froggylibrarian1's review against another edition
4.0
This is the story of Liberty and Billie. Their mother has recently dies and their long lost father has come to take care of them. The book opens however with the girls sitting at a gas station and their father has left them there. What follows is Liberty's attempt to protect her sister, get in touch with her mom's best friend, and avoid the painful truth about her father.
I enjoyed the book but did find a lot of times where I had to suspend belief - they rode in a car and then a truck for hours without being discovered? Then the 2 Star Wars boys just beating each other up? A bit much to take. The ending as well was hard in that the father was really messed up and it did paint anxiety, depression, etc in a pretty bad light.
I am torn between whether I would actually want my students to read this. Would it make their lives seem better by comparison? Or would some unfortunately relate too much? They wouldn't mind the plot problems like I do... Have to think more about this one.
I enjoyed the book but did find a lot of times where I had to suspend belief - they rode in a car and then a truck for hours without being discovered? Then the 2 Star Wars boys just beating each other up? A bit much to take. The ending as well was hard in that the father was really messed up and it did paint anxiety, depression, etc in a pretty bad light.
I am torn between whether I would actually want my students to read this. Would it make their lives seem better by comparison? Or would some unfortunately relate too much? They wouldn't mind the plot problems like I do... Have to think more about this one.
gabs_myfullbookshelf's review against another edition
4.0
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Survival Strategies of the Almost Brave is a middle grade story that feels distinctly middle grade as far as the voice of the protagonist and such, but at the same time I really enjoyed. This is kind of rare for me, because recently I’ve found that I really only love middle grade when the narrator sounds a bit older than the norm in this genre. So this is probably a miracle that will only happen once every thousand years, and you should all bask in it.
Survival Strategies of the Almost Brave is sometimes saddening to read because these poor girls have been through so much. But it is also fantastic to read, because the whole story takes place in such a short amount of time, yet the people that Billie and Liberty meet and the way they stick together and care for one another makes it contain the richness and complexity of a story that takes place over a much longer period of time.
Billie and Liberty are two sisters recently abandoned by their father. They have to stick together to try and get in touch with their mother’s friend, but that’s more difficult than it sounds. I just wanted to hug these poor girls; I can’t imagine going through something like this and handling it as well as they did. Liberty’s method of staying calm and having to be mature for her age really made me like her and feel sorry for her at the same time.
All the people that the girls meet, even though some of them are only a part of the story briefly, are all really well written; they all feel human. Some are rude, some are cruel, some are nice, some are scared. Whatever they were like, though, they all seemed to have been well-thought out, rather than background-fillers.
Of course, there’s the question of why Billie and Liberty have been left by their father at a gas station, and I was so angry when I found the answer. But it’s also not a hundred percent black and white as far as how awful their father is, for reasons I can’t disclose, and I liked that.
I really, really liked this story. I think it deals with some topics that aren’t too common in middle grade, and it does them in a way that still retains the genre’s feel. It’s definitely something I’d recommend.
Survival Strategies of the Almost Brave is a middle grade story that feels distinctly middle grade as far as the voice of the protagonist and such, but at the same time I really enjoyed. This is kind of rare for me, because recently I’ve found that I really only love middle grade when the narrator sounds a bit older than the norm in this genre. So this is probably a miracle that will only happen once every thousand years, and you should all bask in it.
Survival Strategies of the Almost Brave is sometimes saddening to read because these poor girls have been through so much. But it is also fantastic to read, because the whole story takes place in such a short amount of time, yet the people that Billie and Liberty meet and the way they stick together and care for one another makes it contain the richness and complexity of a story that takes place over a much longer period of time.
Billie and Liberty are two sisters recently abandoned by their father. They have to stick together to try and get in touch with their mother’s friend, but that’s more difficult than it sounds. I just wanted to hug these poor girls; I can’t imagine going through something like this and handling it as well as they did. Liberty’s method of staying calm and having to be mature for her age really made me like her and feel sorry for her at the same time.
All the people that the girls meet, even though some of them are only a part of the story briefly, are all really well written; they all feel human. Some are rude, some are cruel, some are nice, some are scared. Whatever they were like, though, they all seemed to have been well-thought out, rather than background-fillers.
Of course, there’s the question of why Billie and Liberty have been left by their father at a gas station, and I was so angry when I found the answer. But it’s also not a hundred percent black and white as far as how awful their father is, for reasons I can’t disclose, and I liked that.
I really, really liked this story. I think it deals with some topics that aren’t too common in middle grade, and it does them in a way that still retains the genre’s feel. It’s definitely something I’d recommend.
kristenjane's review against another edition
5.0
This was a fabulous read. The stories, the characters, the plot, and even the writing style—I loved the character development the most, and thought the narration and “animal illustrations” were superb!
-RG, 8th grade, 10/2018
-RG, 8th grade, 10/2018
librarienne's review against another edition
5.0
Subtly brilliant; quietly devastating. I almost didn't notice that this is one of the best books I've ever read.
mon_ique's review against another edition
3.0
Do I think the actions of Liberty were at times really stupid? Sure! But I liked the way this book dealt with the issue of being abandoned, though at times I felt Liberty's emotions were written weirdly, and that her sister was a major brat at times. Especially for an 8 year old.
kb_the_gm's review against another edition
5.0
This was absolutely a page-turner! I got it for Christmas a few years back from my cousin and I really did enjoy reading it. I will say that it sort of stressed me out to read it, but I would argue that any good book will do that to you!
jillcd's review against another edition
3.0
A story about sisters and their dedication to one another. There are some emotional moments in the book but I think some kids will enjoy it.
claire_hischke's review against another edition
5.0
In the beginning I cried. In the middle I couldn’t put I down, in the end I was satisfied.
blueberrywgin's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
theartolater's review against another edition
2.0
I think I understand why authors want to tackle difficult ideas and concepts for a middle grade audience. I don't get some of the choices that are being made, though. Survival Strategies of the Almost Brave is closer along the lines of Sara Pennypacker's Summer of the Gypsy Moths, complete with a questionable narrative and truly unfortunate plot to go with it. The story is about a pair of siblings trying to survive in what is effectively the middle of nowhere because their father abandons them at a gas station.
Yup.
I don't even know what to say about this in any real detail. Does this happen? Sure, I'm positive it's not just concocted out of nowhere. Does that mean this book really meets the needs of the intended audience? Do the complexities of the decision being made (complete, by the way, with an utter lack of understanding of those complexities, creating a black and white situation out of emotional necessity as opposed to something more nuanced) offer anything? I don't know.
Skip this one. It's too juvenile for those looking for sophistication or even YA-level narratives, and it's too complicated for most middle grade readers anyway.
Yup.
I don't even know what to say about this in any real detail. Does this happen? Sure, I'm positive it's not just concocted out of nowhere. Does that mean this book really meets the needs of the intended audience? Do the complexities of the decision being made (complete, by the way, with an utter lack of understanding of those complexities, creating a black and white situation out of emotional necessity as opposed to something more nuanced) offer anything? I don't know.
Skip this one. It's too juvenile for those looking for sophistication or even YA-level narratives, and it's too complicated for most middle grade readers anyway.