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mariahistryingtoread's review against another edition
3.0
Jason Reynolds is supposed to be one of the best Black middle grade authors around. His name is well circulated in most diverse book-ish circles I've been in. So I was looking forward to seeing what all the hype is about.
The basic premise is simple and the synopsis largely encompasses the majority of the relevant plot points within the book. There are some minor events, but it really is just one somewhat sleepy summer at the grandparents.
Reynolds captured the atmosphere very well. How it felt to be in a new environment with all these different rules to parse and how fun it could be but how nerve-wracking too because you don’t see them often or know them too well. On top of all that are often interpersonal issues that you, as a kid, do not understand the depth of but are still affected by due to the tension it still creates. It reminded me of time spent at my own grandparents’ as a kid, minus the manual labor.
That being said it was at times a little too much like visiting my grandparents ie. it could get pretty boring. The first seven chapters are a rehash of information we already know based on the synopsis. This could have been cut down to one or two chapters easily. Most of the book is a cycle of the same handful of activities - going to the market, pulling weeds in the garden, visiting a summer friend, feeding the birds - rinse and repeat. Yes, I understand summer is not always go, go, go. That did not stop me from finding it repetitive.
The huge incident involving shooting the gun doesn’t happen until nearly 70% into the book. And the fallout leaves a lot to be desired. There’s a lot of trauma broiling under the surface involving Genie’s father and his grandfather that is not much addressed. Family infighting, especially when it has spanned generations, can’t be fixed in one summer so I’m fine that it’s ambiguous. I liked that it was messy and unpleasant because both sides had a measure of culpability. What I didn’t like was that I felt misled.
I was expecting more effort. I thought this would be a book about Genie helping to heal his fractured family. While he took steps in this direction it was almost entirely incidental which was disappointing given what I thought the book was going to be about based on how the synopsis was framed.
The book was decent. Reynolds writes kids super well. I felt immersed in the world. I wanted more to happen, but that was my misplaced expectations and personal preference at war with the author’s intentions for this novel. However, I will argue more should have happened as this book is rather sparse on the plot which is why this is only 3 stars for me. The summer was fun for Genie to experience - it was not fun to actually read about. Still, Jason Reynolds is clearly a good writer and based off of this book I am looking forward to reading his other work.
The basic premise is simple and the synopsis largely encompasses the majority of the relevant plot points within the book. There are some minor events, but it really is just one somewhat sleepy summer at the grandparents.
Reynolds captured the atmosphere very well. How it felt to be in a new environment with all these different rules to parse and how fun it could be but how nerve-wracking too because you don’t see them often or know them too well. On top of all that are often interpersonal issues that you, as a kid, do not understand the depth of but are still affected by due to the tension it still creates. It reminded me of time spent at my own grandparents’ as a kid, minus the manual labor.
That being said it was at times a little too much like visiting my grandparents ie. it could get pretty boring. The first seven chapters are a rehash of information we already know based on the synopsis. This could have been cut down to one or two chapters easily. Most of the book is a cycle of the same handful of activities - going to the market, pulling weeds in the garden, visiting a summer friend, feeding the birds - rinse and repeat. Yes, I understand summer is not always go, go, go. That did not stop me from finding it repetitive.
The huge incident involving shooting the gun doesn’t happen until nearly 70% into the book. And the fallout leaves a lot to be desired. There’s a lot of trauma broiling under the surface involving Genie’s father and his grandfather that is not much addressed. Family infighting, especially when it has spanned generations, can’t be fixed in one summer so I’m fine that it’s ambiguous. I liked that it was messy and unpleasant because both sides had a measure of culpability. What I didn’t like was that I felt misled.
I was expecting more effort. I thought this would be a book about Genie helping to heal his fractured family. While he took steps in this direction it was almost entirely incidental which was disappointing given what I thought the book was going to be about based on how the synopsis was framed.
The book was decent. Reynolds writes kids super well. I felt immersed in the world. I wanted more to happen, but that was my misplaced expectations and personal preference at war with the author’s intentions for this novel. However, I will argue more should have happened as this book is rather sparse on the plot which is why this is only 3 stars for me. The summer was fun for Genie to experience - it was not fun to actually read about. Still, Jason Reynolds is clearly a good writer and based off of this book I am looking forward to reading his other work.
reader4evr's review against another edition
3.0
I’m glad I listened to it but I thought it had some funny points but overall this story was kind of meh
roseleaf24's review against another edition
4.0
Genie is headed to rural Virginia to spend a month with his grandparents -- who he's never met. His big brother, Ernie, is coming, too, but his parents have been having some problems and are going to Jamaica to get some time to work on them. Genie has a lot to worry about, and he's good at worrying. He's also good at asking questions, and he has a lot of them as the Brooklyn boy adjust to life in the country. I really appreciated this gently told story, and could identify a lot with several of the characters. I loved the warmth of the family, though it is not a perfect family, and the way we see the flaws of the adults through the eyes of children who love them. We all have personal challenges, both inside and outside of ourselves, and this novel does an excellent job of showing this and exploring the concept of bravery.
katrinareadsbooks's review against another edition
inspiring
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? Yes
4.0
craftyanty's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I enjoyed the book but found the ending abrupt.
Audiobook narrator was very good, especially voicing of Grandpa.
Audiobook narrator was very good, especially voicing of Grandpa.
aliyas_encanto's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
3.75
Jason Reynolds brings a deeply authentic an honest voice to the character of 11-year-old Genie. His character has infectious little brother energy and such an inquisitive min, that you couldn't help but love him. When the Brooklyn-born brothers go to stay with their southern grandparents, I don't think either pair knew just how much they could learn from one another and heal in their world view and connection as a family. Love love love reading black boy joy and this book makes me want to feel less ashamed in my wonder (as it really is a part of what makes us human).
bickie's review against another edition
4.0
Authentic 11-year-old voice, though told in 3rd person primarily through his perspective. Addresses many issues children experience - unfamiliarity with certain terms and guesses about what they mean, reluctance to try new things, adults with mysterious behavior and difficult backgrounds, guilt and shame, uncertainty about how to handle situations. While this book covers many tough topics (Jim Crow past, war trauma, guilt and shame passed generation to generation), it does so in a way accessible to the target middle-grade audience, mixing a poop-slinging game with the fact that a blind grandfather is too "concerned" (aka scared) to go outside of his own house. Best for ages 9-12 [2-3 mild curse words such as pissed, damn, hell; mild romance (crush, hand-holding) of older (age 14) brother); complex issues but not really delving into older-kid identity too much].
kaitidid's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
slow-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
5.0
heyhank's review against another edition
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
sarahanne8382's review against another edition
4.0
As usual, Jason Reynolds delivers a solid middle-grade story, with the excellent audio narration of Guy Lockhart.
Brothers Genie and Ernie leave their home in the Bronx for a summer in rural Virginia with their grandparents. The set up reminds me of all my cousins who would come to visit for the summer because I lived near our grandparents who lived in the country, and they lived in far off cities.
I enjoyed getting a Reynolds story in a different setting than usual, but still full of everything that makes his stories great.
Brothers Genie and Ernie leave their home in the Bronx for a summer in rural Virginia with their grandparents. The set up reminds me of all my cousins who would come to visit for the summer because I lived near our grandparents who lived in the country, and they lived in far off cities.
I enjoyed getting a Reynolds story in a different setting than usual, but still full of everything that makes his stories great.