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lobeliaparides's review
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
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? No
5.0
therealbel's review
4.0
A gentle look at loss and healing, about the power of friendships and about how grief is handled in different ways.
destobie's review
emotional
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
4.5
ladysmoke's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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? No
4.0
A gorgeously illustrated Juvenile graphic novel. The very emotional subject of the loss of a friend is handled with expert delicacy. Perfect for any reader but especially relevant for anyone experiencing grief and loss.
jkw7072's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This was a sweet take on what it feels like to be surrounded in your grief when losing someone. The hard ways of trying to cope through new relationships, lashing out or shutting down. The authors did a great job of showing this in a graphic novel. The sadness and grief are prevalent but the joy of that friendship and the friendship that is still there prevails and they can lean on each other.
whitecat5000's review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
4.0
This was such a good way too look at the grief process for children and teenagers.
lawbooks600's review
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Representation: N/A
Score: Seven points out of ten.
I saw Dear Rosie when I visited one of two libraries (the other one didn't have this title) and I immediately wanted to pick it up. I glanced at the blurb, making me think Dear Rosie is heavy yet intriguing, and the high ratings increased my expectations. When I read and finished the book, it was quick but enjoyable.
It starts with the first character I see, Millie, with her three friends: Florence, Claire and Gabby. Millie had a fourth friend, Rosie, until the latter died in a car crash, throwing the remaining four friends into a storm of grief they haven't recovered from yet. Soon enough, after the opening pages, Millie stumbles upon a book someone left while at the laundromat and she questioned if it has any connection to Rosie. That investigation spanned most of Dear Rosie but it obscured the central theme of grief sometimes. I surmise the author set the narrative only a few days after Rosie's death, when her friends are still in the early stages of bereavement, but the quick pacing worked against its favour. By the closing pages Millie and others have moved on already from that incident but still remember Rosie--a realistic way to handle the situation. The abandoned journal led to an underground tunnel system where Rosie's name was on there, which led to Millie and others putting their names on also. The conclusion ends Dear Rosie on a bittersweet note.
Score: Seven points out of ten.
I saw Dear Rosie when I visited one of two libraries (the other one didn't have this title) and I immediately wanted to pick it up. I glanced at the blurb, making me think Dear Rosie is heavy yet intriguing, and the high ratings increased my expectations. When I read and finished the book, it was quick but enjoyable.
It starts with the first character I see, Millie, with her three friends: Florence, Claire and Gabby. Millie had a fourth friend, Rosie, until the latter died in a car crash, throwing the remaining four friends into a storm of grief they haven't recovered from yet. Soon enough, after the opening pages, Millie stumbles upon a book someone left while at the laundromat and she questioned if it has any connection to Rosie. That investigation spanned most of Dear Rosie but it obscured the central theme of grief sometimes. I surmise the author set the narrative only a few days after Rosie's death, when her friends are still in the early stages of bereavement, but the quick pacing worked against its favour. By the closing pages Millie and others have moved on already from that incident but still remember Rosie--a realistic way to handle the situation. The abandoned journal led to an underground tunnel system where Rosie's name was on there, which led to Millie and others putting their names on also. The conclusion ends Dear Rosie on a bittersweet note.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Minor: Child death, Car accident, and Death
Full trigger warnings: Death of a child and friend in a car crash in the past mentioned, grief and loss depictionauberellareads's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
jkenna1990's review against another edition
5.0
This is such a fantastic graphic novel that deals with a very hard topic for most kids to discuss, the death of a friend. It also deals with grief and how hard it can be to come to terms with losing someone that you loved in a very abrupt way. I think that this deals with all of those things and more in a fantastic way. The artwork is very colorful and I loved the expressions of all of the characters. Overall, a really well-done graphic novel.
spookystacks's review against another edition
4.0
Cute, middle-grade story that describes friendship, love and loss. The characters are adorable looking. It was cool to realize that the characters and story are loosely based on the author's own experience, and that the animals featured as characters are all native to the author's local area. I think that the most important piece of this graphic novel is the take-away that everyone experiences grief differently, and that it manifests itself in different ways. But ultimately, friendship can help to heal the brokenness that our grief can leave us with,