The story is simple and pretty good for helping little kids practice reading and using their vocabulary skills, but there is something both charming and unsettling about the illustrations in this book. They look like pictures a kid would draw, which may very well be the intention behind the style, and that would be alright if the teeth didn't give me the heebiejeebies. The ending to the story was pretty cute though!

Shanah Tovah, Grover! by Joni Kibort Sussman

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informative fast-paced

3.0

This is a decent introduction to Rosh Hashanah, but it doesn't go beyond a check list of things to do in preparation.

All Tucked in on Sesame Street! by Sesame Workshop

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informative reflective relaxing fast-paced

4.0

This cute bedtime story for kids provides a rhyming list of things to do before bed to help you feel cozy enough to sleep.

Tuba Lessons by Monique Félix, T.C. Bartlett

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adventurous lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? N/A
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.0

This cute story is told through beautiful illustrations that encourage kids to use their imagination and tell their own version of the events unfolding on the pages in front of them.

Zia by Scott O'Dell

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adventurous informative reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This sequel to Island of the Blue Dolphins is a sad glimpse into what living at the Santa Barbara mission would have been like. Scott O'Dell does a good job of making it clear how each character feels about their situation and why; and even though the story is told through the lens of an opinionated young teen, his writing allows the readers to pick at a deeper truth behind the words so as to not sway anyone to one side of a multi-faceted issue. The way the characters interact with each other is telling enough and it certainly provides a lot to think about.

Content Warnings

Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell

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adventurous emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

This story has stuck with me ever since I first read it as a child and, rereading it as an adult, it's easy to see why. There's something so striking about a child protagonist who is left to survive alone on an island that echoes with the whispers of everyone she has lost. Her anger, loneliness, grief, and even her eventual happiness are all so beautifully written. I smiled, I cried, and I held my breath in suspense from beginning to end. For a child who was fascinated by what I could learn from historical fiction, this book fueled my imagination and it still brought me back to that place all these years later.

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Hoot by Carl Hiaasen

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adventurous funny hopeful informative lighthearted reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I'm pretty sure this book was assigned reading in middle school because of its message about environmentalism, which is what I loved so much about it as a kid, but there is so much more jam-packed into this story about bullying and broken homes and different forms of child abuse.

It would have been so easy to simply write a story about children who only have good intentions and are always right while all of the adult characters are jaded, selfish, and bad; but Carl Hiaasen does a decent job of showing that life is usually mixed up in more complications than what first appears on the surface. Due to the heaviness of the topics involved, they are presented in a way that mostly spells everything out for its intended middle grade audience, but there are nuances aplenty for older readers to analyze as well.

I also really appreciated Hiaasen's colorful descriptions of the geography and wildlife - perfect for nature-lovers who like to be pulled into the scenery of the story.

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wolfiegrrrl's reviews 236 reviews

wolfiegrrrl's reviews
236 reviews