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bickie's review against another edition
4.0
Despite the storyline of an 8th grade girl, Claire, dealing with life after her father has a massive stroke, I laughed a lot. Sonnenblick provides a stark view of the difficulties, including Claire's confusion during the stroke and her range of emotions dealing with it. However, it's all done with a dose of self-deprecating humor on Claire-the-narrator's part. Claire is dealing with being in a dance class with younger girls because she is not good enough to move up with her best dance friends, a few bullies at school, a perfect-in-every-way older brother, and a mean teacher. I appreciated the balance of realistic situations and reactions; it never felt preachy or stereotypical. Highly recommend. Best for ages 11-14 (no real romantic stuff, no profanity (one BLEEP used a few times for one situation), no gritty situations)
jordanimals's review against another edition
Two five star reviews in one day! A new record!! i loved this book. it's about claire, an eight grader who is very normal-- she worries about things like her dance class and what chair she'll make in band. when her father has a stroke, claire is forced to go through things she never thought she would. this book honestly made me really laugh and really cry. her relationship with her dad is so sweet, and i think everyone can relate to this book. claire is a relatable and flawed narrator, but she's lovable.
moonblink39's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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? Yes
4.0
mary_elizabeth's review against another edition
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? Yes
4.0
sarahanne8382's review against another edition
3.0
Claire's life is that of a pretty typical 8th-grader, until her dad suffers a stroke. Suddenly her family's life is turned upside down. A good story and the audio narrator has the right voice making it a good listen.
nicolemhewitt's review against another edition
5.0
This review and many more can be found on my blog: Feed Your Fiction Addiction
I recently went to a YA Lit Conference at Anderson’s Bookshop and Sonnenblick was one of the keynote speakers. His keynote speech was incredibly humorous and I knew that his books would be written in the same wry style, so my mom and I checked out the library to see if they had his latest book in audiobook format. They did, so we listened to it while we drove to and from the conference the next day. (I also bought a few of his books to share with my kids later, but I haven’t read those yet.)
Sonnenblick said that this book was written in his daughter’s snarky pre-teen voice, and I think he captured it quite well. It was fun to listen to this story because I knew a lot of the scenarios in the book were based on the author’s real life and family (though, obviously, not the fact that the dad has a stroke). The story was poignant and sweet and full of life lessons for a middle grade audience. As an adult listener, I sort of wished I’d felt a little more attached to the characters than I ended up being, but I really enjoyed the story overall.
I recently went to a YA Lit Conference at Anderson’s Bookshop and Sonnenblick was one of the keynote speakers. His keynote speech was incredibly humorous and I knew that his books would be written in the same wry style, so my mom and I checked out the library to see if they had his latest book in audiobook format. They did, so we listened to it while we drove to and from the conference the next day. (I also bought a few of his books to share with my kids later, but I haven’t read those yet.)
Sonnenblick said that this book was written in his daughter’s snarky pre-teen voice, and I think he captured it quite well. It was fun to listen to this story because I knew a lot of the scenarios in the book were based on the author’s real life and family (though, obviously, not the fact that the dad has a stroke). The story was poignant and sweet and full of life lessons for a middle grade audience. As an adult listener, I sort of wished I’d felt a little more attached to the characters than I ended up being, but I really enjoyed the story overall.
nklosty's review against another edition
4.0
I feel for Claire. I love the tone and meaning in the story. Sonnenblick always reaches deep into real life and creates such relatable characters. I listened to this book and didn't particularly love the narrator. 91
jaci_farmer's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
ninabambina's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0