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bluejaybooks's review against another edition
I have a feeling opinions on this book are going to be very split because I feel like some readers are going to feel the plot twist breaks the story's promise of what this book is marketed as whereas others are going to love it.
For lovers of contemporaries and character driven stories, especially those of the middle grade variety. An overall sad book but with plenty of lighter moments to balance it out. ;)
For lovers of contemporaries and character driven stories, especially those of the middle grade variety. An overall sad book but with plenty of lighter moments to balance it out. ;)
libwinnie's review against another edition
1.0
This book promised to fill a real need in middle grade fiction--a gay protagonist in a conservative rural area and a bed wetter to boot (something I've never seen discussed in a novel for kids). But the body shaming was over the top! Every chapter or so there was some disparaging comment about the Fat Bald Detective or Riley's overweight best friend. I would love to raise up a book that celebrates an LGBT character, but not at the expense of people of size.
katie_chandler's review against another edition
4.0
This is a short read, that took me much longer than it should have because the story is heavier than I anticipated. The book starts with the fact that Riley’s mom has been missing for four months. What a heart wrenching beginning! There are a lot of sensitive topics covered in this story, which had me wondering what would be the intended audience age. Riley is a 6th grader, but I think that perhaps Riley’s story would have been too overwhelming for me as a 6th grader. The author’s note brought tears to my eyes too.
shinesalot's review against another edition
3.0
This book was not what I expected. My 6th grader son asked if we could read a book with a gay or bisexual character. So far I have found it difficult to find middle grade books that have characters that are gay or bisexual. There are tons of appropriate texts that have trans characters, but specifically gay/bisexual seems a little harder to find.
That said, the magical/mystery aspects of this book were engaging. Riley dealing with his "condition" (of being gay) was handled fairly well. However, the ending - the death of the dog and truth about Riley's mom - were just to much for my sensitive 6th grader.
This seems like it is an important book - for tweens dealing with grief and/or death of a parent, this will work well for them. For my super emotional tween, the bigger themes in the story would have had him in tears. I am glad I read it before we read it together.
That said, the magical/mystery aspects of this book were engaging. Riley dealing with his "condition" (of being gay) was handled fairly well. However, the ending - the death of the dog and truth about Riley's mom - were just to much for my sensitive 6th grader.
This seems like it is an important book - for tweens dealing with grief and/or death of a parent, this will work well for them. For my super emotional tween, the bigger themes in the story would have had him in tears. I am glad I read it before we read it together.
rheam1224's review against another edition
3.0
Dude, I'm not gonna lie. This book got me in the first half.
I was so ready to dnf this book because I was so busy with other things and the story felt slow compared to everything happening around and to me. But luckily, I was really curious to understand what this kid, Riley, was going to do to find his mom.
I won't say much, but this book really picked up in the second half of the book and its ending was really heartwarming and heartbreaking and just . . . a lot to process.
Overall, it's a wonderful story. It's touching and charming. I cried a bit, ngl haha
I was so ready to dnf this book because I was so busy with other things and the story felt slow compared to everything happening around and to me. But luckily, I was really curious to understand what this kid, Riley, was going to do to find his mom.
I won't say much, but this book really picked up in the second half of the book and its ending was really heartwarming and heartbreaking and just . . . a lot to process.
Overall, it's a wonderful story. It's touching and charming. I cried a bit, ngl haha
bigbeardedbookseller's review against another edition
4.0
I received an advanced copy of this from Penguin and was so happy when it arrived.
I had been hearing whispers (…) of this book on Book Twitter for a while and wanted to see for myself what it was about.
We follow Riley James through what at first seems like a sci-fi/fantasy story with old mysteries of the local wood hanging heavily over everything.
As we go through the story we find that Riley’s mum is missing and he will do anything to find her, including giving a tribute to the mysterious creatures who live in the woods.
We also explore Riley’s sexuality and this is done in a gentle way, gradually being introduced as a ‘condition’ that God despises.
A wonderful book full of surprises, twists and turns. Exploring loss, wonder, belief, homosexuality in rural USA, and grief.
There was many a time I was in tears but just couldn’t look away.
I had been hearing whispers (…) of this book on Book Twitter for a while and wanted to see for myself what it was about.
We follow Riley James through what at first seems like a sci-fi/fantasy story with old mysteries of the local wood hanging heavily over everything.
As we go through the story we find that Riley’s mum is missing and he will do anything to find her, including giving a tribute to the mysterious creatures who live in the woods.
We also explore Riley’s sexuality and this is done in a gentle way, gradually being introduced as a ‘condition’ that God despises.
A wonderful book full of surprises, twists and turns. Exploring loss, wonder, belief, homosexuality in rural USA, and grief.
There was many a time I was in tears but just couldn’t look away.
sandra_foriers's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
hidingzeus's review against another edition
2.0
Read for OBOB recs.
One of those I forgot to put on Goodreads at the time of reading.
It felt more aged for 6-8 than 3-5
One of those I forgot to put on Goodreads at the time of reading.
It felt more aged for 6-8 than 3-5