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3.43 AVERAGE
3.43 AVERAGE
#SincerelyHarriet was a great book about one summer in a girl's life. We see glimpses of something that is wrong with the girl, yet aren't aware of the issue until later in the book. She comes to find a wonderful friend in a lady that lives downstairs by herself. I think my students can relate to the approach the main character took to her summer reading list (she was reluctant). Unearthing the invisible illness of the main character and learning about the son of the lady downstairs enabled me to see a different perspective of those illnesses. This is definitely a book that I will purchase for my classroom library. Thank you #NetGalley for copy of this book to read and review.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A quiet book in a lot of regards. There’s really no actual plot, but it is heavily character driven and subtle in its themes and messages. It’s an important message however when it comes to acknowledging our weaknesses or shortcomings and learning to accept the things we can’t change; instead, find your path and move forward. Easier said than done though.
Anyway, this is a gentle book with beautiful art and with a small but varied cast. You learn a lot about Harriet through the subtly of the art, and the art is not a set-dressing, which can sometimes happen with graphic novels. Instead, the art is just as important as the dialogue/internal monologues. Searle does an excellent job conveying Harriet’s loneliness and frustration.
Anyway, this is a gentle book with beautiful art and with a small but varied cast. You learn a lot about Harriet through the subtly of the art, and the art is not a set-dressing, which can sometimes happen with graphic novels. Instead, the art is just as important as the dialogue/internal monologues. Searle does an excellent job conveying Harriet’s loneliness and frustration.
Content Warnings
Harriet has a disability that is integral to her as a character within this story, so I don't want to label this incorrectly with ableism. She's just a character that exists with a disability.
Thanks to Netgalley for providing a free copy of this graphic novel in exchange for an honest review.
Sincerely, Harriet is a lovely graphic novel about a young Latinx girl with MS who has recently moved to Chicago with her family. Harriet has a WILD imagination (I live for it), and throughout the book, she imagines so many different interesting scenarios.
What's up with the mailman? Are there ghosts living in this building? Her imagination leads her to question these sorts of things.
Harriet's downstairs neighbour, Pearl, gets Harriet to help make a photo album to send to her son to help him connect with his past and to pass it on to his children. I especially love the connection that Harriet makes to Nicholas, a polio survivor, as she reads his favourite books and sees his old room.
I loved the Author note at the end that Searle wrote, talking about how invisible disabilities do not make a person, they are just a part of that person. Reading that made me really appreciate the slow reveal of Harriet's MS. It's revealed this way so that the reader can get to know Harriet and her family dynamic a little bit. Unfortunately, when people get sick, sometimes the sickness takes over how others see them. Harriet is still Harriet, and I think that's worth a lot.
Sincerely, Harriet is a lovely graphic novel about a young Latinx girl with MS who has recently moved to Chicago with her family. Harriet has a WILD imagination (I live for it), and throughout the book, she imagines so many different interesting scenarios.
What's up with the mailman? Are there ghosts living in this building? Her imagination leads her to question these sorts of things.
Harriet's downstairs neighbour, Pearl, gets Harriet to help make a photo album to send to her son to help him connect with his past and to pass it on to his children. I especially love the connection that Harriet makes to Nicholas, a polio survivor, as she reads his favourite books and sees his old room.
I loved the Author note at the end that Searle wrote, talking about how invisible disabilities do not make a person, they are just a part of that person. Reading that made me really appreciate the slow reveal of Harriet's MS. It's revealed this way so that the reader can get to know Harriet and her family dynamic a little bit. Unfortunately, when people get sick, sometimes the sickness takes over how others see them. Harriet is still Harriet, and I think that's worth a lot.
such a lovely coming of age story with MS representation! if you are a lover of stories then you’ll definitely love this one
I really enjoyed this one! Wonderful characters and explores some important topics at a MG level.
Short and sweet graphic novel about a lonely young girl coping with summer in a new town, her parents working all the time, and her own chronic illness. Very lovely. Did not appreciate that the mean girl was named Ashley, we're not all terrible, you know.
This was a sweet little story about a lonely girl. It's hard to see her feeling so down and lonely, struggling with her disability.
And I gotta love the ex-librarian neighbour who keeps showing books her way!
The ending felt real and hopeful and I do recommend this book to everyone who has felt lonely or just wants a sweet story.
Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this!
/ Denise
And I gotta love the ex-librarian neighbour who keeps showing books her way!
The ending felt real and hopeful and I do recommend this book to everyone who has felt lonely or just wants a sweet story.
Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this!
/ Denise
Beautiful and enjoyable story. I appreciate a protagonist that isn't always likable. Harriet lies and makes things up to cope with her boredom and with her MS as well. She grows and changes, struggling through the roughness of a move, making friends, and being sick but eventually finding herself. Being a kid can be tough and come with a lot of its own pitfalls and this book does a wonderful job of portraying that.