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ms_greenjeans's review against another edition
4.0
I have a student who wants to be a cosmologist, and now that we are studying outer space, she has really blossomed. She was really excited about this book—at least, the part about the Russian scientist who is working to save the Earth from an asteroid hurtling toward it. She added to her review:”There’s also a love story. I skipped those parts,” which is probably the cutest thing any 8th grader has said to me in a long time. I didn’t skip them and really loved the characters in those parts. This was a good read, funny, sweet and a bit geeky.
rhookpietsa's review against another edition
4.0
Yuri may not be a gnome-kisser, but he is a sukim syn. And for that reason, I love him. His priorities are so interesting--I love all the characters.
in_and_out_of_the_stash's review against another edition
3.0
I don't know what it is about the last two books I read. I found them too long. And not very exciting although DH commented that this one couldn't be that bad if I was laughing.
theangrystackrat's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
indecisivesailorscout's review against another edition
4.0
I kind of wish he made it to Canada, but I'm also glad him and Dovie and Lennon didn't go to jail for breaking through a tollbooth on the Ambassador Bridge. Saving the world has its perks.
alizalondon's review against another edition
4.0
This book got me out of my reading slump, which I think gives it an automatic high rating. No seriously, I hadn't read anything in weeks, and I zipped through this in two days, which is the rate at which I used to read things before this dreaded slump. So, here is the miracle book that is, in all actuality, a genuinely adorable book.
Learning to Swear in America follows the story of Yuri, a Russian physics prodigy called to America to help NASA stop an asteroid en route to California. Although the whole "asteroid-impending-doom" premise has been done before, usually it's from the perspective of teenagers who want to do as many crazy things as possible before the world ends. This time, however, it's from a more scientific perspective, and the asteroid actually ends up being more important to plot of this novel than I've seen before.
The majority of my rating for this book is because of Yuri. Yuri is a Russian physics genius, and his voice absolutely sounds like it, despite the third person narrative. I absolutely loved how well his accent came across in the dialogue, and loved even more how cute his character was. Being a visitor from another country for whom English is not a first language, Yuri was adorably socially awkward, misunderstanding American slang and idioms in ways that were totally realistic and affection-inciting. After evaluating how adorable Yuri was, I realized that more books should have characters from other countries. :)
The side characters were rather meh, however. It's been a week or so since I read this book, and I can't even remember the main love interest's name, she was that forgettable. I understand the role they had in Yuri's stay in America, but still, they were your standard "quirky friends that bring the main character out of his shell" cliche. One of the friends, Lennon was actually pretty entertaining (and gets diversity points for being in a wheelchair) so I wish he got more page time than the girl did (still can't remember her name).
I liked the science aspect of the book and appreciated the amount of research Kennedy put into it. Although most of everything about antimatter went way over my head (if it wasn't obvious, I'm not exactly a physicist) I still enjoyed the pro-NASA pro-science view that seems far too lacking in today's America.
Overall, this was a super adorable book that was enjoyable, but its flaws and cliches keep it just short of becoming great.
Learning to Swear in America follows the story of Yuri, a Russian physics prodigy called to America to help NASA stop an asteroid en route to California. Although the whole "asteroid-impending-doom" premise has been done before, usually it's from the perspective of teenagers who want to do as many crazy things as possible before the world ends. This time, however, it's from a more scientific perspective, and the asteroid actually ends up being more important to plot of this novel than I've seen before.
The majority of my rating for this book is because of Yuri. Yuri is a Russian physics genius, and his voice absolutely sounds like it, despite the third person narrative. I absolutely loved how well his accent came across in the dialogue, and loved even more how cute his character was. Being a visitor from another country for whom English is not a first language, Yuri was adorably socially awkward, misunderstanding American slang and idioms in ways that were totally realistic and affection-inciting. After evaluating how adorable Yuri was, I realized that more books should have characters from other countries. :)
The side characters were rather meh, however. It's been a week or so since I read this book, and I can't even remember the main love interest's name, she was that forgettable. I understand the role they had in Yuri's stay in America, but still, they were your standard "quirky friends that bring the main character out of his shell" cliche. One of the friends, Lennon was actually pretty entertaining (and gets diversity points for being in a wheelchair) so I wish he got more page time than the girl did (still can't remember her name).
I liked the science aspect of the book and appreciated the amount of research Kennedy put into it. Although most of everything about antimatter went way over my head (if it wasn't obvious, I'm not exactly a physicist) I still enjoyed the pro-NASA pro-science view that seems far too lacking in today's America.
Overall, this was a super adorable book that was enjoyable, but its flaws and cliches keep it just short of becoming great.
bushraboblai's review against another edition
5.0
All hail brilliant Russian boy genius scientists, saving the world through science.
mfumarolo's review against another edition
*e-ARC provided by the publisher via Net Galley - thank you! This in no way impacted my opinions of this book.*
It was refreshing to read an end-of-the-world book from the perspective of someone who is both trying to solve the problem as well as continue to have a normal life in spite of some pretty peculiar circumstances. I struggled a bit with Yuri at times, finding him to be a bit dense and closed-minded, but I feel that is because I'm an adult and have already survived my teen years - I'm sure teen readers will be able to identify with this part of his personality. I wasn't a fan of the "Canada" plot line - it felt like a bit much to me - but all in all, it was a quick read that I think teen readers will enjoy.
It was refreshing to read an end-of-the-world book from the perspective of someone who is both trying to solve the problem as well as continue to have a normal life in spite of some pretty peculiar circumstances. I struggled a bit with Yuri at times, finding him to be a bit dense and closed-minded, but I feel that is because I'm an adult and have already survived my teen years - I'm sure teen readers will be able to identify with this part of his personality. I wasn't a fan of the "Canada" plot line - it felt like a bit much to me - but all in all, it was a quick read that I think teen readers will enjoy.
brandypainter's review against another edition
3.0
I didn't like this quite as much as most people I know did though I did find it an enjoyable read. Yuri is a Russian boy genius who comes to America to help deal with a meteor that is going to take out the western US (and possibly Japan). It's a fish out of water story where Yuri meets a girl who helps him see the world differently. That could have been awful but it actually worked fairly well. For me personally there was just a little too much quirky in the characters and how they came together for my enjoyment to turn into full out love. The book is full of humor and heart though and is definitely a good recommendation for teen readers. I will definitely be picking up Kennedy's next book because there was a lot of potential in the writing in this one. I think I could love another book by her the way many of my friends loved this one.