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3.43 AVERAGE
3.43 AVERAGE
3.5/5
This was short and sweet AND also featured representation of a chronic illness and non-traditional family.
Our main character, Harriet, is a half-Hispanic girl with multiple sclerosis, her mom is a bartender in a band, and her dad is going back to school to be a nurse. After moving from their small Indiana town to Chicago, Harriet spends her summer days at home alone until she unwilling befriends their elderly downstairs landlady, Pearl (who is a retired librarian!!!). Harriet is also a bit of a storyteller by nature, coming up with startling thoughts on the mailman and neighbors--she's got an active imagination! I loved all these aspects and they made for a really enjoyable read.
The main problem I had with this book was that it seemed like some of the subtle references towards the diversity included (chronic illness, biracial family, possible LGBTQ main character) would completely go over younger reader's heads. I often feel that adults can underestimate how much kids pick up on, so this isn't me underestimating kids but realizing that I didn't pick up on a lot of these little references either. I also understand how powerful it can be to include characters of differing abilities, races, sexualities, etc. without making it some big part of the plot (I eat that stuff up!). That being said, I think that as this is for young elementary students, this could be their first introduction to chronic illnesses such as MS. So I am in full support of not making it part of the plot and the main focus, but I would have liked to see a bit more incorporation.
I so enjoyed Harriet's imagination and Pearl's book recommendations to her (once a librarian, always a librarian). What I loved most was the relationship that built between Harriet and Pearl--as well as the Pearl's son who also developed a chronic illness after having polio in the 50s (not an actual character in the book, but someone that Harriet identifies with).
This was short and sweet AND also featured representation of a chronic illness and non-traditional family.
Our main character, Harriet, is a half-Hispanic girl with multiple sclerosis, her mom is a bartender in a band, and her dad is going back to school to be a nurse. After moving from their small Indiana town to Chicago, Harriet spends her summer days at home alone until she unwilling befriends their elderly downstairs landlady, Pearl (who is a retired librarian!!!). Harriet is also a bit of a storyteller by nature, coming up with startling thoughts on the mailman and neighbors--she's got an active imagination! I loved all these aspects and they made for a really enjoyable read.
The main problem I had with this book was that it seemed like some of the subtle references towards the diversity included (chronic illness, biracial family, possible LGBTQ main character) would completely go over younger reader's heads. I often feel that adults can underestimate how much kids pick up on, so this isn't me underestimating kids but realizing that I didn't pick up on a lot of these little references either. I also understand how powerful it can be to include characters of differing abilities, races, sexualities, etc. without making it some big part of the plot (I eat that stuff up!). That being said, I think that as this is for young elementary students, this could be their first introduction to chronic illnesses such as MS. So I am in full support of not making it part of the plot and the main focus, but I would have liked to see a bit more incorporation.
I so enjoyed Harriet's imagination and Pearl's book recommendations to her (once a librarian, always a librarian). What I loved most was the relationship that built between Harriet and Pearl--as well as the Pearl's son who also developed a chronic illness after having polio in the 50s (not an actual character in the book, but someone that Harriet identifies with).
emotional
lighthearted
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:
N/A
Sincerely, Harriet by Sarah Winifred Searle follows Harriet across a restless summer, where she is exploring her first crush (which just happens to be on a girl), chronic illness, and different ways to be a storyteller. She is very bored all alone in her family’s new apartment, so she uses her imagination to cope - which sometimes gets her in trouble. She befriends her neighbor Pearl, whom’s son had polio. Harriet relates to this because she also has an invisible illness, multiple sclerosis, and starts writing to him. I really enjoyed the representation in this one.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
3.5 stars
Sincerely, Harriet follows Harriet, a young Latinx girl who has found herself bored and lonely after moving to a new place. Not only does she not know anyone in her new town, but her parents both have to work overtime or multiple jobs, and her friends from summer camp aren't even taking the time to write her back.
We quickly learn that her loneliness has caused her to become this habitual liar with a poor attitude, so she isn't the most likable protagonist, but there's definitely some growth to be had as she explores her own feelings and fears regarding her recent MS diagnosis. She befriends the elderly woman downstairs who teaches her about her oldest son's experience with polio in the 50s, and begins to find an outlet for her imagination as well as her loneliness. She's also forced to come to terms with feelings she seems to have for a girl from her summer camp the year before, which is a little painful to watch, but I appreciated what felt to me like a subtle tell of some sort of queer representation.
The artwork is cute, and I liked the representation a lot, but the plot itself doesn't have much to offer, so I have a hard time deciding when I would or would not recommend Sincerely, Harriet.
Thank you so much to Graphic Universe for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Sincerely, Harriet follows Harriet, a young Latinx girl who has found herself bored and lonely after moving to a new place. Not only does she not know anyone in her new town, but her parents both have to work overtime or multiple jobs, and her friends from summer camp aren't even taking the time to write her back.
We quickly learn that her loneliness has caused her to become this habitual liar with a poor attitude, so she isn't the most likable protagonist, but there's definitely some growth to be had as she explores her own feelings and fears regarding her recent MS diagnosis. She befriends the elderly woman downstairs who teaches her about her oldest son's experience with polio in the 50s, and begins to find an outlet for her imagination as well as her loneliness. She's also forced to come to terms with feelings she seems to have for a girl from her summer camp the year before, which is a little painful to watch, but I appreciated what felt to me like a subtle tell of some sort of queer representation.
The artwork is cute, and I liked the representation a lot, but the plot itself doesn't have much to offer, so I have a hard time deciding when I would or would not recommend Sincerely, Harriet.
Thank you so much to Graphic Universe for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
My 1,000th book read! 🎉
https://ginghampanda.blogspot.com/2019/07/sincerely-harriet-by-sarah-w-searle.html
https://ginghampanda.blogspot.com/2019/07/sincerely-harriet-by-sarah-w-searle.html
2.5 stars. I think the idea behind this graphic novel was admirable, but its execution just didn't work for me. Mostly because I didn't really feel anything for any of the characters. There was just too much the author was trying to say so some of the messages got muddled and not adequately addressed.
This is a different kind of graphic novel... hits that realistic fiction thing so beloved by Raina Telgmeir people but is a lot more moody and sad. It focuses on a girl spending a lonely summer in a new city, at home by herself most of the day and longing to make friends. We find out later that she has MS, which is the reason her family moved.
I loved the invisible Illness representation and how it effects friendship and family relationships but felt like some of the storytelling was a little uneven (didn’t know who she was writing to in her notebook or what the deal was with “haunted” attic; not sure it needed that storyline).
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes