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A review by emileereadsbooks
Sweetness All Around by Suzanne Supplee
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I have a lot of mixed feelings about this book.
Personally as an adult I really enjoyed it. I think the characters were plucky, and the sense of imperfect found family I was a fan of. I loved that Josephine’s mom does try and get her to behave. So many middle grade books have children running amuck with no real consequences. I also appreciate that Josephine’s plans to run away and solve things on her own are thwarted forcing her to rely on adults. She does get a hero moment, but still has to suffer consequences there too.
My mixed feelings come from the fact that when I was the age of middle grader, I would have found this book fascinating, but I’m not sure as a responsible adult I can recommend it for a middle grade audience.
First, there are so many 70s references that will go over kid's heads (some went over my head and I had to look them up). This isn’t a content issue, I just think it might take them out of the story.
Second, this book deals with HARD topics. Terminal cancer, kidnapping, running cons, absent parents, hoarding, and more. While I’m not for shielding kids from hard things completely, this felt like a lot for this age group. Specifically the kidnapping elements.
Lastly, the tone felt more mature than a middle grade book. I even looked up if this was indeed middle grade or if it was adult fiction with a middle grade protagonist. Maybe it was the references or the subject matter making me think that, but either way, I would only hand this only to more mature/older middle grade readers.
Overall, if you are planning on handing this to a middle grader, read it prior so you know what you are getting them into and you can discuss it with them.
Content Note: This book loosely follows the kidnapping of Patty Hearst, deals with another kidnapping, terminal cancer, parental absence, childbirth, con men, hoarding, and bullying.
Thanks to Holiday House for the digital copy. All opinions are my own.
Personally as an adult I really enjoyed it. I think the characters were plucky, and the sense of imperfect found family I was a fan of. I loved that Josephine’s mom does try and get her to behave. So many middle grade books have children running amuck with no real consequences. I also appreciate that Josephine’s plans to run away and solve things on her own are thwarted forcing her to rely on adults. She does get a hero moment, but still has to suffer consequences there too.
My mixed feelings come from the fact that when I was the age of middle grader, I would have found this book fascinating, but I’m not sure as a responsible adult I can recommend it for a middle grade audience.
First, there are so many 70s references that will go over kid's heads (some went over my head and I had to look them up). This isn’t a content issue, I just think it might take them out of the story.
Second, this book deals with HARD topics. Terminal cancer, kidnapping, running cons, absent parents, hoarding, and more. While I’m not for shielding kids from hard things completely, this felt like a lot for this age group. Specifically the kidnapping elements.
Lastly, the tone felt more mature than a middle grade book. I even looked up if this was indeed middle grade or if it was adult fiction with a middle grade protagonist. Maybe it was the references or the subject matter making me think that, but either way, I would only hand this only to more mature/older middle grade readers.
Overall, if you are planning on handing this to a middle grader, read it prior so you know what you are getting them into and you can discuss it with them.
Content Note: This book loosely follows the kidnapping of Patty Hearst, deals with another kidnapping, terminal cancer, parental absence, childbirth, con men, hoarding, and bullying.
Thanks to Holiday House for the digital copy. All opinions are my own.