Reviews with content warning for Ableism - Wie ein Fisch im Baum

Phenomenal book for kids with dyslexia, or even other invisible disabilities. Captures the feeling of being less than and learning it is not personal failure that something is harder for you than others. This was a 5 star book for me until the end; the last 10% was a bit pat for me with everything getting wrapped up too well, and sometimes in ways I didn't love (e.g.

Albert beating up his bullies who had been beating him up the whole book as the uncomplicated "happy ending" to that storyline. </Spoiler>)

Content Warnings

thedisabledreader's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

It’s always nice to read a book that you know the author wrote for their younger self and people like them. There is a certain element of intimacy woven into the writing, characters, setting, and plot, and I wish that every author could enjoy what they write as much as Lynda Mullaly Hunt clearly did with this.

It fit with the author’s passion to explore the characters as they do so themselves. The side characters all felt developed fairly well, and the diversity of the characters, their personalities, and their experiences were represented well and in an appropriate maturity level for both them and the intended audience.

The main source of marginalized representation, dyslexia, was really nice to see, especially knowing that it would educate younger audiences on the inherent neutrality of disabilities. Disabilities are not a good or a bad thing, they are simply how the environment reacts to them.

Disabilities can limit a person’s set of skills, but most gain them back with modern technology or other such devices - think mobility aids or AAC. People are disabled by their bodies, but their adaptations to themselves allows them to live among the nondisabled unimpeded.

The issue respawns itself, however. The world is not accessible to the disabled devices, so although the person has adapted, they are forced to live in a world that will not. Such is the social model of disabilities versus medical disabilities. Disabled people are not the problem, it is their unresponsive and inaccessible environments.

Dyslexia is discussed in both models although they are not specifically stated as being seen as such, and the same conclusion is discovered. The main character realizes she isn’t ‘dumb’ or a ‘problem child’ because of her disability; instead, it was her situation that was not supporting her as it needed to that was at fault.

I love that the social model of disability, especially within the American Education system, got discussed in this, and I found it especially great that the character was seen growing out of the self hatred and blame that many disabled people feel after being introduced into a supportive and welcoming environment.

These ideas allow for the diversity of the characters to be celebrated, as they are not forced into someone else's idea of their ‘perfect’ or ‘intelligence’. They explore themselves in a free environment and are able to celebrate themselves and one another in doing so, an experience and lifestyle every person should be able to have.

Content Warnings

mandi4886's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective 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? Yes

4.75

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