h0llyr00th's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Apple is not the most sympathetic but maybe that makes her a more realistic teenager. Reading this book in MN is particularly powerful, I imagine.
mbartman21's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
3.0
xandrade's review against another edition
1.0
I read this because we're reading it in 7th grade ELA this year; it starts out okay for a middle grade novel but falls apart for me by the end. The death at the end doesn't really seem to serve a purpose and a lot of the character growth feels ham-fisted. Also, the constant parenthetical asides and fairly outdated references make her seem less realistic as a character.
I really wanted to love this; a local-ish author! Own voices! But I think there are better options out there.
I really wanted to love this; a local-ish author! Own voices! But I think there are better options out there.
colindac's review against another edition
4.0
One of my fav YA reads of the year, for grades 8-10. Hard to source which is unfortunate.
kellyjcm's review against another edition
An important story about a girl learning about her Native heritage and understanding her place in the world. Reads more middle grade than young adult, but that’s not a detraction, just an observation.
amarieads's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
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
4.0
tracyfeye's review against another edition
3.0
I was disappointed overall. The narrator’s voice didn’t resonate with me and I didn’t connect with the humor either. It resolved nicely with a good message but was a miss for me
cottonquilts's review against another edition
4.0
This is very much an insider’s story. Quigley, a Turtle Mountain Chippewa woman, relates that the book is based in stories from her growing up and from people around her. While I feel confident in reviewing this #ownvoices book that is outside my culture, I did feel the need to verify some of the facts and to be sure my names and descriptions were correct. From reading the Notes at the end of the book and checking with Cynthia Leitich Smith and Debbie Reese, I think I know a little more about Native American culture than I did before beginning this review. We have to learn to ask what we don’t know. There are elements of the book that belong in a Native American book, but not in a review written by an African American woman. Given that ‘Apple’ is in the title and is the name of the character, I had to use it and explain it. Slurs should be left alone. But, Apple Starkington wasn’t that slur. She was the apple of her mother’s eye.
full review is on my blog https://campbele.wordpress.com/2018/10/04/review-apple-in-the-middle/
full review is on my blog https://campbele.wordpress.com/2018/10/04/review-apple-in-the-middle/
yapha's review against another edition
4.0
I had a hard time getting into this at first. I didn't really like Apple very much in the beginning. Possibly because she didn't like herself very much. As she learns more about her Native family, she also learns to like herself more and that changes the whole feel of the book. Recommended for grades 6 & up.