Scan barcode
stephaniealysse's review
hopeful
mysterious
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
karrama's review
5.0
Liesl & Po was beautifully written and addresses ideas of afterlife in a a way I found endearing rather than off-putting. That said, the book deals with a child being treated badly after her father's death and another who is treated so poorly he leaves his apprenticeship. The characters are rounded and flit in and out of the situation and have their own "off screen lives" easily understood.
To be clear: I rate it 5 for my experience and expectations of the ending. My daughter rated it a four. I read this with young children. They were interested in the concepts and as they are of the ages where the sense of justice kicks in with a vengeance, we had many conversations about what would have been "right" or a better idea in the situations provided in the book.
That said, it worked as a read-a-loud for the under 10s, and might be overly poetic for children more accustomed to (and enamored with) the easy-readers books.The pictures are highly engaging and add greatly to the story.
To be clear: I rate it 5 for my experience and expectations of the ending. My daughter rated it a four. I read this with young children. They were interested in the concepts and as they are of the ages where the sense of justice kicks in with a vengeance, we had many conversations about what would have been "right" or a better idea in the situations provided in the book.
That said, it worked as a read-a-loud for the under 10s, and might be overly poetic for children more accustomed to (and enamored with) the easy-readers books.The pictures are highly engaging and add greatly to the story.
mariahistryingtoread's review
3.0
Liesl and Po is an average read. I do not have much to complain about but on the other hand I don't have much to praise either. Being average doesn't have to be a bad thing. On the contrary, to be average is to fulfill all expectations which to a point can be quite satisfying. Such is the case with Liesl and Po.
Liesl has all the makings of a fairytale heroine. She has an evil stepmother, is locked away in an attic and her father died under mysterious circumstances. She's strong of heart, quick footed and loyal to a fault. All she needs is a friend to get the ball rolling on her adventure.
Enter Po the ghost.
The ghost lore is the strongest part of the book. Every norm or construct in the human world such as gender, boundaries and emotions mean nothing to ghosts. It makes for an interesting contrast. Liesl obviously ascribes to social norms because she's a human girl. But, Po has no such qualms and no inclination to fall in line either. And it's not even malicious intent. It's just that social convention and minutiae no longer register.
I mean, what's the point in smiling when you're a dead person? You don't feel happiness and you have no desire to put anyone at ease. As Po is exposed to the human world more, it begins to subconsciously act more human though it's not a complete transformation. I thought this was such a refreshing world building choice.
That being said, I did take issue with pronoun usage. Since there is no gender ghosts go by 'it'. It as a pronoun has an extremely negative connotation. I believe there are people out there who have chosen to reclaim it, however, as far as I can see that is still a very, very small faction of the larger community.
Also pronouns can reflect gender but they aren't gender specific ie non binary individuals can go by he, she, they or xe because they don't ascribe to the binary at all and pronouns are just what they prefer to use totally disconnected from gender as a concept. Po could have gone by he or a third pronoun instead of using one that carries such stigma. In the books’ defense this came out in 2011 when we were not yet as evolved in terms of gender politics so I can understand why a third pronoun might not have been considered. However, I still firmly believe ‘he’ could have been used in place of ‘it’ at the very least.
There is technically a deuteragonist who shares the page with Liesl. I say technically because he is meant to be the secondary protagonist though in practice he feels more like a supporting character. Even as a supporting character I found his inclusion unnecessary. Liesl and Po had a strong bond that balanced each other out well. Will was fundamentally useless after kicking off the story which he could have easily done without rising to such prominence. There is not a single thing he meaningfully contributes that makes him crucial to the narrative.
There is a mystery underscoring the novel. But, since the book follows multiple characters it's relatively simple to piece it all together. I think it's supposed to be an ironic kind of thing like 'oh if only they knew Character A has already got the box!' Most of the time it works though it is mildly frustrating as it feels like a crutch. It's almost like Oliver didn't trust the reader to stay invested without all the pieces or she didn't trust herself to write a real puzzle. Either way it was the main reason for the story not feeling particularly unique.
This was fun. It was what I wanted at the time. I took a chance on a random audiobook which is always a bit of a gamble. Thankfully, it turned out alright. It’s a casual kind of recommendation - if you don’t read it you aren’t losing out all that much.
Liesl has all the makings of a fairytale heroine. She has an evil stepmother, is locked away in an attic and her father died under mysterious circumstances. She's strong of heart, quick footed and loyal to a fault. All she needs is a friend to get the ball rolling on her adventure.
Enter Po the ghost.
The ghost lore is the strongest part of the book. Every norm or construct in the human world such as gender, boundaries and emotions mean nothing to ghosts. It makes for an interesting contrast. Liesl obviously ascribes to social norms because she's a human girl. But, Po has no such qualms and no inclination to fall in line either. And it's not even malicious intent. It's just that social convention and minutiae no longer register.
I mean, what's the point in smiling when you're a dead person? You don't feel happiness and you have no desire to put anyone at ease. As Po is exposed to the human world more, it begins to subconsciously act more human though it's not a complete transformation. I thought this was such a refreshing world building choice.
That being said, I did take issue with pronoun usage. Since there is no gender ghosts go by 'it'. It as a pronoun has an extremely negative connotation. I believe there are people out there who have chosen to reclaim it, however, as far as I can see that is still a very, very small faction of the larger community.
Also pronouns can reflect gender but they aren't gender specific ie non binary individuals can go by he, she, they or xe because they don't ascribe to the binary at all and pronouns are just what they prefer to use totally disconnected from gender as a concept. Po could have gone by he or a third pronoun instead of using one that carries such stigma. In the books’ defense this came out in 2011 when we were not yet as evolved in terms of gender politics so I can understand why a third pronoun might not have been considered. However, I still firmly believe ‘he’ could have been used in place of ‘it’ at the very least.
There is technically a deuteragonist who shares the page with Liesl. I say technically because he is meant to be the secondary protagonist though in practice he feels more like a supporting character. Even as a supporting character I found his inclusion unnecessary. Liesl and Po had a strong bond that balanced each other out well. Will was fundamentally useless after kicking off the story which he could have easily done without rising to such prominence. There is not a single thing he meaningfully contributes that makes him crucial to the narrative.
There is a mystery underscoring the novel. But, since the book follows multiple characters it's relatively simple to piece it all together. I think it's supposed to be an ironic kind of thing like 'oh if only they knew Character A has already got the box!' Most of the time it works though it is mildly frustrating as it feels like a crutch. It's almost like Oliver didn't trust the reader to stay invested without all the pieces or she didn't trust herself to write a real puzzle. Either way it was the main reason for the story not feeling particularly unique.
This was fun. It was what I wanted at the time. I took a chance on a random audiobook which is always a bit of a gamble. Thankfully, it turned out alright. It’s a casual kind of recommendation - if you don’t read it you aren’t losing out all that much.
x_librarian's review against another edition
4.0
A sweet story about friendship, family, and ghosts. The audiobook is read by the wonderful Jim Dale, but some reviews have mentioned the beautiful illustrations so I might have to go back and read it again (or at least skim).
goodem9199's review
5.0
AWESOME!!! I'm counting this among my favorite kids fiction. So fantastical I can't promote this enough for any kiddie lit lovers. The writing is phenomenal, the characters are spectacular, I am only disappointed that I can't start all over again. Oliver is quickly becoming one of my top favorite writers for the younguns'.
gatoraly's review
5.0
Without a doubt Liesl and Po was a wonderful 5 stars. No wonder this is Laurens favorite written book. I thought Delirium was gonna be untouchable but after reading this it is just as equally great. Both leaving me with valuable lessons of life and love. The journey with Liesl left me enjoying every page, and the pictures were the icing on the cake.
windsinger's review
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
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
3.5
rjdenney's review
5.0
****Re-read in December 2019!
Loved it even more the third time around. This is such a special book to me and it's a perfect winter read. :)
______________________________________
5 STARS!!
Now that was entertaining!
It is easily one of the BEST books I’ve ever read and has now become one of my favorites of all time!
This was such a cozy and magical read. I wish I had read it in the fall or winter. It would’ve fit perfectly with either of those seasons.
The first thing I have to mention is that this is a pretty damn dark book and grotesque at some points and I loved every ounce of it. I tell you, I’m sick in the head haha I love my dark middle grade reads. Not only was this dark, it was also touching and heartwarming at the same time. I found myself reaching across my bedside table for a tissue every so often (I still have tissues on my bedside table because I’m still under the weather.) and when a book can tug at you like that, it’s a gem!
I loved all of the characters, even the nasty, evil ones. This book is 307 pages but feels like it was 600 at least, but I don’t mean that in a bad way at all. It was paced beautifully and almost every character got their moment of development, which made the story much more magnificent. Lauren Oliver really outdid herself with this one, it was written amazingly.
Liesl, Po, and Will are the MAIN characters of this book, but the other characters might as well be main too because as I said, almost everyone had their POV and usually that bogs a story down for me and makes me lose interest in the story but in this book, it did the exact opposite. It made everything even better and I didn’t want it to end.
Just a little side note: I had my music on shuffle while I was reading the last 100 pages of this book and right when I was reading the LAST page, “Can’t take it in” by Imogen Heap began playing and holy crap it fit the ending PERFECTLY! That really made it an even better reading experience.
This book features: a strong twelve year old girl, a spunky genderless ghost, another brave young boy, a cute little cat-dog spirit, murder, mayhem, suspense, dark-comedy, adventure, heartbreak, darkness, and plenty of magic.
If any of those things above interest you, PICK THIS BOOK UP NOW!
I’m waiting for this to be adapted into a movie. It would be perfect. :-)
- Richard
Loved it even more the third time around. This is such a special book to me and it's a perfect winter read. :)
______________________________________
5 STARS!!
Now that was entertaining!
It is easily one of the BEST books I’ve ever read and has now become one of my favorites of all time!
This was such a cozy and magical read. I wish I had read it in the fall or winter. It would’ve fit perfectly with either of those seasons.
The first thing I have to mention is that this is a pretty damn dark book and grotesque at some points and I loved every ounce of it. I tell you, I’m sick in the head haha I love my dark middle grade reads. Not only was this dark, it was also touching and heartwarming at the same time. I found myself reaching across my bedside table for a tissue every so often (I still have tissues on my bedside table because I’m still under the weather.) and when a book can tug at you like that, it’s a gem!
I loved all of the characters, even the nasty, evil ones. This book is 307 pages but feels like it was 600 at least, but I don’t mean that in a bad way at all. It was paced beautifully and almost every character got their moment of development, which made the story much more magnificent. Lauren Oliver really outdid herself with this one, it was written amazingly.
Liesl, Po, and Will are the MAIN characters of this book, but the other characters might as well be main too because as I said, almost everyone had their POV and usually that bogs a story down for me and makes me lose interest in the story but in this book, it did the exact opposite. It made everything even better and I didn’t want it to end.
Just a little side note: I had my music on shuffle while I was reading the last 100 pages of this book and right when I was reading the LAST page, “Can’t take it in” by Imogen Heap began playing and holy crap it fit the ending PERFECTLY! That really made it an even better reading experience.
This book features: a strong twelve year old girl, a spunky genderless ghost, another brave young boy, a cute little cat-dog spirit, murder, mayhem, suspense, dark-comedy, adventure, heartbreak, darkness, and plenty of magic.
If any of those things above interest you, PICK THIS BOOK UP NOW!
I’m waiting for this to be adapted into a movie. It would be perfect. :-)
- Richard
zieepicaricacy's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75