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girlreading's review against another edition
5.0
4.5* A heartfelt, wholesome read and an absolute delight from start to finish.
This was a truly wonderful, modern day Little Women retelling. The story superbly explored topics such as family, religion, race, microagressions, childhood ambition and illness in a way that was brilliantly accessible to readers, both young and old and I adored the cleverly written parallels between the two stories.
This book has the power to be as moving, impactful and memorable to young readers as the original story and I hope it gets just as many tv/movie adaptations in the future (it deserves it.)
TW: Racist microagressions (challenged)
This was a truly wonderful, modern day Little Women retelling. The story superbly explored topics such as family, religion, race, microagressions, childhood ambition and illness in a way that was brilliantly accessible to readers, both young and old and I adored the cleverly written parallels between the two stories.
This book has the power to be as moving, impactful and memorable to young readers as the original story and I hope it gets just as many tv/movie adaptations in the future (it deserves it.)
TW: Racist microagressions (challenged)
karisjmadison's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
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? Yes
4.75
romanaromana's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
2 stars.
(Here are some content warnings. To add: brief discussion of a heart attack. Nothing in this review).
I was so excited about this book, but sadly, I was underwhelmed.
Jameela Mirza is ready to spend this year honing her journalism skills and impressing in her role as Features Editor of her school paper. But when her father accepts a job in Abu Dhabi, and her younger sister's health deteriorates, Jameela finds that there is much more to her story than her own writing.
More to the Story is pitched as a retelling/modern interpretation of Little Women, which I am fond of and really admire. But sadly, Hena Khan didn't do very much with the beloved story and this didn't feel like a fully-fledged or properly developed idea that could stand on its own.
First of all, the characters weren't given enough depth. Jameela, at least, had the most to her character so her position as a narrator made sense and I was pleased to see things through her eyes. But her other sisters were disappointing by comparison, reduced to one singular hobby if they were lucky.
By extension, Ali's character was far below what it should have been given how much he comes up in the novel. Annoyingly, he also fell victim to the poorly-written-British-boy trope. Khan acknowledges someone from the UK who helped her with her Briticisms, but I can only assume this guy was middle-aged, sans children and not a big middle-grade fan, because Ali didn't talk like a real British teenager at all, and fell into cliches and outdated dialect.
Plot was also disappointing. I appreciate that it was somewhat in line with Louisa May Alcott's original, somewhat ambling narrative, but the truth of the matter is that young modern readers have different standards and expectations, which I think should have been considered. The pace was ultimately too slow, and the peaks and troughs of drama and tension were practically non-existent.
Wrapping up here, but the gist isn't hard to grasp. Shoutout to Khan, however, for a nice premise and solid representation.
(Here are some content warnings. To add: brief discussion of a heart attack. Nothing in this review).
I was so excited about this book, but sadly, I was underwhelmed.
Jameela Mirza is ready to spend this year honing her journalism skills and impressing in her role as Features Editor of her school paper. But when her father accepts a job in Abu Dhabi, and her younger sister's health deteriorates, Jameela finds that there is much more to her story than her own writing.
More to the Story is pitched as a retelling/modern interpretation of Little Women, which I am fond of and really admire. But sadly, Hena Khan didn't do very much with the beloved story and this didn't feel like a fully-fledged or properly developed idea that could stand on its own.
First of all, the characters weren't given enough depth. Jameela, at least, had the most to her character so her position as a narrator made sense and I was pleased to see things through her eyes. But her other sisters were disappointing by comparison, reduced to one singular hobby if they were lucky.
By extension, Ali's character was far below what it should have been given how much he comes up in the novel. Annoyingly, he also fell victim to the poorly-written-British-boy trope. Khan acknowledges someone from the UK who helped her with her Briticisms, but I can only assume this guy was middle-aged, sans children and not a big middle-grade fan, because Ali didn't talk like a real British teenager at all, and fell into cliches and outdated dialect.
Plot was also disappointing. I appreciate that it was somewhat in line with Louisa May Alcott's original, somewhat ambling narrative, but the truth of the matter is that young modern readers have different standards and expectations, which I think should have been considered. The pace was ultimately too slow, and the peaks and troughs of drama and tension were practically non-existent.
Wrapping up here, but the gist isn't hard to grasp. Shoutout to Khan, however, for a nice premise and solid representation.
librerika's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
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
4.0
Cute contemporary retelling of little women. The sisters feel true to the personalities of their counterparts in the original, just aged down a bit
maralrose's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Islamophobia, Cancer, Racism, and Xenophobia
caitlink's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
thebookishlibrarian's review against another edition
Thanks to School Library Journal for a review copy of this book.
A modern retelling of Little Women, More to the Story follows Jameela Mirza and her three sisters, Muslim American girls living in Georgia. Jam has just been picked as feature editor for the school paper at her middle school. She is very excited to start her assignment, but the editor keeps shooting down her story ideas. When Jam’s father is sent overseas for work for 6 months, she becomes more determined to write the best article possible and make him proud.
A modern retelling of Little Women, More to the Story follows Jameela Mirza and her three sisters, Muslim American girls living in Georgia. Jam has just been picked as feature editor for the school paper at her middle school. She is very excited to start her assignment, but the editor keeps shooting down her story ideas. When Jam’s father is sent overseas for work for 6 months, she becomes more determined to write the best article possible and make him proud.
djlanatron's review against another edition
5.0
I have been excited to read this ever since I heard about it, and was not disappointed! My students loved “Amina’s Voice,” and should enjoy this too. A modern reimagining of Little Women, I really enjoyed seeing the way all four sisters interacted in this loving family!
rlwertheimer's review against another edition
4.0
Really liked this sweet story that also packed in some depth in responding to family crisis and Muslim & Pakistani-American representation.