tracybabler's review against another edition
3.0
I received a free review copy of Stu Truly from the publisher. All opinions are my own. Stu Truly is a light-hearted MG about a boy whose family owns a butcher shop developing his first crush on the new girl at school, who is a vegetarian. Before he can stop himself, Stu announces that he is a vegetarian, too. This makes for a hilarious setup for their for their budding friendship, culminating in the town parade in which Stu's dad makes him dress up like a rack of ribs.
The author's dry humor is unique in this age range, giving young readers a lot of credit for their ability to detect sarcasm. Stu's humor shines in his observations of the changing landscape of the world around him as he and his male friends start to become interested in girls. At its best, it is self-deprecating and incredulous, adding to the likability of Stu and his crew. Many young readers will relate to Stu's confusions and uncertainties. And his equally silly and kind friends add to the fun.
I was disappointed with two aspects of the book. First, the gender-based humor often felt tired. A lot of out-dated narratives are reinforced that don't feel relevant or helpful. This detracted from the otherwise smart humor the author is clearly capable of. On top of that, all of the characters are white, which contributed to the lack of universal relevance for this generation of readers.
The author's dry humor is unique in this age range, giving young readers a lot of credit for their ability to detect sarcasm. Stu's humor shines in his observations of the changing landscape of the world around him as he and his male friends start to become interested in girls. At its best, it is self-deprecating and incredulous, adding to the likability of Stu and his crew. Many young readers will relate to Stu's confusions and uncertainties. And his equally silly and kind friends add to the fun.
I was disappointed with two aspects of the book. First, the gender-based humor often felt tired. A lot of out-dated narratives are reinforced that don't feel relevant or helpful. This detracted from the otherwise smart humor the author is clearly capable of. On top of that, all of the characters are white, which contributed to the lack of universal relevance for this generation of readers.
lissystrata's review against another edition
4.0
Okay, so when I was at the booth for this one and the sales woman was telling me about it, she said something like “…and as you can see, he’s dressed up as a piece of meat.” And I replied with “Not just any meat- choice cuts.” And we had a good laugh because Spongebob jokes.
So here we have a kid, Stu Truly, who is on the cusp of puberty and is about to discover girls and the crazy things he will to in order to impress said girls.
Like seeing the cute new girl, Becca, eating an all-veggie lunch and telling her that his family is vegetarian, too!
Except they’re not. They don’t even do veggies that much. They actually own a butcher shop, and Stu’s dad wants him to be in a parade float dressed up as some prime ribs for the town’s Irrigation Festival.
This is probably going to ruin everything for Stu, since he’s deeply committed to the lie, going so far as to help Becca plan a protest in the cafeteria over their lack of veggie options.
Every page of this oozes the sheer awkwardness of middle school- noticing girls! (or boys!) School dances! Squaredancing in gym! Sweaty palms! And is this a first date or are we going to the carnival as friends? Sheer poetry! I was never a twelve-year-old boy, but reading this gives me a much better idea of what puberty might have been like for the other side. And Richard’s writing is so funny I frequently had to stop and quote what I was reading to anyone within earshot.
My only complaint about this book is what kind of zucchini bread has the author been eating? Because I make this stuff all the time and it is most certainly not green and it tastes sinfully delicious! Dan! Hmu, man, I’ll give you the good recipes!
So here we have a kid, Stu Truly, who is on the cusp of puberty and is about to discover girls and the crazy things he will to in order to impress said girls.
Like seeing the cute new girl, Becca, eating an all-veggie lunch and telling her that his family is vegetarian, too!
Except they’re not. They don’t even do veggies that much. They actually own a butcher shop, and Stu’s dad wants him to be in a parade float dressed up as some prime ribs for the town’s Irrigation Festival.
This is probably going to ruin everything for Stu, since he’s deeply committed to the lie, going so far as to help Becca plan a protest in the cafeteria over their lack of veggie options.
Every page of this oozes the sheer awkwardness of middle school- noticing girls! (or boys!) School dances! Squaredancing in gym! Sweaty palms! And is this a first date or are we going to the carnival as friends? Sheer poetry! I was never a twelve-year-old boy, but reading this gives me a much better idea of what puberty might have been like for the other side. And Richard’s writing is so funny I frequently had to stop and quote what I was reading to anyone within earshot.
My only complaint about this book is what kind of zucchini bread has the author been eating? Because I make this stuff all the time and it is most certainly not green and it tastes sinfully delicious! Dan! Hmu, man, I’ll give you the good recipes!
honey_ob's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
sab_reads14's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
portiabturner's review against another edition
4.0
From the very first sentence of this book, I was on board and in love. Dan Richards has created a very real child in Stu Truly. This is a middle grade novel with quite a few morals (dealing mostly with lying and acceptance) but it never feels preachy or like it is pushing an agenda. And I love that it dealt with showing kids that healthy foods can be tasty! We have all dealt with being tempted to lie to make people like us more but Richards, though Stu, shows that being yourself is the best. He also does some great exploration of family dynamics and how family helps to define an identity. But mostly this book is just a load of fun. I had to force myself to stop reading parts out loud so that my roommates would have to read it as well.
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