with a G7 protagonist with romantic feelings for two fellow students at various points in the story.
Now I'm aware of crazy parents and the power of parents to do crazy things in a school / school district but I found the lack of support for the librarian by the principal and other staff to be somewhat crazy. And also the fact that there were no dissenting parental voices on the school board / PTA. Whether this is true to life in USA or not, I don't know but I'd hope things were not that dire.
In fact the parents were a very weak part of this story. As was the protagonist's reaction and understanding of their paranoia towards her reading and friendships. There were also moments where the parents kind-of admitted to each other that they were out of line, but there was no real transformation in their attitudes and beliefs.
In short, some important themes but not particularly well executed for an international audience. And too many wimpy adults.
I'd agree with other people's comments that the book by Gratz is for a slightly younger audience and this is more firmly middle grade with a G7 protagonist with romantic feelings for two fellow students at various points in the story.
Now I'm aware of crazy parents and the power of parents to do crazy things in a school / school district but I found the lack of support for the librarian by the principal and other staff to be somewhat crazy. And also the fact that there were no dissenting parental voices on the school board / PTA. Whether this is true to life in USA or not, I don't know but I'd hope things were not that dire.
In fact the parents were a very weak part of this story. As was the protagonist's reaction and understanding of their paranoia towards her reading and friendships. There were also moments where the parents kind-of admitted to each other that they were out of line, but there was no real transformation in their attitudes and beliefs.
In short, some important themes but not particularly well executed for an international audience. And too many wimpy adults.
megpancoast's review
emotional
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
jess_westhafer's review
emotional
inspiring
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
booksrachelreads's review
5.0
Loved this adorable book. Made me want to go back to middle school and have June be my BFF. Such well-done middle grade fiction.
June was a fantastic main character who was well-rounded and realistic. The author showed the complicated emotions she was experiencing and I loved that. I loved the honest way that her relationship with her parents was portrayed. The way they dealt with things felt really relatable
The story just made me so happy! I love to see kids and teachers standing up for their right to stories that challenge and grow them
June was a fantastic main character who was well-rounded and realistic. The author showed the complicated emotions she was experiencing and I loved that. I loved the honest way that her relationship with her parents was portrayed. The way they dealt with things felt really relatable
The story just made me so happy! I love to see kids and teachers standing up for their right to stories that challenge and grow them
eitakdid's review
4.0
This book is a really good book but unfortunately its content leads to a comparison with Ban This Book by Alan Gratz.
There are as many things similar between these two books as there are different and I have to say that Ban This Book comes out on top. While the characters are a few grades apart, their intent, point-of-view, and storyline are very similar.
I really liked the little library storyline, as well as the behavior of her parents. But at times I also thought the behavior of both the parents and the students (who were pro-book-banning) was a little unbelievable.
While there was a lot to love in this book and it was definitely worth reading, it falls a little short. The ending itself, rather than seeming open-ended, seems unfinished.
There are as many things similar between these two books as there are different and I have to say that Ban This Book comes out on top. While the characters are a few grades apart, their intent, point-of-view, and storyline are very similar.
I really liked the little library storyline, as well as the behavior of her parents. But at times I also thought the behavior of both the parents and the students (who were pro-book-banning) was a little unbelievable.
While there was a lot to love in this book and it was definitely worth reading, it falls a little short. The ending itself, rather than seeming open-ended, seems unfinished.
erine's review
3.0
Serious topics written in a … somehow fluffy way. June's parents are super-strict and super-overinvolved, and yet they've never caught her reading anything questionable until now when they severely overreact to a book that's "too scary." They confiscate all of her books, get the school librarian fired, and purge the school library to only the most basic selection. Apparently the principal was just waiting for an excuse to ban all the books. Then the parents ground June. And yet, in some scenes they have these eerily normal conversations about how what they're doing is totally fine.
June goes from good girl voracious reader to a bad girl book purveyor overnight. I love the idea of a badass middle school teen librarian becoming popular by providing contraband reading material. And the book was a quick read. But I was suspending a lot of disbelief as I went.
June goes from good girl voracious reader to a bad girl book purveyor overnight. I love the idea of a badass middle school teen librarian becoming popular by providing contraband reading material. And the book was a quick read. But I was suspending a lot of disbelief as I went.
nhelregel's review
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
My mom got me a copy of this book purely due to the title (I'm an academic librarian) - figured it would be a quick YA read. It was quick, though I definitely had some critiques. The premise of the book is that the protagonists parents (and then several other parents as well as the school board) all suddenly, and without warning/impetus, decide to censor their children's reading (at home and at school) to an extreme degree. I'm not saying school book banning/censorship doesn't happen (it absolutely does), but it usually doesn't happen in a vacuum with not stated reason. I imagine the author (or editor or publisher) decided it would be as "relatable" as possible if the parents gave no political/religious/ideological reason for their actions, but it just comes of extremely unrealistic (I say this as someone whose parents did censor my reading when I was a kid, so I'm not exactly talking out of my ass). Overall: parts were funny, insightful, and interesting, but it was hard not to get hung up on the incredibly unrealistic underpinnings for the entire story.
rchluther's review against another edition
challenging
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
3.75
This book is very endearing. It would have been right up my alley as a kid! While some of the adults were a bit cartoonish, I did like how they also made her parents out to be loving and caring and funny, not just overly-caricatured. And I enjoyed the little friendships and relationships at school.
meubanks's review
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25