littleelfman's review against another edition
4.0
I love the way Pat Schmatz's storytelling is never conventional, but never inaccessible. There's always another way of looking at the world.
ljrinaldi's review against another edition
3.0
Back when I was a kid, you could walk into a movie theatre at any time. You could be half way through the film, and you would sit through it, the lights would come on, and then the movie would play again, and you would get up and leave “where you came in”. It seems an odd way to watch movies, and Alfred Hitchcock was the first director that forbid people to do that, with Physcho.
I bring this up, not because this book like like an Alfred Hitchcock drama, but because I feel as though I have come into this book after it has started, and even at the end, I feel as though I am missing the beginning.
I almost feel as though there should be a cheat sheet.
Once the book starts the real story, then it goes pretty quickly, but it is this lack of knowing what is going on in the beginning that is frustrating. And it isn’t because the main character, Tash, doesn’t know, because she does. She knows who Vanessa and Nathan and Kevin, and all the characters are. And true, in normal conversation, you don’t go around introducing characters, if you are in the middle of them, but there are ways for authors to do that, which still help the reader.
And most of the story is from Tash’s point of view, except for one letter that is never sent, by the Captain. How are we reading it?
Captain Jackie is the lesbian next door, who takes care of Tash, while her “not-dad” Uncle Kevin, is at work. The story opens with Tash being angry at Jackie and being sent off to Summr Camp, because Kevin has to go to New Zealand, and she needs to be taken care of, and Captain Jackie can’t do it.
And the key is an old fashioned key that Captain Jackie and Tash have used to have magical adventures with, only, at the beginning of the story, Tash, who is going into 6th grade, thinks is too babyish, and doesn’t believe in anymore, so throws it at Captain Jackie.
There are many things going on in this book. I like that the LGBTQ factors of the story aren’t stressed, just part of every day life. Of course, this pushes them so far to the margin that the characters don’t notice they even exist, until the very end of the book.
There is also the fact that Tash’s father is in prison, for some reason, which is why Uncle Kevin is taking care of her, and she fears being abandoned. That is only brought up later in the book, instead of earlier, and using it for a theme.
There is also the theme of losing those around us. Captain Jackie has lost her partner, and her cat, and her adopted son, or nephew, and now only has Tash.
I’m not sure who this book is for, and I feel that we walked in half way through what is probably a very good movie. I enjoyed what I read of it. Now, I want the beginning of the book please.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
I bring this up, not because this book like like an Alfred Hitchcock drama, but because I feel as though I have come into this book after it has started, and even at the end, I feel as though I am missing the beginning.
I almost feel as though there should be a cheat sheet.
Once the book starts the real story, then it goes pretty quickly, but it is this lack of knowing what is going on in the beginning that is frustrating. And it isn’t because the main character, Tash, doesn’t know, because she does. She knows who Vanessa and Nathan and Kevin, and all the characters are. And true, in normal conversation, you don’t go around introducing characters, if you are in the middle of them, but there are ways for authors to do that, which still help the reader.
And most of the story is from Tash’s point of view, except for one letter that is never sent, by the Captain. How are we reading it?
Captain Jackie is the lesbian next door, who takes care of Tash, while her “not-dad” Uncle Kevin, is at work. The story opens with Tash being angry at Jackie and being sent off to Summr Camp, because Kevin has to go to New Zealand, and she needs to be taken care of, and Captain Jackie can’t do it.
And the key is an old fashioned key that Captain Jackie and Tash have used to have magical adventures with, only, at the beginning of the story, Tash, who is going into 6th grade, thinks is too babyish, and doesn’t believe in anymore, so throws it at Captain Jackie.
There are many things going on in this book. I like that the LGBTQ factors of the story aren’t stressed, just part of every day life. Of course, this pushes them so far to the margin that the characters don’t notice they even exist, until the very end of the book.
There is also the fact that Tash’s father is in prison, for some reason, which is why Uncle Kevin is taking care of her, and she fears being abandoned. That is only brought up later in the book, instead of earlier, and using it for a theme.
There is also the theme of losing those around us. Captain Jackie has lost her partner, and her cat, and her adopted son, or nephew, and now only has Tash.
I’m not sure who this book is for, and I feel that we walked in half way through what is probably a very good movie. I enjoyed what I read of it. Now, I want the beginning of the book please.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
epedrotti's review against another edition
5.0
While I truly enjoyed this book, (I read it in one sitting) I felt a bit confused about who some of the characters were. Some were mentioned often and the characters talking about them knew who they were, but the reader did not. I felt like younger readers may have a hard time discerning who these people are in the scope of the story. I did like the relationships between the characters, but was left wanting more as I felt like I was missing out on large pieces of information.
herbalmoon's review against another edition
1.0
This is one of those books where you're kind of concerned whether you'll like it when you start reading; you pause, check the other reviews, get more concerned...and finally find a reason for giving up.
For me, that reason was when the story ceased to be a story and started to be an epistle.
No thanks. Show, don't tell.
For me, that reason was when the story ceased to be a story and started to be an epistle.
No thanks. Show, don't tell.
loscamp4lyf's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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? No
4.0
So cute, and had me weepy at the end.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
teenlibrarian's review against another edition
2.0
As other reviewers have mentioned, this book jumps in and seems to omit telling backstories for the characters. It’s frustrating to the reader because it is a thin book, there was more story to tell. There were only hints of Tash’s dad’s story, the LGBTQ relationships were so low key some might miss them until the end. I didn’t ultimately like Tash because I struggled to figure out is this a realistic book or a magical realism book, and it was too brief.
omgbeansgoreadabook's review against another edition
3.0
This is the somber coming-of-age story of Tash, who is forced to grow up quickly when her neighbor, one she pens "Cap'n Jackie" breaks her hip while she's away at summer camp.
THE KEY TO EVERYTHING is a quick read at only 198 pages in the paperback. I desperately wanted to know more about Jackie, Kevin, and Tash by the end of it so I could have done with a slightly longer book. It's a middle grade novel, so it's decently short and directly to the point.
This book centers around grief and the subject of death is brought up, but the moral of the story is a happy one. We don't always have to stay sad forever after our loved ones go on, we can find comfort in things eventually if we let ourselves.
THE KEY TO EVERYTHING is a quick read at only 198 pages in the paperback. I desperately wanted to know more about Jackie, Kevin, and Tash by the end of it so I could have done with a slightly longer book. It's a middle grade novel, so it's decently short and directly to the point.
This book centers around grief and the subject of death is brought up, but the moral of the story is a happy one. We don't always have to stay sad forever after our loved ones go on, we can find comfort in things eventually if we let ourselves.
astraeal's review against another edition
3.0
I have very mixed feelings about this book. From one point, it was a great story family, growing up and grief, but from the other point, I feel like we didn't have enough information, about the plot, the characters, the relationships. It also seems like almost nothing happened, the plot was pretty quick, but there wasn't a lot in it. I would also have enjoyed learning more about the characters earlier in the story, they were the best part of this book.
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