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4.17 AVERAGE
4.17 AVERAGE
This a super cute middle-grade f/f romance with terrific, joyful explanations of how to read Shakespeare.
Star-Crossed is such a sweet story about crushes, friendship, and Shakespeare! Barbara Dee really nails the voice of her characters. They read like real middle school students, the dialogue is not dated with forced slang or awkward. I absolutely love seeing lgbt middle grade fiction (I do wish it were more common) and Dee handles the subject really well. She showcases how a young crush feels so accurately, and I loved seeing the change in Mattie over the course of the story as she becomes aware of how she feels. Her character was very relatable, as a somewhat nervous overthinker.
I also really loved how the story of Romeo and Juliet was mirrored in the plot as well, as a Shakespeare nerd it was very fun to see.
I think Star-Crossed does a great job explaining/showing the struggles of middle school and having new crushes (especially as a non-straight kid), in an entertaining and age-appropriate way. Overall this was a very cute, fun story
I also really loved how the story of Romeo and Juliet was mirrored in the plot as well, as a Shakespeare nerd it was very fun to see.
I think Star-Crossed does a great job explaining/showing the struggles of middle school and having new crushes (especially as a non-straight kid), in an entertaining and age-appropriate way. Overall this was a very cute, fun story
I love how much Mattie loves Shakespeare, and although I personally am not a fan of Romeo & Juliet, it was pretty great how into it all the eighth graders were. And I very much love that Dee has written a book with such positive bisexual representation. This was a fun and uplifting read.
emotional
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
This was a very cute story about learning who you are and being your authentic self.
I gave it four stars just because I do feel like the 8th graders were just a little unbelievable as real 8th graders. I will admit, I am not around middle schoolers and I’ve been out of middle school for a while now. But I just feel like sometimes the characters acted way more mature for their age, almost like they were adults handling the situations.
I gave it four stars just because I do feel like the 8th graders were just a little unbelievable as real 8th graders. I will admit, I am not around middle schoolers and I’ve been out of middle school for a while now. But I just feel like sometimes the characters acted way more mature for their age, almost like they were adults handling the situations.
funny
lighthearted
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
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying
Minor: Homophobia
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
funny
lighthearted
fast-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
adventurous
challenging
funny
hopeful
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
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes