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4.42 AVERAGE
4.42 AVERAGE
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book was so precious, and relatable, and tender and holy heck do I wish it existed when I was a tween.
I loved this book! Ivy Aberdeen is dealing with feelings that she may be gay. Readers will feel compassion and understanding for Ivy. I especially loved the underlying message - gay or straight - we are all people and our sexuality only makes up one small part of us.
4,5 heartwarming stars
This book was sweet and wholesome. But also a very important read and I think that all kids, from 9+ years should read this book.
Ivy was such a great character. I liked the characters, the storyline and the pacing in the story.
This was my first Ashley Herring Black book, but I’ll definitely be reading some more of her books.
This book was sweet and wholesome. But also a very important read and I think that all kids, from 9+ years should read this book.
Ivy was such a great character. I liked the characters, the storyline and the pacing in the story.
This was my first Ashley Herring Black book, but I’ll definitely be reading some more of her books.
As is the case for many more modern diverse books, this is something I definitely wish I had when I was younger.
Blake does a great job of interweaving the two main plots - Ivy's family losing their house and Ivy's anxiety about liking girls - neither takes up more narrative than the other and they often go hand-in-hand. Ivy's self-consciousness never feels forced - this read like such a natural LGBT story that I was constantly thinking of my own experiences. One of the main themes of the book is that Ivy's orientation is only one part of who she is, and Blake really understands that.
I also liked how inclusive the book was - there are multiple queer women that Ivy meets throughout the book, and it emphasizes that no one has the exact same experience with their sexuality. Other points I noticed that were great for younger audiences were were that the definition of "bi" is not limited to men and women and that the emotional focus of coming out is on the person doing it, not the person responding to it. Those were both things that I've seen clarified a lot regarding LGBT topics and I think it's important that learning doesn't stop at the basics.
As someone who started questioning their sexuality in middle school, I really loved this book and wish I had representation like this when I was younger. The fear of being rejected by those you love is a theme that's too familiar and made me remember how scared that made me. There's a plotline that's a little similar to Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, in that someone knows her secret and we don't know who, but it's never malicious.
There's all the angst of the first crush, and how different it feels, and the tidal wave of emotions that come with trying to figure yourself out. I know I would have had an easier time if there were books like this. I hope this means a lot to kids today.
Blake does a great job of interweaving the two main plots - Ivy's family losing their house and Ivy's anxiety about liking girls - neither takes up more narrative than the other and they often go hand-in-hand. Ivy's self-consciousness never feels forced - this read like such a natural LGBT story that I was constantly thinking of my own experiences. One of the main themes of the book is that Ivy's orientation is only one part of who she is, and Blake really understands that.
I also liked how inclusive the book was - there are multiple queer women that Ivy meets throughout the book, and it emphasizes that no one has the exact same experience with their sexuality. Other points I noticed that were great for younger audiences were were that the definition of "bi" is not limited to men and women and that the emotional focus of coming out is on the person doing it, not the person responding to it. Those were both things that I've seen clarified a lot regarding LGBT topics and I think it's important that learning doesn't stop at the basics.
As someone who started questioning their sexuality in middle school, I really loved this book and wish I had representation like this when I was younger. The fear of being rejected by those you love is a theme that's too familiar and made me remember how scared that made me. There's a plotline that's a little similar to Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, in that someone knows her secret and we don't know who, but it's never malicious.
There's all the angst of the first crush, and how different it feels, and the tidal wave of emotions that come with trying to figure yourself out. I know I would have had an easier time if there were books like this. I hope this means a lot to kids today.
Review for Battle of the Books 2020
307 pages. MC female and 12 years old. Female author. MC is an artist so sometimes the colors are a bit flowery for questions, but just as often they are succinct enough to make good questions. Deals with loss of home and coming of age. A good choice to fulfill the requests for LGBT representation.
307 pages. MC female and 12 years old. Female author. MC is an artist so sometimes the colors are a bit flowery for questions, but just as often they are succinct enough to make good questions. Deals with loss of home and coming of age. A good choice to fulfill the requests for LGBT representation.
This is a beautiful, emotional story of twelve-year-old Ivy Aberdeen, who uses drawing to cope with several overwhelming feelings: grief from losing her house in a tornado, confusion from having a crush on a girl when all her friends have crushes on boys, and anger at feeling forgotten by her family. I think this would be a wonderful edition to my classroom library, and it is one that I can recommend to any of my students going through a variety of tough experiences.
The four stars are for middle grade readers. It’s just the book young readers would like.
Good descriptions, lovely imagery, well developed characters, realistic emotions, relatable for an LGBTQ tween.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
It was really good and written very well with a good ending. It made me feel happy at the end when things worked out. I could not put this book down. I just couldn’t everything about it is wonderful. It is a very important story. I highly recommend it.