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4.17 AVERAGE
4.17 AVERAGE
I don’t know how I missed this one. Barbara Dee is one of my go-to authors and this book is just one of the reasons. Perfect!
I loved this book. Through the eyes of the main character Mattie I relived my own teen years in theater - although she's much cooler even if she doesn't give herself credit for it. This was a beautiful coming-of-age LGBTQIA story of love vs crushes, and how to deal with one's feelings when you are afraid to be vulnerable and potentially ostracized as a result. I really appreciated the candor and relatability of the main characters perspective. And all her friends and crushes were so richly painted and interesting! Very enjoyable would recommend to anyone who's reading middle grade graphic novels like Smile/Awkward/Making Friends/Invisible Emmie. This is a chapter book.
This was very cute! It felt authentically middle school to me. (The characters are in eighth grade.) I wish the book description of "Mattie plays Romeo opposite her crush" hadn't been a spoiler (Mattie doesn't know she has a crush on Gemma until halfway through the book and doesn't end up as Romeo until two-thirds of the way through), but also I might not have picked it up without that premise, so ::shrug:: There were a couple of plot threads that I feel like got lost along the way (Did Liam end up getting cast as Paris? I feel like I missed something, because he was helping with props and I was waiting to see who they found to play Paris, and then suddenly he's onstage?) but nothing that majorly derailed the story. The ending felt a little rushed to me, but at the same time it felt pretty accurate for eighth graders, so again it didn't bother me too much. I do wish the exploration of bisexuality had been a little more solid; Mattie's sister says something about how kissing a girl (as Mattie does as Romeo in the play) isn't any different from kissing a boy, and that's called bisexual, and I was like, "...???" But if you're looking for something that's cute and sweet and has f/f rep for a younger audience, this is a great pick.
This was just an adorable, positive read. And I want to hug it. High rating for extreme readability (and positive representation). Once I sat down to read a good chunk, I couldn't stop. Good pacing and writing made this easy to do.
Star-Crossed is a loose retelling of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, which, not-so-coincidentally, is the play that the 8th graders at Mattie's school are performing.
This book is special because it explores the idea of bisexuality, something significantly overlooked in youth fiction. Mattie slowly discovers that she has a crush on the play's leading lady, Gemma, who is a transplant from England. She is totally swoon-worthy and Mattie is having a hard time understanding why her feelings for Gemma are different than her feelings for any other regular female friend. This is especially confusing for her because she is just "recovering" from a crush on a boy classmate, and now she doesn't know where she stands.
The only thing that I thought was kind of weird was that the word "bisexual" and its variants never make their way onto the page. I think this is kind of reflective of how, today, we have so many more labels that people are identifying themselves with--bisexual, pansexual, sometimes no label at all--and it doesn't make sense for Mattie to pick just one.
Quickly: I was glad that Mattie had a supportive friend group, and a supportive older sister... but I really loved the brief defense provided by the drama director, Mr. Torres, when he shuts down the use of "gay" as a slur by one of his students. It was so satisfying to read about a teacher standing up for LBGTQ* people in that way. I have always tried to do the same in my own field of work by pointing out hateful language and not allowing it to happen. I hope that kids reading Star-Crossed who need this kind of defense are comforted and strengthened by this instance, and this book as a whole, really.
Star-Crossed is a loose retelling of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, which, not-so-coincidentally, is the play that the 8th graders at Mattie's school are performing.
This book is special because it explores the idea of bisexuality, something significantly overlooked in youth fiction. Mattie slowly discovers that she has a crush on the play's leading lady, Gemma, who is a transplant from England. She is totally swoon-worthy and Mattie is having a hard time understanding why her feelings for Gemma are different than her feelings for any other regular female friend. This is especially confusing for her because she is just "recovering" from a crush on a boy classmate, and now she doesn't know where she stands.
The only thing that I thought was kind of weird was that the word "bisexual" and its variants never make their way onto the page. I think this is kind of reflective of how, today, we have so many more labels that people are identifying themselves with--bisexual, pansexual, sometimes no label at all--and it doesn't make sense for Mattie to pick just one.
Quickly: I was glad that Mattie had a supportive friend group, and a supportive older sister... but I really loved the brief defense provided by the drama director, Mr. Torres, when he shuts down the use of "gay" as a slur by one of his students. It was so satisfying to read about a teacher standing up for LBGTQ* people in that way. I have always tried to do the same in my own field of work by pointing out hateful language and not allowing it to happen. I hope that kids reading Star-Crossed who need this kind of defense are comforted and strengthened by this instance, and this book as a whole, really.
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This middle grade book is a sweet story about a smart talented girl who ends up with a crush on another girl in her school. It gently deals with feelings that surprise her and cause her to panic. However, the people around her from her friends to her family are there to support and accept her as she is. A great book that deals with being true to oneself and others. Not to mention some great Shakespeare lines and insults.
To be honest, I don't know why Goodreads recommended this to me (probs the LGBTness), but it sounded cute and mindless, and I was having trouble concentrating on more serious books, so I decided to read it. And it turned out to be cute - and definitely middlegrade. If you're looking for a complex book then you won't find it here, but that's ok! It was still a solid, enjoyable (and super quick) read.
It's an important book about finding oneself. There's obviously lgbt rep (well, the main character is bi, that's pretty much it), and the names of the side characters are fairly diverse, although that doesn't form a key part of the book (tbh I don't remember physical descriptions of characters being much of a thing here). The characters were well written for a middlegrade book; I thought Mattie was well characterized. I liked the way her friends were portrayed too: I liked that they had their own interests and sometimes did their own things and sometimes there was a bit of conflict (but nothing too drastic). Their friendship wasn't super cliquish, I meant. Gemma is somewhat of a manic pixie dream girl though. I did like that she was friends with Willow, the main...I guess antagonist? But antagonist isn't the right word because she isn't really evil or bad, she's just another kid, who doesn't seem to like Mattie. Gemma being friends with her feels more realistic somehow.
The whole Shakespeare conceit didn't 100% work for me but then again, I'm not the intended audience for this book (Mr. Torres and his obsession with the play were kinda weird, at least it felt that way to me). The frame worked mechanically, at least.
It's an important book about finding oneself. There's obviously lgbt rep (well, the main character is bi, that's pretty much it), and the names of the side characters are fairly diverse, although that doesn't form a key part of the book (tbh I don't remember physical descriptions of characters being much of a thing here). The characters were well written for a middlegrade book; I thought Mattie was well characterized. I liked the way her friends were portrayed too: I liked that they had their own interests and sometimes did their own things and sometimes there was a bit of conflict (but nothing too drastic). Their friendship wasn't super cliquish, I meant. Gemma is somewhat of a manic pixie dream girl though. I did like that she was friends with Willow, the main...I guess antagonist? But antagonist isn't the right word because she isn't really evil or bad, she's just another kid, who doesn't seem to like Mattie. Gemma being friends with her feels more realistic somehow.
The whole Shakespeare conceit didn't 100% work for me but then again, I'm not the intended audience for this book (Mr. Torres and his obsession with the play were kinda weird, at least it felt that way to me). The frame worked mechanically, at least.
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes