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A review by graciegrace1178
Running on the Roof of the World by Jess Butterworth
4.0
Well. That was a bit intense, I’d say. This is a KIDS’ BOOK?
PT: RATW: Tibet*, children’s books (???), ice/mountains/COLD, human journeys, cultural heritage stories
WIL
1) this is exactly what I’m looking for with RAtW books. It covers a human story over geographic terrain in the context of some great conflict. THIS is the formula I’ve been seeking.
2) EVEEEEEEEEEEEE. My heart. Oh Eve, Eve, Eve. What a gentle soul. What a wonderful companion. A savior and an angel in the body of a large yak. A blessing. (Appa vibes?)
3) Vive la resistance. OH YEAH. HECK YEA. A resistance plot!!! FANTASTIC. the underdogs are the protags. *chef’s kiss* fantastico.
4) the Dalai Lama. Happy presence. Good vibes. A figure to worship in times of distress. But also just a fallible person. Just an all around fascinating character that seems pretty well represented here.
5) POV and author choices. This was a wonderfully character-centric account of the troubles faced by Tibetan citizens. Very much in the same vein as A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park! This could’ve been written in any number of different structures/formats, but Butterworth was right to stick with the single perspective/single narrative/primary protag group. Solid decision.
6) the folk song and cultural pride. I will always love when families share folk songs and talk about what their heritage means to them. It’s so wholesome.
WIDL
1) can these kids PLEASE catch a break. It took me longer to read this than expected because it was just. So. Heavy. I mean, it is a book about suppression of people and like,,, military presence and kids traveling alone across mountains to find safety so I probably should’ve *expected* it to be heavy. But I didn’t. And I was *walloped* by it. I had to keep taking breaks to remind myself that the kids will probably be fine. I’ve read some heavy stuff, but this one really weighed on me. I just wish it had been broken up with some lighthearted moments.
2) epithets. This is more generally commentary for kids books. Characters in kids books are more entertaining when they’re character-y, which is to say, when they’re assigned an archetype. This characters were a little more nuanced and human. This is definitely a strong point for most literature, and it speaks to Butterworth’s abilities, but for kids, it’s a little less fun. Would’ve really enjoyed seeing more firm boundary lines on characters here. It def would’ve helped break up some of the complications of the human/political complications as well. Knowing that characters have a reliable set of traits is a security blanket for the otherwise free fall experience of kid-oriented accounts of turmoil.
NEUTRAL GROUND
1) I’ve been fascinated by Tibet for as long as I can remember. Loved finally reading about it! (Seven Years in Tibet has been staring at me from its spot on my shelf for way too long now.)
*yea yea I know it’s not a country. I don’t care. I’m including it as an extra region and treating it as a separate entity for this project. I love Tibet too much to skip over it as a region.
PT: RATW: Tibet*, children’s books (???), ice/mountains/COLD, human journeys, cultural heritage stories
WIL
1) this is exactly what I’m looking for with RAtW books. It covers a human story over geographic terrain in the context of some great conflict. THIS is the formula I’ve been seeking.
2) EVEEEEEEEEEEEE. My heart. Oh Eve, Eve, Eve. What a gentle soul. What a wonderful companion. A savior and an angel in the body of a large yak. A blessing. (Appa vibes?)
3) Vive la resistance. OH YEAH. HECK YEA. A resistance plot!!! FANTASTIC. the underdogs are the protags. *chef’s kiss* fantastico.
4) the Dalai Lama. Happy presence. Good vibes. A figure to worship in times of distress. But also just a fallible person. Just an all around fascinating character that seems pretty well represented here.
5) POV and author choices. This was a wonderfully character-centric account of the troubles faced by Tibetan citizens. Very much in the same vein as A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park! This could’ve been written in any number of different structures/formats, but Butterworth was right to stick with the single perspective/single narrative/primary protag group. Solid decision.
6) the folk song and cultural pride. I will always love when families share folk songs and talk about what their heritage means to them. It’s so wholesome.
WIDL
1) can these kids PLEASE catch a break. It took me longer to read this than expected because it was just. So. Heavy. I mean, it is a book about suppression of people and like,,, military presence and kids traveling alone across mountains to find safety so I probably should’ve *expected* it to be heavy. But I didn’t. And I was *walloped* by it. I had to keep taking breaks to remind myself that the kids will probably be fine. I’ve read some heavy stuff, but this one really weighed on me. I just wish it had been broken up with some lighthearted moments.
2) epithets. This is more generally commentary for kids books. Characters in kids books are more entertaining when they’re character-y, which is to say, when they’re assigned an archetype. This characters were a little more nuanced and human. This is definitely a strong point for most literature, and it speaks to Butterworth’s abilities, but for kids, it’s a little less fun. Would’ve really enjoyed seeing more firm boundary lines on characters here. It def would’ve helped break up some of the complications of the human/political complications as well. Knowing that characters have a reliable set of traits is a security blanket for the otherwise free fall experience of kid-oriented accounts of turmoil.
NEUTRAL GROUND
1) I’ve been fascinated by Tibet for as long as I can remember. Loved finally reading about it! (Seven Years in Tibet has been staring at me from its spot on my shelf for way too long now.)
*yea yea I know it’s not a country. I don’t care. I’m including it as an extra region and treating it as a separate entity for this project. I love Tibet too much to skip over it as a region.