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Reviews
Catch the Wind: My Journey with Caroline by Juliana Kolesova, Kathleen Ernst, Michael Dworkin
silea's review
2.0
As an avid reader of Choose Your Own Adventure books as a child, i was delighted to see this series on the shelves. Not just CYOA, but historical stories geared toward girls and encouraging agency! I was so excited.
That excitement lasted a whole few pages into this book.
First off, no matter what choice you make, everything works out fine. Better than fine, in fact. There are no 'wrong' choices in the entire book. I kept waiting for some 'turn to page' to result in something, anything, less than perfect. Even a torn hem or bruised elbow. Nope.
Second, Caroline's a complete pushover. "I want to go!" she says, and you say, "Nah, let's stay," and she says, "Ok, you're probably right, it's better to stay."
Third, while ostensibly set during the war of 1812, there's almost nothing in this that's historical, accurate or not. Change 'cannons' to 'laser guns' and 'schooner' to 'shuttlecraft' and this could be a scifi story.
I like that the book is trying to teach girls that women can be strong. From the 'girl like you' whose mother has joined the navy, to Caroline's mom who's running the shipyard while her father is off at war, there are a lot of overt 'girls can be strong' messages. But undercutting all of this is Caroline's complete passivity. You get the sense that she can't even decide which color socks to wear in the morning without guidance.
That excitement lasted a whole few pages into this book.
First off, no matter what choice you make, everything works out fine. Better than fine, in fact. There are no 'wrong' choices in the entire book. I kept waiting for some 'turn to page' to result in something, anything, less than perfect. Even a torn hem or bruised elbow. Nope.
Second, Caroline's a complete pushover. "I want to go!" she says, and you say, "Nah, let's stay," and she says, "Ok, you're probably right, it's better to stay."
Third, while ostensibly set during the war of 1812, there's almost nothing in this that's historical, accurate or not. Change 'cannons' to 'laser guns' and 'schooner' to 'shuttlecraft' and this could be a scifi story.
I like that the book is trying to teach girls that women can be strong. From the 'girl like you' whose mother has joined the navy, to Caroline's mom who's running the shipyard while her father is off at war, there are a lot of overt 'girls can be strong' messages. But undercutting all of this is Caroline's complete passivity. You get the sense that she can't even decide which color socks to wear in the morning without guidance.
laurao's review
4.0
I love the story and characters, but this book doesn’t add much to Caroline’s story.
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