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bardicbramley's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Deadnaming, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Transphobia, and Abandonment
Moderate: Homophobia, Blood, Grief, Gaslighting, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail
spaceofspades's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
tense
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? No
4.75
this book was so so fun and such a great story for the middle grade audience to hear!! I’m sure people will be able to learn a lot from watching Callie and their friends support each other!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism and Xenophobia
Moderate: Child abuse
modernmatilda's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
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
4.0
I am so happy books like these exist in the world; books full of hope and triump and honestly, kids putting rude adults in their place. The nonbinary, queer reb is off the charts and I loved that Callie was flawed too. I would have liked more sword fighting and dragons and less speeches, but I think that is maybe to come in other books. As another reviewer said "be prepared to spend the entire book mad at abusive men"
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Deadnaming, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, and Transphobia
Moderate: Sexism
calypso_the_oboe's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
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? It's complicated
4.5
This book is so amazing. The amount of LGBTQ+ representation is awesome. All of the characters are realistic. And all the relationships are so cute. I love Callie’s dads. Callie and Elowen are great together.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Sexism, and Transphobia
Minor: Gore and Violence
speasyspice's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-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? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexism, and Transphobia
thewordsdevourer's review
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
*Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC
This was an enjoyable read. Sir Callie and the Champions of Helston is a rollicking adventure full of heart and wisdom, tactfully tackling its very relevant message and themes.
The fantasy setting is nothing new, but Symes-Smith uses it cleverfully to literally but also symbolically reflect the real world and explore the book's themes. The symbolism is perhaps my favorite thing about this novel: it elevates the story on technical, character and emotional levels. I also like how there are constant important information and revelations revealed throughout the book; it keeps things surprising and adds depth to the story. The characters and their individual arcs are great as well, each different, some with more privileges than others, yet all have been affected by Helston's rigid hierarchy and now band together to change the place for the better. Neal and his story are a favorite.
And while I mostly like how the characters are handled, I have minor qualms with Callie and Peran. For the former, they're overly brash at times, their impulsive actions without thought for consequences + initial dislike for all things remotely feminine are annoying. I wish we learned more about how they realized they were non-binary, especially as the concept should be almost alien in the rigid world of the story. It's also relevant to how others treat them, as I don't think repeatedly saying "I'm not a girl" -- even though outwardly they look like one -- to people who have never known of anything aside from the binary was helpful. It's like talking about astrophysics to a bunch of kids. I also think Peran could've been more nuanced. He's certainly evil through and through but the lack of nuance makes him a boring character, let alone the villain. The middle chunk of the book was a little repetitive as well, dragging the pacing.
Nevertheless, this is a fun yet wise book with a lot of heart, whose themes of family, courage and identity are precious. I'm happy that many young people will get to read this book, not only comforted by seeing it reflect themselves but also see how diverse the world truly is.
This was an enjoyable read. Sir Callie and the Champions of Helston is a rollicking adventure full of heart and wisdom, tactfully tackling its very relevant message and themes.
The fantasy setting is nothing new, but Symes-Smith uses it cleverfully to literally but also symbolically reflect the real world and explore the book's themes. The symbolism is perhaps my favorite thing about this novel: it elevates the story on technical, character and emotional levels. I also like how there are constant important information and revelations revealed throughout the book; it keeps things surprising and adds depth to the story. The characters and their individual arcs are great as well, each different, some with more privileges than others, yet all have been affected by Helston's rigid hierarchy and now band together to change the place for the better. Neal and his story are a favorite.
And while I mostly like how the characters are handled, I have minor qualms with Callie and Peran. For the former, they're overly brash at times, their impulsive actions without thought for consequences + initial dislike for all things remotely feminine are annoying. I wish we learned more about how they realized they were non-binary, especially as the concept should be almost alien in the rigid world of the story. It's also relevant to how others treat them, as I don't think repeatedly saying "I'm not a girl" -- even though outwardly they look like one -- to people who have never known of anything aside from the binary was helpful. It's like talking about astrophysics to a bunch of kids. I also think Peran could've been more nuanced. He's certainly evil through and through but the lack of nuance makes him a boring character, let alone the villain. The middle chunk of the book was a little repetitive as well, dragging the pacing.
Nevertheless, this is a fun yet wise book with a lot of heart, whose themes of family, courage and identity are precious. I'm happy that many young people will get to read this book, not only comforted by seeing it reflect themselves but also see how diverse the world truly is.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Homophobia, and Sexism
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Violence
Minor: Death and Grief
aansano's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Deadnaming, Sexism, and Transphobia
Moderate: Child abuse
robin_leeann's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Deadnaming, and Sexism
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
Minor: War
lastblossom's review against another edition
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexism, and Transphobia
Moderate: Deadnaming, Toxic relationship, and Blood
Minor: Child death, Death, Death of parent, and War
ezwolf's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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? It's complicated
5.0
Callie dreams of one day becoming a knight and when their dad is called back to Helston help train the train the prince, sees it as a perfect opportunity to prove themselves! But as Callie already knows, the world doesn't look kindly on difference, and Helston is no exception, but they hardly let that stop them from trying to start making changes.
I absolutely adored this book and I cannot wait for it to be released so I can buy it and make everyone I know read it! I love that we're getting more and more books in middle grade about non-binary/gender non-conforming kids, it's representation that I would have loved as a child and brings me so much joy to read now. To also have the idea presented that it's not the family you're born with, but the family you choose and the family that loves you for you, I think that's so important for kids to read too.
All of the kids were wonderful characters and none of them were how you expected them to be, or how Callie does either. Also the sheer amount of righteous rage that's packed into 12 year old Callie was so much fun to read. Those infuriating moments that happen to kids in books and you wish you could just pop into the book and yell on their behalf? Callie does that all on her own, for herself and for her friends.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House and Labyrinth Road for making this available in exchange for an honest review!
I absolutely adored this book and I cannot wait for it to be released so I can buy it and make everyone I know read it! I love that we're getting more and more books in middle grade about non-binary/gender non-conforming kids, it's representation that I would have loved as a child and brings me so much joy to read now. To also have the idea presented that it's not the family you're born with, but the family you choose and the family that loves you for you, I think that's so important for kids to read too.
All of the kids were wonderful characters and none of them were how you expected them to be, or how Callie does either. Also the sheer amount of righteous rage that's packed into 12 year old Callie was so much fun to read. Those infuriating moments that happen to kids in books and you wish you could just pop into the book and yell on their behalf? Callie does that all on her own, for herself and for her friends.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House and Labyrinth Road for making this available in exchange for an honest review!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deadnaming and Transphobia
Moderate: Child abuse, Sexism, and Dysphoria
Minor: Blood and Injury/Injury detail