Cute, but not super compelling. The art aggravated my long-dormant graphic-novel struggles. Not sure exactly why. But since Goose from the Captain MarCute, but not super compelling. The art aggravated my long-dormant graphic-novel struggles. Not sure exactly why. But since Goose from the Captain Marvel movie is my kid's very favorite, we had to have this....more
You know the drill by now: this book had 'dragon' in the title so my kid had to read it. And now she won't stop asking about when the second book comeYou know the drill by now: this book had 'dragon' in the title so my kid had to read it. And now she won't stop asking about when the second book comes out. It's a solid story about family and grief, about myth and science, about making friends and deciding what's worth protecting, oh and dragons. ...more
A very good graphic novel about a young girl learning how to be a real journalist and all the pitfalls and mistakes along the way when her enthusiasm A very good graphic novel about a young girl learning how to be a real journalist and all the pitfalls and mistakes along the way when her enthusiasm outstrips her experience. Ruth gets support from plenty of people who help keep her on the right path to making a real difference. All the warm fuzzies....more
Oh, have I mentioned that I'm going to be reading everything Mhairi McFarlane has ever written? Including this one that has perhaps the most unappealiOh, have I mentioned that I'm going to be reading everything Mhairi McFarlane has ever written? Including this one that has perhaps the most unappealing set-up out of all of them? I've learned to just grab them up and not get to fussed about the premise. And that's a good policy because in some ways this book is also the most satisfying. How? Well, you'd have to get past the beginning where our heroine gets her entire life wrecked and then starts over with the help of a friend. Sound familiar? It should. But this story also genuinely surprised me in a couple places and ended up being the most happily-ever-after of all of McFarlane's that I've read. So I've stopped getting hung up on those blurbs and just jump right in....more
Every time I read an memoir that's as raw and honest as this one, I always wonder if the author lets their parents read it. How could they stop them? Every time I read an memoir that's as raw and honest as this one, I always wonder if the author lets their parents read it. How could they stop them? Do they warn them beforehand about what they're going to say? I'm sure it very much depends on the state of their current relationship, but in Somebody's Daughter Ashley C. Ford is so open and exposed about her rocky relationship with her mother and the one she has to build out of her scant letters from her incarcerated father. Ford recounts her memories of her childhood in vivid detail, and it felt like she held nothing back. I felt sanded down and abraided by the emotions she shared and also by the ache of pain for the little girl that she was and all the terrible things she went through. Her family was her strength even as they failed her. I very much admire her ability to lay all of herself out for the world to see, but also for her to live with the knowledge that the people she writes about can see it too....more
It had the word 'dragon' in the title so of course my daughter and I had to read it. And actually, that may sound dismissive but this was a very tightIt had the word 'dragon' in the title so of course my daughter and I had to read it. And actually, that may sound dismissive but this was a very tight and competent story about a girl being transformed into a dragon alongside her new friends and being sent on a mission to save a magical forest by a tree. The pacing was brisk and the thrills satisfied. My kid adored it and we've read the whole series....more
Ugh, I sort of loved this book. Wonderful complicated romance with so much history behind it, books and books and talking about books and writing, pluUgh, I sort of loved this book. Wonderful complicated romance with so much history behind it, books and books and talking about books and writing, plus so many crunchy little details that made every part of the story feel real and funny and immediate. The cover makes it seem like it takes itself Very Seriously, and it does, but it also has a lot of funny moments and kind moments and swoony moments, all adding up to completely satisfying whole....more
This tiny little memoir was super cute and uplifting. I just felt so energized and powerful after reading De La Cruz's bite-sized account of her life This tiny little memoir was super cute and uplifting. I just felt so energized and powerful after reading De La Cruz's bite-sized account of her life and her journey towards activism, with bonus recommended reading. A complete delight....more
Lovely and deliberate, though I know it was sold as a romance - accidentally married in Vegas! - this book is really more about Grace coming to terms Lovely and deliberate, though I know it was sold as a romance - accidentally married in Vegas! - this book is really more about Grace coming to terms with burnout and ambition, with struggling with familial baggage and expectations, while all of that is what's keeping her from maybe being happy with the woman that she got drunk with and married the same day she met her in Vegas. Have no fear, the author does a careful job of then building up the romantic relationship between Grace and Yuki after the wedding, so we're all rooting for things to work out, but she also puts in the work to show why Grace can't just be happy yet, why she's struggling with so much that she can't quite explain to her father and mother. The journey from Vegas to happily ever after is long but satisfying, making it feel like those two crazy kids might actually make it work....more
My daughter picked this book out because there is kitten with dragon wings on the cover. What followed is a school story about finding a place to fit My daughter picked this book out because there is kitten with dragon wings on the cover. What followed is a school story about finding a place to fit in and accepting your own special gifts - no matter how wonky. Norrie is has upsidedown magic- she can change into animals but she doesn't quite do it the right way, according to her father and the rest of the faculty of the magic school she was trying to attend. Instead, she's sent to live with her aunt so she can attend a school with a special program for kids whose magic just doesn't fit into the neat categories that everyone knows. The comparisons to HP are inevitable, but do a disservice to both. Upsidedown magic doesn't have anywhere near the same complexity of world building or plotting, but deliberately undercuts the notion that there's a 'right' way to do magic, working slowly to show how Norrie and her friends gain confidence in their abilities as well as challenge the accepted dogma about what powers are valuable. For a kids series with a kitten with dragon wings on the cover, it doesn't rely only on its cuteness, but lets Norrie and all her friends come to realize how their magical world has both stifled and belittled them, while depriving everyone of the good they could do....more
I read this aloud to my kids and they got pretty into. Rereading it as an adult, I was struck by how it seems to start out as one type of story - a smI read this aloud to my kids and they got pretty into. Rereading it as an adult, I was struck by how it seems to start out as one type of story - a smart kid who doesn't fit into her terrible family - and then adds in the fantastical elements at quite a late point, a no-no for anyone inclined to over-analyze these sort of things, but something that clearly has worked for generations of kids. It's still entirely gripping and enthralling. Matilda is still better read than I am, but I'm not going to get into Dickens just to prove a point, so she can continue to win in that regard....more
Loading...
