gabbyc4t's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Slavery, Car accident, Child death, Grief, and Racism
esperare's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
jujupassulbeat's review against another edition
2.75
Really couldnt get into it, i found the story to be confusing and i never got attached to the characters
maggietokudahall's review against another edition
5.0
Action adventure with super cool mythology, would hand to any 9-14 year old
soundslikelasagna's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-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
4.0
iffer's review against another edition
4.0
This was *really* hard for me to concentrate on for some reason. It could've possibly been because I was listening to it as an audiobook, and it was difficult for my brain to keep up with imaging the lush world and characters from folk tales with which I am not very familiar. (As an aside, the voice that the narrator affects for Gum Baby is incredibly annoying, like the narrator is imitating Chris Rock imitating a 10-inch doll.)
After I gave it another shot, though, I enjoyed it, and I appreciate it very much. I especially appreciate that Kwame Mbalia's story doesn't pull punches (pun unintended) about life including unfairness, fear, and sadness, as well as even heroes and gods being conflicted and imperfect. And yet, the book manages to be ultimately hopeful and actively encourages moving through one's negative emotions, because suffering is the flipside to joy, and humans are resilient. All of these messages are inherent in the story, possibly due, in part, to the fact that that the book is unapologetically Black (whether or not all readers notice this), and probably (taken with a grain of salt since this is in the opinion of a non-Black person) resonates with students of color in way that many other mainstream middle grade fiction may not have in the past.
After I gave it another shot, though, I enjoyed it, and I appreciate it very much. I especially appreciate that Kwame Mbalia's story doesn't pull punches (pun unintended) about life including unfairness, fear, and sadness, as well as even heroes and gods being conflicted and imperfect. And yet, the book manages to be ultimately hopeful and actively encourages moving through one's negative emotions, because suffering is the flipside to joy, and humans are resilient. All of these messages are inherent in the story, possibly due, in part, to the fact that that the book is unapologetically Black (whether or not all readers notice this), and probably (taken with a grain of salt since this is in the opinion of a non-Black person) resonates with students of color in way that many other mainstream middle grade fiction may not have in the past.
puttingwingsonwords's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Car accident, and Grief
Moderate: Racism, Slavery, and Violence
bmertz's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-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
namaenani's review against another edition
5.0
This story pulls no punches (pun not intended, but I'm quite proud of it, so can we pretend it was intended?) A wild ride that examines our relationships with grief, and the power of telling (and controlling) stories.