mandi_lea's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Graphic: Body shaming, Antisemitism, Blood, Bullying, and Religious bigotry
qrschulte's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Antisemitism, Body shaming, Bullying, Sexism, Abandonment, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Toxic friendship, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Misogyny and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Homophobia, Child abuse, Blood, and Infertility
missrosymaplemoth's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Bullying, Religious bigotry, and Antisemitism
Moderate: Blood
disnelyse's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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: Religious bigotry, Blood, and Antisemitism
Moderate: Body shaming and Bullying
mnerd63's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Blood, Antisemitism, and Religious bigotry
littleseal's review against another edition
Moderate: Body shaming, Misogyny, Blood, Sexism, Toxic friendship, Bullying, Antisemitism, and Religious bigotry
katiea714's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Antisemitism, Blood, Religious bigotry, and Abandonment
Moderate: Body shaming
Minor: Bullying
quillreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Spoiler
Margaret hears rumors that Mr. Benedict treats Laura differently because she is the only girl in the class with fully developed breasts. Margaret assumes that this is true and observes some behaviors that might indicate this to be the case. However, the whole situation is rather ambiguous because we later learn that the source of these rumors is highly unreliable. I would have liked to have seen more in the book that a) clearly indicates that a teacher treating a child differently because of how their body has developed is NOT OKAY and/or b) indicates that Mr. Benedict is not, in fact, a creep. As it stands, the book treats it as an unfortunate but “to be expected” sort of thing. If your child is reading this book, I suggest having a conversation about what behaviors are not appropriate from teachers and other authority figures.Spoiler
Moderate: Antisemitism, Bullying, and Sexism
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Injury/Injury detail, and Blood
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This is a pretty quick read, and at this point, there are things in here that kids definitely won't relate to. But the overall message is important, and I can see why this book has withstood the test of time. It's not my favorite book I've ever read, but it's a quick read and still considered a children's classic.
Moderate: Fatphobia, Bullying, and Antisemitism
Minor: Body shaming and Misogyny
bitterseason's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Moderate: Antisemitism and Bullying
Minor: Body shaming, Fatphobia, and Misogyny