Reviews

Absolutely Almost by Lisa Graff

akiha's review against another edition

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4.0

Il était court :'O. Bon, c'est un 3,5 mais je suis sympa, j'arrondis au-dessus. J'avais lu une critique qui disait que ça faisait penser à "Wonder" et c'est pour ça que j'avais voulu le lire. C'est clairement en deçà de "Wonder" pour moi, même si y a le côté un gamin un peu spécial qui raconte l'histoire à travers ses yeux. Y a pas de motto aussi fort que dans "Wonder" (et le pire c'est que c'est aussi un prof qui dit la catchphrase, donc vraiment les similarités se multiplient). Après j'ai bien aimé le perso de la baby-sitter et aussi ceux des parents. C'est dommage qu'on ne comprenne pas plus le meilleur ami ou d'autres persos secondaires. Ah et au final, on connait Albie mais sans vraiment le connaître. En fait, j'ai eu un gros sentiment d'inachevé à la fin et j'étais complètement insatisfaite par la conclusion...

ashtonbakerreads's review against another edition

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4.0

I won this book in a giveaway on Goodreads. I loved it! Albie is one of those sweet, innocent characters who makes the mistakes children often make, or who struggles and feels so much and goes through a lot of negative for being different. Highly recommend it to all ages.

elinacre's review against another edition

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4.0

a sweet little read! i liked the diversity represented in the characters. it felt like a realistic perspective of a 3rd-ish grader.

katy_irene's review against another edition

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5.0

Albie's story is so powerful and genuine it will be loved by so many readers. I usually have a really hard time connecting with the NYC setting because of my midwest upbringing. Let it be known that I loved Graff's NYC setting. Recommend this one to teachers (it would be a perfect read aloud) and fans of Wonder.

bethgiven's review against another edition

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3.0

Fans of Auggie from [b:Wonder|23302416|Wonder|R.J. Palacio|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1412358842s/23302416.jpg|16319487] will enjoy the story of Albie, another fifth-grader from New York City who starts at a new school and deals with bullies. Albie is different from Auggie, though: Auggie stands out, while Albie is completely average ... maybe even a little below average. He doesn't like to read anything but Captain Underpants; he's not that great at drawing; he is in remedial math; he flunks his spelling tests. He doesn't even have dyslexia to blame for his trouble at school; he's just -- average.

I loved Albie. While he's not quick-witted, he is good-hearted and thoughtful and kind and authentic. I found myself rooting for him and really loved the gentle arc of this character-driven story. Younger readers will hopefully pick up on Albie's perseverance and empathy; their parents will get a lesson on putting aside expectations and learning to love unconditionally (I thought the author did a great job of creating very flawed but loving parents). An easy read (this truly is geared to late elementary school ages), but definitely a satisfying one, too.

oneangrylibrarian's review against another edition

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3.0

This book was okay. It provided a lot of questions but unfortunately not enough answers. I understand, this is often how life works, but I can see some of my young readers being disappointed by how the book ends. The book ends on a happy note but some of the side characters never have their comeuppance. I thought the father figure was horrid until the end of the novel and the bully story arc was never really resolved. The writing is fine but at times I thought the character was almost a bit too aloof. All this being said, I enjoyed reading it and it was easy to digest. I can see fans of Wonder or Rules really enjoying this book.

msseviereads's review against another edition

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5.0

This book made my heart hurt. I felt so sad for Albie and was really upset by the adults in his life. I just wanted him to succeed at something and feel really good about it.

Must read... will be purchasing several copies to pass out to my teacher friends.

shighley's review against another edition

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4.0

Very sweet book, very readable with short chapters, many with clever titles. Would have been a 5 for me if not for a few unanswered questions and a bit of abruptness. For instance, Albrie's grandfather is brought in almost at the end. Perhaps it was to add to understanding of Albie's mother. Also, it is determined that Albie is not dyslexic, but he obviously has some time of learning disability. By the end, he is earning 8/10 on spelling tests, but we're led to believe he's just studying harder.

The inclusion of a triplet in a reality show gave this an interesting twist, along with the difficulties of fame. I was also pleased to see that a public school was portrayed as being a good choice, and an older teacher was kind, clever, and understanding.

msethna's review against another edition

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5.0

Wow! A must read for students in grades 3-6. The messages (confidence, friendship, family, right and wrong, etc) in this book are so powerful and I honestly couldn't put it down.

mjp_reads's review against another edition

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4.0

Very cute story. Told from the main character, a boy with a learning disability. I think students could learn a lot from in on how to treat others. I learned a lot from it as well. Hearing his interpretation of things his teachers and parents said and did was very insightful. A good reminder that all children are special. A little easy for 7th graders, but good for 3rd-6th.