tyrean's review against another edition
5.0
Exquisitely written, Gadget Girl: The Art of Being Invisible shares a poignant tale of a young woman who finds truth, courage, and real beauty. I highly recommend this book to all readers!
crystalisreading's review against another edition
3.0
This was a cute, short read. Aiko was a likable teenage protagonist. Some of her behavior was typical teenager and a little difficult, but given the challenges and family issues with which she was dealing, I think she was a pretty emotionally healthy, well balanced girl. Her friendship with Whitney feels sweet and real and healthy. The interactions with boys like Chad and Luke and even Herve seem realistic too--awkward and exciting and boring and sweet and sad and real. Aiko's mom is a complex and well-developed character who is believably flawed, but with a good heart. Raoul was almost a little too good to be true, but I still liked him and his interactions with Aiko and her mom. I love the setting in France--the experiences felt real, for someone who hasn't been there. The book also manages to sneak in a lot of facts about art, art history, manga, Japanese language and culture, indigo production, French culture/ language/ cuisine/ history, life with disabilities like cerebral palsy, etc, in a way that doesn't feel forced or didactic, just interesting. Overall, a worthwhile and fun little read.
alexalovesbooks's review against another edition
3.0
[Originally posted on Alexa Loves Books]
Three things about Gadget Girl immediately caught my eye - the cover, France and Japan. Reeled in even further by the promise of a cute contemporary story, I started and finished this novel in a matter of hours. Aiko's tale flows easily from scene to scene, setting to setting, and wraps up with an ending that's perfectly satisfying. If you're on the hunt for cute (and fairly unique) contemporary reads, this might be just the sort of thing you're looking for.
Aiko is the kind of female character I generally love: quirky and unique and all sorts of wonderful. Even though Aiko generally keeps to herself (mostly because of her condition), her thoughts are very entertaining! One of her particularly admirable traits is her dedication to her art, as she consistently works on a manga entitled, you guessed it, Gadget Girl. It's also pretty cool to see how she doesn't let her cerebral palsy get to her when it comes to living her life, as she constantly seems courageous enough to go on a bunch of adventures (particularly when she arrives in France!).
Aiko has always been her mother's muse, since her mom is pretty determined to make the world aware of cerebral palsy through her art. Their relationship is one of the things I liked reading about in the book, because we see both the good parts and the not-so-good parts of it in this book. Aiko's mom is pretty cool and very determined to make her daughter feel normal in spite of the condition (which is what she thinks her art does). It's been Aiko and her mom against the world for as long as Aiko can remember, and that's something that really reinforces their bond. On the not-so-good side, Aiko has issues with her mom constantly using her as a muse. Plus, sometimes, when she gets too into her art, she doesn't necessarily pay very much attention to Aiko or taking care of things (like making sure they're fed properly for instance!). In the end, one thing is clear to us -- Aiko loves her mom, and her mom loves her too.
I enjoyed reading about the other characters, like Whitney (Aiko's best friend) and Herve (a boy Aiko meets in France). But my favorite character has got to be Raoul, who is Aiko's mother's latest boyfriend. He completely won me over with how charming and kind he was to Aiko. It was so fun to read about him being a superb cook, particularly since his food always sounded so delicious!
The setting of this book was also a standout - particularly the parts that were set in France. It was fun to read about Aiko's adventures in Paris, particularly in terms of the food she ate and the places she was able to visit. And she also took a side trip with her mother to Lourdes, which was very interesting indeed as I rarely hear of that setting mentioned in fictional books! I've always dreamed of visiting France myself, so to sort of get the chance to do that was definitely a bonus.
Story-wise, Kamata takes a risk by juggling so many various threads in Aiko's experience. There's the longing she has to meet her father, even though she knows nothing but the most basic things about him. There's the complications of the relationship she has with her mother. Then there's her dream of becoming a manga artist -- if she can manage to be brave enough to reveal that she creates Gadget Girl. And, of course, there's her first experiences with love and romance. Even with all of these things happening to Aiko, Kamata does a great job keeping them all equally balanced in the telling of this story. None of the stories really falter, though I do think the way that certain things ended (particularly the bit with her father) was a bit too neat for my tastes.
My only real reservations about Gadget Girl? I wish I'd felt more connected to Aiko. I did like her a lot, but I wasn't personally invested in her character and remained on the fringes as an observer. I also wish that there had been bits of the Gadget Girl manga included, because it would have been really cool to see the product of Aiko's hard work!
Gadget Girl is really a quick, enjoyable read that will keep you occupied for a couple of hours! I was entertained as I followed Aiko on all her adventures, including when she had her "moment of truth". It's always fun to read an easy, contemporary novel every now and then, and Kamata did a good job with this one!
Three things about Gadget Girl immediately caught my eye - the cover, France and Japan. Reeled in even further by the promise of a cute contemporary story, I started and finished this novel in a matter of hours. Aiko's tale flows easily from scene to scene, setting to setting, and wraps up with an ending that's perfectly satisfying. If you're on the hunt for cute (and fairly unique) contemporary reads, this might be just the sort of thing you're looking for.
Aiko is the kind of female character I generally love: quirky and unique and all sorts of wonderful. Even though Aiko generally keeps to herself (mostly because of her condition), her thoughts are very entertaining! One of her particularly admirable traits is her dedication to her art, as she consistently works on a manga entitled, you guessed it, Gadget Girl. It's also pretty cool to see how she doesn't let her cerebral palsy get to her when it comes to living her life, as she constantly seems courageous enough to go on a bunch of adventures (particularly when she arrives in France!).
Aiko has always been her mother's muse, since her mom is pretty determined to make the world aware of cerebral palsy through her art. Their relationship is one of the things I liked reading about in the book, because we see both the good parts and the not-so-good parts of it in this book. Aiko's mom is pretty cool and very determined to make her daughter feel normal in spite of the condition (which is what she thinks her art does). It's been Aiko and her mom against the world for as long as Aiko can remember, and that's something that really reinforces their bond. On the not-so-good side, Aiko has issues with her mom constantly using her as a muse. Plus, sometimes, when she gets too into her art, she doesn't necessarily pay very much attention to Aiko or taking care of things (like making sure they're fed properly for instance!). In the end, one thing is clear to us -- Aiko loves her mom, and her mom loves her too.
I enjoyed reading about the other characters, like Whitney (Aiko's best friend) and Herve (a boy Aiko meets in France). But my favorite character has got to be Raoul, who is Aiko's mother's latest boyfriend. He completely won me over with how charming and kind he was to Aiko. It was so fun to read about him being a superb cook, particularly since his food always sounded so delicious!
The setting of this book was also a standout - particularly the parts that were set in France. It was fun to read about Aiko's adventures in Paris, particularly in terms of the food she ate and the places she was able to visit. And she also took a side trip with her mother to Lourdes, which was very interesting indeed as I rarely hear of that setting mentioned in fictional books! I've always dreamed of visiting France myself, so to sort of get the chance to do that was definitely a bonus.
Story-wise, Kamata takes a risk by juggling so many various threads in Aiko's experience. There's the longing she has to meet her father, even though she knows nothing but the most basic things about him. There's the complications of the relationship she has with her mother. Then there's her dream of becoming a manga artist -- if she can manage to be brave enough to reveal that she creates Gadget Girl. And, of course, there's her first experiences with love and romance. Even with all of these things happening to Aiko, Kamata does a great job keeping them all equally balanced in the telling of this story. None of the stories really falter, though I do think the way that certain things ended (particularly the bit with her father) was a bit too neat for my tastes.
My only real reservations about Gadget Girl? I wish I'd felt more connected to Aiko. I did like her a lot, but I wasn't personally invested in her character and remained on the fringes as an observer. I also wish that there had been bits of the Gadget Girl manga included, because it would have been really cool to see the product of Aiko's hard work!
Gadget Girl is really a quick, enjoyable read that will keep you occupied for a couple of hours! I was entertained as I followed Aiko on all her adventures, including when she had her "moment of truth". It's always fun to read an easy, contemporary novel every now and then, and Kamata did a good job with this one!
crayolabee's review
I wanted to like this book, but I just Did Not Get It. and thus, I Did Not Finish either. (I made my DNF shelf here just for this book, lovely.)
1. The manga connection is weak and unconvincing. To be frank, her manga Gadget Girl doesn't sound very interesting or good at all. Additionally, references to other manga/anime series are either uninspired and obvious, like Hayao Miyazaki, or just plain wrong, like when she and her friend play Sailor Moon, with one as "Sailor Moon" and the other as -- get this -- "Venus Moon". Bro, do you even manga???
2. It's weirdly anachronistic. She's watching hit counts on her web page? Far, far more likely to watch Likes on a Facebook page for this kind of thing. Actually, a social media aspect might have been just the update this book needed. It would be anonymous! current! social! It also allows for discussion/queries about Gadget Girl's author. (For an example of a really good novel with anonymous manga-ish comics, read I Am Princess X by Cherie Priest.) Her friend also rents DVDs. I guess people still DO that, but I don't know anyone who says "I rented a movie" these days, especially not teenagers. More "I got a movie from RedBox/the library" or "this movie's on Netflix". I understand this book was originally published as a novella in 2008. However, if it's set in 2008 or earlier, I think it should name itself as being set in 2008 (or whenever). This story could have benefited a lot from an update.
3. I had to put it down when I got to the part where they're watching a movie about Saint Bernadette, who was cured of her chronic disease after witnessing a miracle. And this somehow gives her hope about curing her cerebral palsy? seriously? I think there's definitely a place for "maybe this will be a cure" in books with disabled protagonists, but inspired by a dumb movie? That is, frankly, absurd. And a little insulting. I was considering recommending this book to another person I know who has cerebral palsy, but there is no way I would do that now.
To be clear, I don't hate this book. The parts just don't add up to a cohesive whole, in my mind, and I can't get past that.
Though really--as a Sailor Moon fan, the "Venus Moon" thing is rather unforgivable. (Actually, for that matter, the idea that no one else knew who Sailor Moon was in their town is kind of odd. IT WAS ON TV, Y'ALL. It's not exactly an obscure 3-episode never-translated-or-licensed OVA.) I probably should have dropped it after reading that, but that was page 14 and I wanted to give it a chance.
1. The manga connection is weak and unconvincing. To be frank, her manga Gadget Girl doesn't sound very interesting or good at all. Additionally, references to other manga/anime series are either uninspired and obvious, like Hayao Miyazaki, or just plain wrong, like when she and her friend play Sailor Moon, with one as "Sailor Moon" and the other as -- get this -- "Venus Moon". Bro, do you even manga???
2. It's weirdly anachronistic. She's watching hit counts on her web page? Far, far more likely to watch Likes on a Facebook page for this kind of thing. Actually, a social media aspect might have been just the update this book needed. It would be anonymous! current! social! It also allows for discussion/queries about Gadget Girl's author. (For an example of a really good novel with anonymous manga-ish comics, read I Am Princess X by Cherie Priest.) Her friend also rents DVDs. I guess people still DO that, but I don't know anyone who says "I rented a movie" these days, especially not teenagers. More "I got a movie from RedBox/the library" or "this movie's on Netflix". I understand this book was originally published as a novella in 2008. However, if it's set in 2008 or earlier, I think it should name itself as being set in 2008 (or whenever). This story could have benefited a lot from an update.
3. I had to put it down when I got to the part where they're watching a movie about Saint Bernadette, who was cured of her chronic disease after witnessing a miracle. And this somehow gives her hope about curing her cerebral palsy? seriously? I think there's definitely a place for "maybe this will be a cure" in books with disabled protagonists, but inspired by a dumb movie? That is, frankly, absurd. And a little insulting. I was considering recommending this book to another person I know who has cerebral palsy, but there is no way I would do that now.
To be clear, I don't hate this book. The parts just don't add up to a cohesive whole, in my mind, and I can't get past that.
Though really--as a Sailor Moon fan, the "Venus Moon" thing is rather unforgivable. (Actually, for that matter, the idea that no one else knew who Sailor Moon was in their town is kind of odd. IT WAS ON TV, Y'ALL. It's not exactly an obscure 3-episode never-translated-or-licensed OVA.) I probably should have dropped it after reading that, but that was page 14 and I wanted to give it a chance.
mysterybuff's review
4.0
Aiko has dreams. She wants to meet her father - an indigo farmer in Japan. She wants to be a mangaka (Manga author) and she wants to be invisible. Or if not invisible, then at least not made fun of for her disabilities.
Gadget Girl, written by a wonderful woman I met in Paris, is a sweet coming-of-age story of a girl growing up in Michigan. Aiko doesn't have it easy. Not only is she one of only a handful of biracial kids in her entire school, AND has cerebral palsy and the use of only one arm, BUT her mother has also used her as a muse for her sculptures which, much to Aiko's chagrin, are becoming world famous. None of these things help Aiko in her quest of remaining invisible and the book deals with her acceptance of who she is and the role she has to play in the world.
I really liked this book. Read it in one day in fact. At times I wished the author would have dug a bit deeper into her world and Aiko's feelings. Quite a few things remained only on surface level and I would have liked to have gone deeper. Especially when it came to the relationship with her father. Because of that, I think this book is more a Middle Grade book than a YA book. But it is one I will be passing on to my own kids. Especially my son whose only dream in life is to go to Japan and become a mangaka. Just like Aiko.
Gadget Girl, written by a wonderful woman I met in Paris, is a sweet coming-of-age story of a girl growing up in Michigan. Aiko doesn't have it easy. Not only is she one of only a handful of biracial kids in her entire school, AND has cerebral palsy and the use of only one arm, BUT her mother has also used her as a muse for her sculptures which, much to Aiko's chagrin, are becoming world famous. None of these things help Aiko in her quest of remaining invisible and the book deals with her acceptance of who she is and the role she has to play in the world.
I really liked this book. Read it in one day in fact. At times I wished the author would have dug a bit deeper into her world and Aiko's feelings. Quite a few things remained only on surface level and I would have liked to have gone deeper. Especially when it came to the relationship with her father. Because of that, I think this book is more a Middle Grade book than a YA book. But it is one I will be passing on to my own kids. Especially my son whose only dream in life is to go to Japan and become a mangaka. Just like Aiko.
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