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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
Beautifully written (and narrated) story of friendship, grief, and healing. Ethan blames himself for a tragedy involving his best friend. His family moves to Georgia, ostensibly to take care of Grandpa Ike, but really to help Ethan “move on.” There he begins a new friendship with a likable, adventurous girl named Coralee. Mysteries about both of their pasts and lives are slowly revealed, while Ethan’s family struggles with adjusting to life in Georgia and several strained relationships. Four stars instead of five only because the reasons characters gave for not going to the police or getting adult help felt a little contrived. A great balance of well-developed characters and engaging plot.
Recommended for fans of The Bridge to Terabithia, Al Capone Does My Shirts, See You at Harry’s.
Recommended for fans of The Bridge to Terabithia, Al Capone Does My Shirts, See You at Harry’s.
COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN. Such a great book. Full of great quotes, nail biting adventure, family and friendship. This is a read aloud for sure. Adding it to my list for my fifth graders.
It's impossible to say how much I loved this book. Every word is perfectly chosen and perfectly placed. The story is one that will last and last, and the characters feel like I've known them all my life. To say Ethan has changed me is the honest truth. It is a story I'll cherish. Beautifully written, it is honest, heartbreaking and ultimately full of hope, as every story should be. A real must-read.
I swiped this from my 4th grader because the title was so odd. Thank goodness I did. This is an amazing an age appropriate meditation on grief, friendship and memory. I loved it.
Something about the sad (bittersweet?) middle grade genre has been more painfully enjoyable for me lately, but I can't put my finger on the reason. Either way, I think the SE US setting and the familiar themes made this one feel comfortable but sad at the same time, and I enjoyed the catharsis that the roller coaster of emotions brought about. Plus, all of the plot threads were well tied (although most were fairly predictable, that's not always a bad thing).
I went into this story without any knowledge of the content besides the summary on the inside jacket. I knew this could be in the running for the Newbery Award coming in the next month, so I decided to give it a shot. I am extremely happy I did!
This debut story from Ali Standish is a powerful addition to our home library for our children. It takes us through the mind of a middle schooler who is dealing with some mighty deep emotions and experiences for a child his age.
The characters are well written and the story never seems to slow at all from beginning to end. From older brother Roddie's teenage angst to Grandpa Ike's grumpiness, I felt like I was a part of the family as I was reading.
The last hundred pages are where I think this story stands out from other stories I have read in the past school year. It took a really good story to a GREAT story with the development of storylines that I did not see coming.
I will recommend this story to many growing readers that I come across and also to teachers in my building and in my district as well!
This debut story from Ali Standish is a powerful addition to our home library for our children. It takes us through the mind of a middle schooler who is dealing with some mighty deep emotions and experiences for a child his age.
The characters are well written and the story never seems to slow at all from beginning to end. From older brother Roddie's teenage angst to Grandpa Ike's grumpiness, I felt like I was a part of the family as I was reading.
The last hundred pages are where I think this story stands out from other stories I have read in the past school year. It took a really good story to a GREAT story with the development of storylines that I did not see coming.
I will recommend this story to many growing readers that I come across and also to teachers in my building and in my district as well!
Overall, I liked this, but there were a few clunky parts and when I got to the end I felt like I'd read this story before (e.g. [b:Lost in the Sun|23281891|Lost in the Sun|Lisa Graff|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1412531205s/23281891.jpg|42819798], [b:Bridge to Terabithia|2839|Bridge to Terabithia|Katherine Paterson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327880087s/2839.jpg|2237401]).
I think the first half is stronger than the second half because Standish is good at building suspense for the reader. Why does Ethan feel guilty? What happened to Kasey? It truly reads like a good mystery, even though it's pretty obvious where it's going.
The second half sort of falls into cliche-ville. Still, overall, it's a solid book with emotional depth and great plotting in the beginning to suck a reader in.
I think the first half is stronger than the second half because Standish is good at building suspense for the reader. Why does Ethan feel guilty? What happened to Kasey? It truly reads like a good mystery, even though it's pretty obvious where it's going.
The second half sort of falls into cliche-ville. Still, overall, it's a solid book with emotional depth and great plotting in the beginning to suck a reader in.
Great middle grade fiction about a boy who has had something traumatic happen. Explores themes of friendship, love, and healing.
A grief filled mystery that I thought overall was okay.
I just can't with the depressing books... And I say that as someone who generally likes really serious/dark things. This one was just too much for me. It doesn't seem like any of the adults in this story are competent in figuring out how to deal with Ethan and the horrible situation he's in.