A review by crookedtreehouse
Other Boys by Damian Alexander
4.0
There are books that are aimed at children that still speak spectacularly to adults, that make us want to go back and reread them for things we've missed, or just for the satisfaction of taking the journey again.
This isn't one of those books.
This is a solidly Telling Not Showing graphic novel about growing up different. And while, yes, it is about being queer, it's a story non-queer kids could identify with if they've experienced any form of otherisms. It's a good book for a grieving kid who has lost a parent, or for any kid who grew up in a loving but non-traditional household. I can see how a middle school teacher would craft a lesson plan about this. But they wouldn't have to talk about metaphors, and no child would have trouble coming up with the themes. Its language is very direct, its message is very clear. The only thing moderately complicated are the time jumps as the book is mainly about his time in seventh grade but frequently flashes back to other grades, all the way back to preschool.
It's, overall, a very positive book about overcoming adversity. I reccomend it as a teaching tool for kids, and as something to gift a middle school aged kid, but I don't know how well it would resonate with someone older.
This isn't one of those books.
This is a solidly Telling Not Showing graphic novel about growing up different. And while, yes, it is about being queer, it's a story non-queer kids could identify with if they've experienced any form of otherisms. It's a good book for a grieving kid who has lost a parent, or for any kid who grew up in a loving but non-traditional household. I can see how a middle school teacher would craft a lesson plan about this. But they wouldn't have to talk about metaphors, and no child would have trouble coming up with the themes. Its language is very direct, its message is very clear. The only thing moderately complicated are the time jumps as the book is mainly about his time in seventh grade but frequently flashes back to other grades, all the way back to preschool.
It's, overall, a very positive book about overcoming adversity. I reccomend it as a teaching tool for kids, and as something to gift a middle school aged kid, but I don't know how well it would resonate with someone older.