crystal_reading's review
4.0
Review copy: Digital ARC via Netgalley
I did not expect to cry, but the tears welled up more than once. Sometimes because my heart hurt and sometimes they were happy tears. The cover made me think this was going to be an exciting and upbeat book--and it was. But it was definitely more than just a light friendship story. Everyone has struggles they are working through.
The main character has been homeschooled and now is beginning sixth grade at school. I was concerned that the book was going to make homeschooling seem like a horrible thing since Millie had a very negative opinion of it in the beginning. That is balanced out a little later in the book though.
So often young people feel like they may never find people they can really connect with and this book will be easy to relate to for those readers. This would be especially true for those who have unique music tastes. It really was fun to see the friends in all of their excitement and effusiveness about their J-Pop band and the gloriousness of finding other who share their enthusiasm.
One character is nonbinary and uses them/they pronouns. That isn't explained initially so it really isn't something that stands out as an issue for anyone. Later in the story there is a conversation that goes into it a bit when a friend is seeking to understand, but it isn't a conflict it's just part of the character.
Each person is distinct and they are all discovering things about themselves as they learn more about each other. They hurt each other along the way, but they also strengthen each other. Through it all they are learning to be true to themselves.
Recommendation: This will be a great middle grade book to hand to those who enjoy contemporary fiction or music or friendship stories.
I did not expect to cry, but the tears welled up more than once. Sometimes because my heart hurt and sometimes they were happy tears. The cover made me think this was going to be an exciting and upbeat book--and it was. But it was definitely more than just a light friendship story. Everyone has struggles they are working through.
The main character has been homeschooled and now is beginning sixth grade at school. I was concerned that the book was going to make homeschooling seem like a horrible thing since Millie had a very negative opinion of it in the beginning. That is balanced out a little later in the book though.
So often young people feel like they may never find people they can really connect with and this book will be easy to relate to for those readers. This would be especially true for those who have unique music tastes. It really was fun to see the friends in all of their excitement and effusiveness about their J-Pop band and the gloriousness of finding other who share their enthusiasm.
One character is nonbinary and uses them/they pronouns. That isn't explained initially so it really isn't something that stands out as an issue for anyone. Later in the story there is a conversation that goes into it a bit when a friend is seeking to understand, but it isn't a conflict it's just part of the character.
Each person is distinct and they are all discovering things about themselves as they learn more about each other. They hurt each other along the way, but they also strengthen each other. Through it all they are learning to be true to themselves.
Recommendation: This will be a great middle grade book to hand to those who enjoy contemporary fiction or music or friendship stories.
starryeved's review
4.0
Heartwarming, with the characters and their emotional arcs and journeys portrayed vividly, while also sensitively navigating all-too-timely issues. Generation Misfits is an easy-to-read, memorable depiction of feeling like a fish out of water and finding your own family and voice. Really well done.
jerihurd's review
3.0
For a MS Librarian, I'm not always the best reader for middle-grade fiction. Given their understandable focus on identity, I find all too many of them to be rather didactic and on-point in their current issues box-ticking. This is no exception. But this is my summer to catch up on the m-g and YA reading I neglected to do during the year soooo here we are.
The found-family group of girls at the center of novel are engaging, but also the most mature 11 year old I've ever seen. And she's managed to people the school with a group of fairly incompetent teachers who let a new kid struggle without any serious attempts to intervene. But kids won't care about that, and would appreciate the book in general, so will definitely add it to my recommendation rotation.
The found-family group of girls at the center of novel are engaging, but also the most mature 11 year old I've ever seen. And she's managed to people the school with a group of fairly incompetent teachers who let a new kid struggle without any serious attempts to intervene. But kids won't care about that, and would appreciate the book in general, so will definitely add it to my recommendation rotation.
rsngphoenix's review
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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: Bullying and Child abuse
Minor: Vomit
raindrops333's review
emotional
funny
informative
lighthearted
reflective
fast-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? Yes
5.0
anniekslibrary's review
5.0
Akemi Dawn Bowman's middlegrade books are CRIMINALLY underrated, and I'm about to make it everyone's problem. I promise you, you are missing out on so much.
Millie is such a lovely, super relatable main character, and as a huge BTS fan, I loved her passion for her favourite J-Pop group. It was so relatable how she talked about them feeling like her friends and giving her this feeling of community, of belonging. I especially loved how she was able to make friends for the first time in her life because of this fandom, and the cast of characters was absolutely amazing.
Millie is such a lovely, super relatable main character, and as a huge BTS fan, I loved her passion for her favourite J-Pop group. It was so relatable how she talked about them feeling like her friends and giving her this feeling of community, of belonging. I especially loved how she was able to make friends for the first time in her life because of this fandom, and the cast of characters was absolutely amazing.
eeva's review against another edition
4.0
The five main characters? *chef's kiss*
Practically the book version of the movie Turning Red, right down to the main character being a flutist (just kidding, they are quite different but have a bunch of similarities!)
Practically the book version of the movie Turning Red, right down to the main character being a flutist (just kidding, they are quite different but have a bunch of similarities!)
emily_mh's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This was a really well done coming of age story. Throughout the narrative, Millie is faced with the challenge of carving space for herself in her new life: in her relationship with her parents, who think they have her best interests at heart but in reality are just loading on pressure, and at school, in discovering who she wants to be. This was probably my favourite aspect about the story because it showed how messy, confusing, frustrating and elating this process can feel.
I also appreciated how friendship was dealt with, in that it illustrated relationship issues aren't black and white, and that relationships require work and you shouldn't shy away from this.
On top of all this, the book thoughtfully explored some serious issues that involved some of Millie's friends, namely bullying, transphobia, and domestic abuse.
My two problems with the book come from two areas. Firstly, the pacing was a little off; the narrative felt quite slow and at times repetitive in the middle. Secondly, I wanted to see more technical and detailed description of what Millie's band was doing - for such an important part, it felt like it didn't really feature on page.
I also appreciated how friendship was dealt with, in that it illustrated relationship issues aren't black and white, and that relationships require work and you shouldn't shy away from this.
On top of all this, the book thoughtfully explored some serious issues that involved some of Millie's friends, namely bullying, transphobia, and domestic abuse.
My two problems with the book come from two areas. Firstly, the pacing was a little off; the narrative felt quite slow and at times repetitive in the middle. Secondly, I wanted to see more technical and detailed description of what Millie's band was doing - for such an important part, it felt like it didn't really feature on page.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Bullying
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Racism, and Vomit
Minor: divorce, adoptionsaucy_bookdragon's review
4.0
Review
Akemi Dawn Bowman is both one of the most versatile authors and relatable for me.
She went from writing only YA contemporary to now doing YA sci-fi and middle grade contemporary and does it all well. The way she can effortlessly cross not only genres but age catagories is truly a testament to how good her writing is. It doesn't matter what she writes because she's just a good writer period.
This is a really cute and wholesome story about found family and fitting in! I was mainly homeschooled until middle school like this story's protagonist and found her story surprisingly accurate to my own experience. The awkwardness of not knowing basic things like how homework works, using fandom to make friends because you don't really know how else to, parents having second guesses, etc. Gets the 'I was homeschooled' seal of approval from me!
And can we just take a minute to stan this friendgroup? They're so sweet and have such amazing and realistic dynamics. They're also really diverse with multiple poc characters and some LGBTQ+ rep with a nonbinary character.
The reason I'm not giving it a full five stars like other ADB books is because I rarely connect with middle grade books deeply enough to give them a full five stars anymore. It's not a problem at all with the book it's a me thing which is fine. Despite this being for a younger audience than me, I still found the vast majority of it enjoyable!
I could see kids gobbling this up. If it had come out back when I was these characters' ages, it would've been one of if not my favorite book. But there's still a lot of it adults and teens can love about it too!
Update October 2020
This cover is adorable! Wake me up when it's 2021 where there are two Akemi Dawn Bowman releases!
Prereview March 2019
First Bowman writes a book about an introverted dreamer, then one with an ace protagonist, now a book about a homeschooler going to a school for the first time in middle school.
At this point it's suspicious how much these books are like my life . . .
Akemi Dawn Bowman is both one of the most versatile authors and relatable for me.
She went from writing only YA contemporary to now doing YA sci-fi and middle grade contemporary and does it all well. The way she can effortlessly cross not only genres but age catagories is truly a testament to how good her writing is. It doesn't matter what she writes because she's just a good writer period.
This is a really cute and wholesome story about found family and fitting in! I was mainly homeschooled until middle school like this story's protagonist and found her story surprisingly accurate to my own experience. The awkwardness of not knowing basic things like how homework works, using fandom to make friends because you don't really know how else to, parents having second guesses, etc. Gets the 'I was homeschooled' seal of approval from me!
And can we just take a minute to stan this friendgroup? They're so sweet and have such amazing and realistic dynamics. They're also really diverse with multiple poc characters and some LGBTQ+ rep with a nonbinary character.
The reason I'm not giving it a full five stars like other ADB books is because I rarely connect with middle grade books deeply enough to give them a full five stars anymore. It's not a problem at all with the book it's a me thing which is fine. Despite this being for a younger audience than me, I still found the vast majority of it enjoyable!
I could see kids gobbling this up. If it had come out back when I was these characters' ages, it would've been one of if not my favorite book. But there's still a lot of it adults and teens can love about it too!
Update October 2020
This cover is adorable! Wake me up when it's 2021 where there are two Akemi Dawn Bowman releases!
Prereview March 2019
First Bowman writes a book about an introverted dreamer, then one with an ace protagonist, now a book about a homeschooler going to a school for the first time in middle school.
At this point it's suspicious how much these books are like my life . . .