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4.47 AVERAGE
4.47 AVERAGE
Another "assignment" from my kiddo. Considering starting a mom-daughter virtual book club with this as the first book.
Very heartwarming tearjerker. I will be completely unsurprised if this is made into a movie soon.
Such a great story. Loved the characters. The ending stayed with me for a long time. Great adventure about family and loss and grieving.
DNF at 9%
Why do books written to win awards have to feel so icky?
My BS-meter was going off the minute the dad showed up. Are '60s-era hippies REALLY still a thing? (That would reliably have a 12-year-old, anyway?) Are 3rd graders REALLY going to enjoy this one? Why in the name of sanity is that gas station attendant not calling the police for a barefoot girl in filthy clothes wandering in and buying some random other kid a Slurpee? This girl needs a social worker ASAP!
Also, the kitten-that-becomes-Ivan is probably dead in his first scene. Or near to it. No kitten that's going to live is that quiet for that long.
Then I started looking at reviews and, HOLY SMOKING GRASS (aka Rodeo's Breakfast) - yeah, this book has every red flag and bad habit that Current Year TradPub encourages in their middle-grade novels. Child abuse, neglect, a constant drumbeat of THE MESSAGE, tacky famous-award-winning-author name-dropping, child who acts like an adult so anything the adults want to/with the child is okay because the child is "mature" for their age - you name it.
This was not written for children, but for adults who PRETEND to have the best interests of children at heart. Maybe more than a few sickos too. Gross.
Why do books written to win awards have to feel so icky?
My BS-meter was going off the minute the dad showed up. Are '60s-era hippies REALLY still a thing? (That would reliably have a 12-year-old, anyway?) Are 3rd graders REALLY going to enjoy this one? Why in the name of sanity is that gas station attendant not calling the police for a barefoot girl in filthy clothes wandering in and buying some random other kid a Slurpee? This girl needs a social worker ASAP!
Also, the kitten-that-becomes-Ivan is probably dead in his first scene. Or near to it. No kitten that's going to live is that quiet for that long.
Then I started looking at reviews and, HOLY SMOKING GRASS (aka Rodeo's Breakfast) - yeah, this book has every red flag and bad habit that Current Year TradPub encourages in their middle-grade novels. Child abuse, neglect, a constant drumbeat of THE MESSAGE, tacky famous-award-winning-author name-dropping, child who acts like an adult so anything the adults want to/with the child is okay because the child is "mature" for their age - you name it.
This was not written for children, but for adults who PRETEND to have the best interests of children at heart. Maybe more than a few sickos too. Gross.
I think this must be the most beautiful book I've ever read. Some books speak to our minds or our hearts, but this one spoke directly to my soul. To what it means to be human and to recognize that humanity in another. Towards the end of the book, Coyote says "And for the most part, human beings try to do the right thing, if they can see what that is." To me, that's the core of this story. It's going to take me a while to find words to adequately describe just how special this book is (and likely a bit longer to stop crying) but I simply can't rate this book highly enough. It's a gem!
4.5 stars. What an amazing heart this book has. I’d love to see Coyote and Rodeo (and Lester and Salvadore and Esperanza and Val and Gladys and Ivan) in a movie.
This is a middle grade novel (I’d say probably for 9 or 10 and up), but it honestly might be one of my favorite books I’ve ever read. It is perfect. All the stars.
I can't remember who on my Instagram feed recommend this book, but thanks!
Just like an old school bus, the story got off to a bit of a slow star but once it picked up momentum it was pretty exciting and the destination was absolutely worth it.
Just like an old school bus, the story got off to a bit of a slow star but once it picked up momentum it was pretty exciting and the destination was absolutely worth it.
There are some pieces of this story that read a little bit like a made-for-television Disney channel film, but it’s pretty easy to forgive what can feel a bit cliche when the heart and soul of the book is anchored so well in reality, especially in the conversation of how parents and children face grief. This book may be a bit more fantasy than I expected, but it was worth the read. I’d especially recommend this as a read for parents to read with their middle schoolers for some great conversation opportunities.