Reviews with content warning for Emotional abuse - Sir Callie and the Champions of Helston

Sir Callie and the Champions of Helston was a fun and heartwarming read that tackled important and difficult topics about gender identity and child abuse in an approachable way for middle grade readers.

It’s a book about learning who you are, standing up for yourself and others, and that it’s okay to be different.

If you grew up on Tamora Pierce and are looking for a similar vibe to share with the young readers in your life (or pick up for yourself), love found family stories, friendship, and/or butt-kicking fun, then this might be up your alley!

Thank you to NetGalley and Labyrinth Road for the ARC! I’m so excited to get my finished copy in a few weeks!!

Content Warnings

rhiannonafternoon's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional inspiring medium-paced

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

5.0

The world was not built for Callie, but that does not stop them from living authentically. As a nonbinary 12-year-old, Callie wants nothing more than to be a knight and serve the kingdom their knightly father talks about so fondly, but when they get there, it does not live up to the hype. The social norms of the castle challenge Callie, but meeting friends along the way that also don't fit into the social molds that have been set gives Callie the confidence to keep speaking up. This book is tough, but full of heart, and I'm so happy that Callie has carved out a place for everyone to feel welcome.

Content Warnings

lastblossom's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional fast-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

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children's for an advance copy!

tl;dr
A thoughtful and complex story featuring a likable non-binary protagonist and a great supporting cast. The amount of prejudice the MC has to face is really stressful to read.

About
Only girls do magic. Only boys can be knights. Callie has never thought of themselves as a girl or a boy, but their dream to become a knight someday is blocked by the fact that everyone else sees Callie as a girl. But Callie's determined to prove themselves, and an invitation to the royal capital might be the chance they need to do so.

Thoughts
This is a tough one to review. I typically try to highlight things I enjoyed versus parts that weren't for me, but it was hard for me to enjoy this. To be clear, this is a very good book. Callie's struggles are raw and relatable, and my heart broke for them more than once. The other kids are unique and complex and beautiful, and it was great to see genuine thoughtfulness centered on the discussion of family and abuse, self-loathing, and how messy love can be. But dang, reading this was tough. Callie is misgendered regularly, on purpose, and with hurtful intent. Gender roles in this world are so rigid and pithy that even our heroic Callie starts out with a very dim view of women. Trans readers who have been down this path in real life already might find re-treading this ground to be tiresome. That being said, I think this book would have been perfect for me when I was younger, and I think it will resonate with any young reader looking for a story about friends, family, and adventure.

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