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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
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
I've had this book for years and put off reading it until now and now my mind is blown. I never expected a Middle Grade book to make me cry and break my heart like this one did. Like in a way it felt like a book for kids because some characters and plot points lacked some depth, but overall It was just a book for everyone who has ever experienced grief. And it that sense I think as a kid I wouldn't have gotten as much out of it as I did now. Especially Grandpa Ike just broke my heart into a million pieces. I literally was sobbing in my bed at 12 am.
Love! My favorite book in a long time. It was a perfect story and a great fit for a middle school shelf!
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
So. Dang. Good.
I previewed the audiobook with my 5th graders at the end of the year while we were looking for good summer reads. We were all hooked.
I could not put it down. You find yourself rooting for Ethan, feeling sorry for him, and wanting to shake some sense into him all within the same few pages.
I love when books leave me feeling satisfied, even when I don’t get the ending I wanted. Can not recommend this enough to students or to teachers as a class read aloud.
I previewed the audiobook with my 5th graders at the end of the year while we were looking for good summer reads. We were all hooked.
I could not put it down. You find yourself rooting for Ethan, feeling sorry for him, and wanting to shake some sense into him all within the same few pages.
I love when books leave me feeling satisfied, even when I don’t get the ending I wanted. Can not recommend this enough to students or to teachers as a class read aloud.
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
This book broke my heart and put it back together again. I wanted to stay lost in the pages with Ethan, Kacey and Coralee forever. Standish is a fantastic story teller and her characters are so vivid and memorable they make the story a pure delight to read, even when dealing with a tough topic like grief. THE ETHAN I WAS BEFORE is perfect for fans of BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA or THE THING ABOUT JELLYFISH. Like TERABITHIA the location of the novel becomes another character, so rich and full it's impossible to ignore, and it also perfectly captures the uncertainties and triumphs of a new friendship. Like JELLYFISH, this novel faces grief head on and paints it in heartbreaking, crystal clear detail. There were so many lines that I loved. So many scenes that I wanted to memorize. This is a book I know I'll be reading again and again and one I'll definitely be recommending frequently. I loved every word.
What I loved about this story is how all of the story strands are woven together at the end. The ending really brought the entire book together and held a place in my heart.
This book has been the best book I've read so far in 2017! It has a great central story about how tragedy can change a person but the twists & turns of the subplots wouldn't let me put this one down. I also enjoyed seeing a MG novel with a strong yet sensitive male main character.
Perfect for middle grade readers! Readers who loved Swing Sideways, The Thing about Jelly & Just My Luck will be drawn to Ethan's story!
Perfect for middle grade readers! Readers who loved Swing Sideways, The Thing about Jelly & Just My Luck will be drawn to Ethan's story!