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stitchbooks22's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
lexilovesreadingandlaufey's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, and Alcohol
Minor: Death of parent and Murder
owly2014's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Alcoholism, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
maggieoc_x's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Death of parent
Moderate: Kidnapping, Grief, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Confinement, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
erebus53's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
The tone of the story is charming and peppered with conversational notes for children on vocabulary and grammar ("vocabulary and grammar", in this sense means, the words that are used, and in which order, so that they make good sense.) I laughed at parts of the story such as when a child is reading late at night and is so tired that he repeats the same part over and repeats the same part over and repeats the same part over.
I find it a little irksome that to have scary adult characters they lean into the body horror, caricaturing an amputee with two hooks for hands and a fat, gender indeterminate person with white eyes. It's a bit circus freakshow, and challenges my desire for positive representation of Disability. Call me a snowflake, I dare you.
For a book that ostensibly has nothing but unfortunate happenings, sad beginnings, and sad endings, I was still not surprised that the children use their extensive resourcefulness to solve problems. It would be utterly unengaging if there was no hope, but the whole point is that these children are relatively irrepressible (which means that compared to most people, they don't let unfortunate or difficult things stop them). Yes the ending faces them with a new valamity, but such is the way with serial stories.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment
thechocolatefinger's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, and Grief
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Minor: Alcoholism and Fire/Fire injury
The adult/minor relationship (villain adult man with 14-year-old girl) isn’t real, it’s alucyselim's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Alcoholism, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
sophiemar's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
mayr3adsab00k's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Moderate: Child abuse
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Confinement, Blood, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Alcohol
etherealyoungster's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
Moderate: Death, Physical abuse, Torture, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting