melodierhae's review against another edition
5.0
What a positively heart-warming treat about learning to stand up for yourself and others. LOVED the cameo from Gino's earlier work.
wylan's review against another edition
3.0
[50]
strong messages in a typical story.
This book not only tells kids some knowledge about the LGBTQIAP+ community but also teaches them how to behave. Some scenes seem kinda forced and awkward. Still, kids should read this type of book so we can slowly reduce the homophobia from people.
strong messages in a typical story.
This book not only tells kids some knowledge about the LGBTQIAP+ community but also teaches them how to behave. Some scenes seem kinda forced and awkward. Still, kids should read this type of book so we can slowly reduce the homophobia from people.
katiecatbooks's review against another edition
5.0
Middle grade. Friendship. GLBT+
Story: It's the day before the first day of middle school and already big changes are happening. His older sister is going off to college, meaning he'll be the only kid in the house. His dad starts asking about what girls (or boys) he's noticing at school. And his best friend Jeff starts playing a violent new video game. Other bigger changes lie ahead once middle school starts.
Language: While not a sequel to George, the story exists in the universe and characters show up from the previous book. It is definitely a standalone book. While George talked mostly about GLBT, this book expands more into the QQSSAIP spectrum, pronouns and being mindful of word choice. Set in near present in a middle school in or near New York.
Characters: Rick is starting to figure out who he is. He is asking himself questions he's never thought to ask before snd he doesn't have simple answers for.
I liked this better than George. While the target audience is 12 - 13, and I believe this book would be helpful for some in this age range, I believe it would go over better for YA and even adult audiences (especially teachers and those in roles of helping kids).
A good book about friendship with GLBT+ topics thrown in.
Story: It's the day before the first day of middle school and already big changes are happening. His older sister is going off to college, meaning he'll be the only kid in the house. His dad starts asking about what girls (or boys) he's noticing at school. And his best friend Jeff starts playing a violent new video game. Other bigger changes lie ahead once middle school starts.
Language: While not a sequel to George, the story exists in the universe and characters show up from the previous book. It is definitely a standalone book. While George talked mostly about GLBT, this book expands more into the QQSSAIP spectrum, pronouns and being mindful of word choice. Set in near present in a middle school in or near New York.
Characters: Rick is starting to figure out who he is. He is asking himself questions he's never thought to ask before snd he doesn't have simple answers for.
I liked this better than George. While the target audience is 12 - 13, and I believe this book would be helpful for some in this age range, I believe it would go over better for YA and even adult audiences (especially teachers and those in roles of helping kids).
A good book about friendship with GLBT+ topics thrown in.
stubbiiiiiii's review
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
mylen's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Toxic friendship, Acephobia/Arophobia, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, Homophobia, and Transphobia
Minor: Fire/Fire injury and Vomit
stefaniefrei's review against another edition
5.0
"The wrong people are the ones who keep you from being yourself"
as in the book: Think carefully about the people who you spend your time with. The right people … can bring you great joy.
...
The wrong people are the ones who keep you from being yourself.
Finally, middle school is starting for Rick Ramsey, alongside with Jeff, his best friend since 3rd grade. But sometimes, Rick does have issues with his pal, like when Jeff makes fun of Rick’s interests, or bullies others, or cannot stop drooling over girls. "Sometimes it's hard to see the worst in our friends, because it reminds us of the worst in ourselves." Rick also feels pressure from his parents who expect him to talk about a crush soon, while he just doesn't get that concept at all, whether with girls or boys. Only Grandpa Ray is accepting yet challenging him. But when Rick learns about the “Rainbow Spectrum”, a club for LGBTQIAP+ children, he feels a strange attraction. “Because you have questions” is the motto, and he has been feeling the odd one out, not knowing where to fit in. At the club, he finds an option in a word to explore further who he is, probably a lifelong journey to start, but now with understanding people by his side, and the excitement of setting up a cabaret and attending a con.
"Dad says I'm a late bloomer."
"Maybe. Or maybe you're blooming now, and you're just not the kind of flower he was expecting."
I so loved this. The book is an “extension” to George/Melissa, not really a sequel, though it fits in next in the timeline.
You do not need to be LGBTQIAP+ to love it, as there is so much in the book that is universal (and yes, THAT is just the point): trying to get through puberty when so much changes and you try to fit in and find your place. Friendship and what it can be, should be, and how it might change sometimes, how friends can develop into different directions, apart, toxic friendships. Courage and standing up for yourself and others, hiding your own inner self. I so much could identify with that and the way the author Alex Gino addressed those topics, they managed to really have me not care for what the reason behind those issues where.
Beyond that, on the LGBTQIAP+ part, I am still rather learning (I hadn’t heard about enby for nb or non-binary before, and author Green really got the point over to me first time with “used” pronoun rather than “preferred pronoun” as it sure isn’t a preferred flavor of ice cream but all about identity). Especially good is the approach on the topic of ACE, aromantic/asexual, which happens to have come to my knowledge last from the spectrum. This book helped a lot to understanding better (I am the sort of person who falls in love easily, so it turned out I first could not figure it out), and I find this book very valuable in promoting understanding, and thus, tolerance and acceptance. The combination of Jeff bullying others for a bunch of reasons is a very clever approach to foster identification.
I did have such a friendship that showed its toxic side at a similar age as for Rick, and wish I would have had similar advice back then. Well, I for sure had same-minded friends soon (and have the same ones still today, 30 years later) who were okay with me to love books and be shy and anything else me. Somewhat this calls out for a David Bowie song...
5 stars.
as in the book: Think carefully about the people who you spend your time with. The right people … can bring you great joy.
...
The wrong people are the ones who keep you from being yourself.
Finally, middle school is starting for Rick Ramsey, alongside with Jeff, his best friend since 3rd grade. But sometimes, Rick does have issues with his pal, like when Jeff makes fun of Rick’s interests, or bullies others, or cannot stop drooling over girls. "Sometimes it's hard to see the worst in our friends, because it reminds us of the worst in ourselves." Rick also feels pressure from his parents who expect him to talk about a crush soon, while he just doesn't get that concept at all, whether with girls or boys. Only Grandpa Ray is accepting yet challenging him. But when Rick learns about the “Rainbow Spectrum”, a club for LGBTQIAP+ children, he feels a strange attraction. “Because you have questions” is the motto, and he has been feeling the odd one out, not knowing where to fit in. At the club, he finds an option in a word to explore further who he is, probably a lifelong journey to start, but now with understanding people by his side, and the excitement of setting up a cabaret and attending a con.
"Dad says I'm a late bloomer."
"Maybe. Or maybe you're blooming now, and you're just not the kind of flower he was expecting."
I so loved this. The book is an “extension” to George/Melissa, not really a sequel, though it fits in next in the timeline.
You do not need to be LGBTQIAP+ to love it, as there is so much in the book that is universal (and yes, THAT is just the point): trying to get through puberty when so much changes and you try to fit in and find your place. Friendship and what it can be, should be, and how it might change sometimes, how friends can develop into different directions, apart, toxic friendships. Courage and standing up for yourself and others, hiding your own inner self. I so much could identify with that and the way the author Alex Gino addressed those topics, they managed to really have me not care for what the reason behind those issues where.
Beyond that, on the LGBTQIAP+ part, I am still rather learning (I hadn’t heard about enby for nb or non-binary before, and author Green really got the point over to me first time with “used” pronoun rather than “preferred pronoun” as it sure isn’t a preferred flavor of ice cream but all about identity). Especially good is the approach on the topic of ACE, aromantic/asexual, which happens to have come to my knowledge last from the spectrum. This book helped a lot to understanding better (I am the sort of person who falls in love easily, so it turned out I first could not figure it out), and I find this book very valuable in promoting understanding, and thus, tolerance and acceptance. The combination of Jeff bullying others for a bunch of reasons is a very clever approach to foster identification.
I did have such a friendship that showed its toxic side at a similar age as for Rick, and wish I would have had similar advice back then. Well, I for sure had same-minded friends soon (and have the same ones still today, 30 years later) who were okay with me to love books and be shy and anything else me. Somewhat this calls out for a David Bowie song...
5 stars.
kaybee148's review against another edition
4.0
Let me start by saying that I really enjoyed this book. I loved Gino’s debut novel, George, and was very much looking forward to reading this follow-up. It did not disappoint!
I found Rick to be a very sympathetic and relatable character. While I myself am not asexual, I know what it’s like to have questions about who you are and why you’re different from the people around you. I could see my eleven-year-old self in Rick, and found myself wishing I could give him a hug at several points throughout the book.
A lot of people think middle-grade readers are too young to understand or even be exposed to LGBTQ+ issues, but Gino proves that to be untrue with this book. Rick discusses not only asexuality, but other LGBTQ+ issues, including trans and non-binary identities. It’s a lot of information in a short book, especially if this is the reader’s first experience with these concepts, but I think everything is presented in an age appropriate way that is easy to understand. I particularly appreciated the scene in which the club discusses the acronym “QUILTBAG,” and the fact that the “U” stands for “unsure.” Many kids in the Rainbow Spectrum club seem so sure of themselves and their identities. I’m glad it is clearly stated, both to Rick and to readers, that it’s okay to not have yourself all figured out.
I do wish this book were a little longer. There are a few plotlines that aren’t wrapped up, and some things that are ended a bit too quickly and conveniently to be realistic. I especially wish Rick’s relationship with his best friend, Jeff, was more developed. Late elementary/early middle school is the time when a lot of kids start experiencing toxic friendships. I’m glad this book touched on that subject, but I wish this plot-line had ended less abruptly and gone into more depth about how exactly you go about “breaking up” with a friend.
I absolutely loved Rick’s relationship with his grandfather, but I wish that his other familial relationships had been explored in greater depth. Rick and his older sister start out having a very close relationship, but they drift apart later in the book, and this rift is never resolved. I think it’s okay to leave some loose ends at the end of a book, but I do wish that this one had been tied up.
I was excited to see Melissa, the protagonist of George, make an appearance in Rick as the happy, confident girl she dreamed of being in the first book. Both can be read as stand-alone books, but I would suggest reading George first to provide some background for this character and to see how her life changes after people learn to understand her.
I wish this book had existed when I was Rick’s age and trying to figure out who I was and where I belonged. I’m glad that it exists now that I’m an adult and still trying to figure those things out. I think that Rick could be helpful to a lot of kids struggling with similar questions and could open the door to important conversations between kids and parents.
I found Rick to be a very sympathetic and relatable character. While I myself am not asexual, I know what it’s like to have questions about who you are and why you’re different from the people around you. I could see my eleven-year-old self in Rick, and found myself wishing I could give him a hug at several points throughout the book.
A lot of people think middle-grade readers are too young to understand or even be exposed to LGBTQ+ issues, but Gino proves that to be untrue with this book. Rick discusses not only asexuality, but other LGBTQ+ issues, including trans and non-binary identities. It’s a lot of information in a short book, especially if this is the reader’s first experience with these concepts, but I think everything is presented in an age appropriate way that is easy to understand. I particularly appreciated the scene in which the club discusses the acronym “QUILTBAG,” and the fact that the “U” stands for “unsure.” Many kids in the Rainbow Spectrum club seem so sure of themselves and their identities. I’m glad it is clearly stated, both to Rick and to readers, that it’s okay to not have yourself all figured out.
I do wish this book were a little longer. There are a few plotlines that aren’t wrapped up, and some things that are ended a bit too quickly and conveniently to be realistic. I especially wish Rick’s relationship with his best friend, Jeff, was more developed. Late elementary/early middle school is the time when a lot of kids start experiencing toxic friendships. I’m glad this book touched on that subject, but I wish this plot-line had ended less abruptly and gone into more depth about how exactly you go about “breaking up” with a friend.
I absolutely loved Rick’s relationship with his grandfather, but I wish that his other familial relationships had been explored in greater depth. Rick and his older sister start out having a very close relationship, but they drift apart later in the book, and this rift is never resolved. I think it’s okay to leave some loose ends at the end of a book, but I do wish that this one had been tied up.
I was excited to see Melissa, the protagonist of George, make an appearance in Rick as the happy, confident girl she dreamed of being in the first book. Both can be read as stand-alone books, but I would suggest reading George first to provide some background for this character and to see how her life changes after people learn to understand her.
I wish this book had existed when I was Rick’s age and trying to figure out who I was and where I belonged. I’m glad that it exists now that I’m an adult and still trying to figure those things out. I think that Rick could be helpful to a lot of kids struggling with similar questions and could open the door to important conversations between kids and parents.
endlesstbr's review against another edition
4.0
Another beautiful story of self discovery and sharing yourself with your friends and family. The audiobook is narrated by the author, and Alex lends an earnest tone to Rick's story.