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squirrelsohno's review
4.0
Since I started blogging, Hannah Moskowitz has come very strongly recommended to me by a number of bloggers I love and trust. Sadly, I haven’t had a chance yet to read one of her books, until I finally found my review copy of MARCO IMPOSSIBLE buried somewhere deep in the black hole of no return, also known as the back of my bookshelf. I dove into this little book without knowing much about it other than the basics – middle schoolers and best friends, one gay and one straight, plan to announce to the world and the boy of one’s dreams that he’s in love with him.
It’s a pretty fantastical plan, no? And I am definitely all for promoting GLBT stories, especially for middle grade fiction, a category I am quickly dipping my toes into and exploring now that young adult is souring a bit for me. What I found was a wonderful story about friendship, first love, family, adversity, diversity, and one whiny kid who needed to be smacked.
MARCO IMPOSSIBLE…TO LIKE?
I should just be blunt. I thought Marco was insufferable. He spends the majority of the book being an ungrateful little snot who whines, demands, controls, and basically uses his best friend Stephen and Stephen’s family as doormats while his parents are away in Japan adopting a baby (which isn’t feasible but I’m leaving that alone – it’s not important). By the end of the story, I kind of understood where he was coming from with his hostilities, but it was just grating to see him treat his best friend like his assistant or his servant. Poor Stephen is the narrator of our tale, but rarely does he ever get to make decisions in the story. It’s all about Marco.
Otherwise, I loved the characters. It’s a fully realized cast from various backgrounds, even if a few threads related were left unfinished to an extent, such as Marco’s issues with his bully.
ACTION, DRAMA, BOYS!
MARCO IMPOSSIBLE is about two boys who fancy themselves as detectives, not just two boys where one happens to be gay. There are mysteries to solve, events to plan, bullies to be caught! That’s all that needs to be said. Also, I’m getting very tired. Sleep is imminent.
A STORY THAT NEEDED TO BE TOLD
Above all, the feature of MARCO IMPOSSIBLE that sold me was the fact that it is a story that needed to be told. I mean, how many stories are there for middle schoolers (and for older people like me looking for this sort of story) about a 13 year old boy wanting to declare his love for his crush who just happens to be another boy? GLBT is underrepresented in kidlit, but this seems to be one of the rare stories that makes it through, a story that more people should be reading. I looked at how many reviews it has on Goodreads and was kind of stunned. It’s been out for almost 3 months and only that many people have read it?
If I knew middle schoolers (I don’t, mind you) I would be putting this book into their hands and singing its praises. MARCO IMPOSSIBLE might have an almost impossible to like boy named Marco as the main attraction, but it’s a story about growing up as someone different. Marco has faced bullying, his family wanting another child, his impending move to another school, and a whole host of other issues. But his courage is very apparent, as is his mouth.
VERDICT: Although Marco is a bit brash, MARCO IMPOSSIBLE is a story that is impossible for me to hate – maybe because it’s the story I want to see told more often in literature for children.
♥♥♥♥ - FOUR HEARTS
It’s a pretty fantastical plan, no? And I am definitely all for promoting GLBT stories, especially for middle grade fiction, a category I am quickly dipping my toes into and exploring now that young adult is souring a bit for me. What I found was a wonderful story about friendship, first love, family, adversity, diversity, and one whiny kid who needed to be smacked.
MARCO IMPOSSIBLE…TO LIKE?
I should just be blunt. I thought Marco was insufferable. He spends the majority of the book being an ungrateful little snot who whines, demands, controls, and basically uses his best friend Stephen and Stephen’s family as doormats while his parents are away in Japan adopting a baby (which isn’t feasible but I’m leaving that alone – it’s not important). By the end of the story, I kind of understood where he was coming from with his hostilities, but it was just grating to see him treat his best friend like his assistant or his servant. Poor Stephen is the narrator of our tale, but rarely does he ever get to make decisions in the story. It’s all about Marco.
Otherwise, I loved the characters. It’s a fully realized cast from various backgrounds, even if a few threads related were left unfinished to an extent, such as Marco’s issues with his bully.
ACTION, DRAMA, BOYS!
MARCO IMPOSSIBLE is about two boys who fancy themselves as detectives, not just two boys where one happens to be gay. There are mysteries to solve, events to plan, bullies to be caught! That’s all that needs to be said. Also, I’m getting very tired. Sleep is imminent.
A STORY THAT NEEDED TO BE TOLD
Above all, the feature of MARCO IMPOSSIBLE that sold me was the fact that it is a story that needed to be told. I mean, how many stories are there for middle schoolers (and for older people like me looking for this sort of story) about a 13 year old boy wanting to declare his love for his crush who just happens to be another boy? GLBT is underrepresented in kidlit, but this seems to be one of the rare stories that makes it through, a story that more people should be reading. I looked at how many reviews it has on Goodreads and was kind of stunned. It’s been out for almost 3 months and only that many people have read it?
If I knew middle schoolers (I don’t, mind you) I would be putting this book into their hands and singing its praises. MARCO IMPOSSIBLE might have an almost impossible to like boy named Marco as the main attraction, but it’s a story about growing up as someone different. Marco has faced bullying, his family wanting another child, his impending move to another school, and a whole host of other issues. But his courage is very apparent, as is his mouth.
VERDICT: Although Marco is a bit brash, MARCO IMPOSSIBLE is a story that is impossible for me to hate – maybe because it’s the story I want to see told more often in literature for children.
♥♥♥♥ - FOUR HEARTS
christajls's review against another edition
4.0
This review originally posted at More Than Just Magic
Stephen is an ordinary boy with an extraordinary best friend. To say Marco is a handful would be an understatement. He’s energetic, unstoppable and has a flair for the dramatic. Take the plot of this book for example – with the help of Stephen, Marco designs their first ever heist. They’re used to playing detective, they do it on a day to day basis. But this heist is so much more than detective work – they need to break into the high school prom so that Marco can confess his love to their classmate Benji. Romantic? Yes. A little over the top? Maybe a bit. Crazy? Most definitely.
Marco and Stephen are both such different characters so their friendship has a really interesting dynamic. Marco is a such a wonderfully flawed character. Yes, he’s energetic, and optimistic but he’s also a bit selfish and takes advantage of other people’s good nature. And Stephen is the filter through which we see all of these characteristics. We love Marco as he loves Marco but we also experience all his frustrations and anger as well. There were a couple of times I wondered why Stephen was even friends with him, but in the end I think that’s what made them such a realistic pair. No friendship is ever perfect and everybody has their ups and downs. It was great to watch Stephen and Marco deal with those diffrences and face their problems head on.
When I first started reading this book I was a little nervous. Hannah Moskowitz titles have a tendency of punching me right in the gut. Her stories are often raw, traumatic and very emotional. But Marco Impossible was a bit of a variation from the norm. It wasn’t a tragedy. There were still a few moments that pulled at my heart strings and some other times where I just wanted to envelop Stephen and Marco in a giant hug and never let go, but otherwise this is a pretty positive, heart warming story.
It’s not all puppies and kittens though. Marco Impossible deals with the incredibly important issue of bullying. At first the bullying Marco undergoes is more subtle. The reader doesn’t see a lot of it first hand. But like Stephen you slowly begin to realize how deep it goes. I think this speaks to a problem you often see in high school. That is we don’t want to think this kind of bullying (or hate crimes as one character – Sasha – puts it) happens in our schools. We don’t want to believe kids we’ve grown up with (or watched grow up) would do these things. But they are happening. In small towns and big cities, and it’s not something we can ignore.
Recommendation: An absolutely charming middle grade read about the power of friendship and teamwork. I thought Marco’s personality could be a bit much at times but otherwise this would be a great book for middle grade classroom discussions.
Stephen is an ordinary boy with an extraordinary best friend. To say Marco is a handful would be an understatement. He’s energetic, unstoppable and has a flair for the dramatic. Take the plot of this book for example – with the help of Stephen, Marco designs their first ever heist. They’re used to playing detective, they do it on a day to day basis. But this heist is so much more than detective work – they need to break into the high school prom so that Marco can confess his love to their classmate Benji. Romantic? Yes. A little over the top? Maybe a bit. Crazy? Most definitely.
Marco and Stephen are both such different characters so their friendship has a really interesting dynamic. Marco is a such a wonderfully flawed character. Yes, he’s energetic, and optimistic but he’s also a bit selfish and takes advantage of other people’s good nature. And Stephen is the filter through which we see all of these characteristics. We love Marco as he loves Marco but we also experience all his frustrations and anger as well. There were a couple of times I wondered why Stephen was even friends with him, but in the end I think that’s what made them such a realistic pair. No friendship is ever perfect and everybody has their ups and downs. It was great to watch Stephen and Marco deal with those diffrences and face their problems head on.
When I first started reading this book I was a little nervous. Hannah Moskowitz titles have a tendency of punching me right in the gut. Her stories are often raw, traumatic and very emotional. But Marco Impossible was a bit of a variation from the norm. It wasn’t a tragedy. There were still a few moments that pulled at my heart strings and some other times where I just wanted to envelop Stephen and Marco in a giant hug and never let go, but otherwise this is a pretty positive, heart warming story.
It’s not all puppies and kittens though. Marco Impossible deals with the incredibly important issue of bullying. At first the bullying Marco undergoes is more subtle. The reader doesn’t see a lot of it first hand. But like Stephen you slowly begin to realize how deep it goes. I think this speaks to a problem you often see in high school. That is we don’t want to think this kind of bullying (or hate crimes as one character – Sasha – puts it) happens in our schools. We don’t want to believe kids we’ve grown up with (or watched grow up) would do these things. But they are happening. In small towns and big cities, and it’s not something we can ignore.
Recommendation: An absolutely charming middle grade read about the power of friendship and teamwork. I thought Marco’s personality could be a bit much at times but otherwise this would be a great book for middle grade classroom discussions.
weweresotired's review against another edition
4.0
See more reviews on Short & Sweet Reviews!
Y'all, I'll be straight up. This book has done something impossible: it's a middle grade book that I loved. Technically, it's probably right on the cusp between middle grade and young adult, but still. This book is everything I've ever wanted out of a book aimed at tweens/young teens and have never gotten before. The writing is simple and fast-paced enough to keep readers engaged, but there is enough depth and emotion to satisfy even older, picker readers like myself.
The book is narrated by Stephen, who is the best friend and often second-fiddle/wing-man/backup to Marco. Marco and Stephen have a close-knit friendship based on their love of solving mysteries, and they're often inseparable, but this story has a lot of growing pains for the lifelong friends as they begin edging towards young adulthood. Neither character is perfect, and Marco is especially hard to like sometimes. He can be moody, irrational, and self-centered, and has some ridiculous ideas -- but then again, doesn't that sound like lots of 13 year olds out there? Stephen is easier to like, as he's a bit more even-tempered, to the point where he kind of lets Marco walk all over him sometimes. You can tell that he resents this, but he doesn't quite know what to do about it. It's a tough spot for an adult to be in, let alone a teenager, so it's understandable that he struggles with their friendship and how it's changing.
Marco's grand plans for investigations have gotten the pair a bit of a reputation around school, but that doesn't stop Marco from trying to enact one last great heist before school is out and everyone goes their separate ways. He comes up with an elaborate plan to finally tell Benji how he feels, after pining after him for years. Of course, with all good caper stories, there are complications: it's a ridiculous plan to start with, and it relies on every step going just right. I don't think it's a spoiler to say that pretty much everything goes wrong. Add to that the fact that Marco's been dealing with some harassment at school for being gay, a fact that he tries to downplay for various reasons, and you've really got a recipe for disaster.
I think this is a really smartly written book that shows that sometimes there are no easy answers, that life isn't always fair, and that things don't always turn out the way you want, but it does it in a way that doesn't make these life lessons seem like downers. Life isn't always easy, especially for kids who are seen as different, and Marco Impossible doesn't try to hide this fact. On the flip side, the story also says that sometimes, going out on a limb with your feelings can result in good things, that there is always someone who cares about you, and that communication is essential to healthy relationships, be they romantic, friendship, or family. Many of the problems -- both in the main plot and in subplots regarding Stephen's and Marco's families -- could have been minimized if the people involved had just been more communicative with one another.
I recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun, quick contemporary story with lots of funny, memorable characters. Even though the main characters are boys, this book should appeal to girls as well, and there are some strong, sassy women as secondary characters in this book, anyway. There is some swearing and slurs, and as mentioned, Marco is bullied and threatened by other students.
Y'all, I'll be straight up. This book has done something impossible: it's a middle grade book that I loved. Technically, it's probably right on the cusp between middle grade and young adult, but still. This book is everything I've ever wanted out of a book aimed at tweens/young teens and have never gotten before. The writing is simple and fast-paced enough to keep readers engaged, but there is enough depth and emotion to satisfy even older, picker readers like myself.
The book is narrated by Stephen, who is the best friend and often second-fiddle/wing-man/backup to Marco. Marco and Stephen have a close-knit friendship based on their love of solving mysteries, and they're often inseparable, but this story has a lot of growing pains for the lifelong friends as they begin edging towards young adulthood. Neither character is perfect, and Marco is especially hard to like sometimes. He can be moody, irrational, and self-centered, and has some ridiculous ideas -- but then again, doesn't that sound like lots of 13 year olds out there? Stephen is easier to like, as he's a bit more even-tempered, to the point where he kind of lets Marco walk all over him sometimes. You can tell that he resents this, but he doesn't quite know what to do about it. It's a tough spot for an adult to be in, let alone a teenager, so it's understandable that he struggles with their friendship and how it's changing.
Marco's grand plans for investigations have gotten the pair a bit of a reputation around school, but that doesn't stop Marco from trying to enact one last great heist before school is out and everyone goes their separate ways. He comes up with an elaborate plan to finally tell Benji how he feels, after pining after him for years. Of course, with all good caper stories, there are complications: it's a ridiculous plan to start with, and it relies on every step going just right. I don't think it's a spoiler to say that pretty much everything goes wrong. Add to that the fact that Marco's been dealing with some harassment at school for being gay, a fact that he tries to downplay for various reasons, and you've really got a recipe for disaster.
I think this is a really smartly written book that shows that sometimes there are no easy answers, that life isn't always fair, and that things don't always turn out the way you want, but it does it in a way that doesn't make these life lessons seem like downers. Life isn't always easy, especially for kids who are seen as different, and Marco Impossible doesn't try to hide this fact. On the flip side, the story also says that sometimes, going out on a limb with your feelings can result in good things, that there is always someone who cares about you, and that communication is essential to healthy relationships, be they romantic, friendship, or family. Many of the problems -- both in the main plot and in subplots regarding Stephen's and Marco's families -- could have been minimized if the people involved had just been more communicative with one another.
I recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun, quick contemporary story with lots of funny, memorable characters. Even though the main characters are boys, this book should appeal to girls as well, and there are some strong, sassy women as secondary characters in this book, anyway. There is some swearing and slurs, and as mentioned, Marco is bullied and threatened by other students.
sandraagee's review
3.0
This book was interesting. I'd been hoping for more of a buddy-movie sort of read, but what I got instead was enjoyable enough.
ettegoom's review against another edition
3.0
This was a sweet little novel, I really enjoyed the combination of straight and gay romances that were treated as completely normal, as were the family crises and the multicultural elements. This was a lovely wee read.
Marco was a bit annoying, but otherwise, the characters were great - I particularly enjoyed the fact that the girls were all independent, strong and capable in their own right, and that the beautiful sister was the one struggling to achieve intellectual greatness rather than just living for the social trope of beauty first.
Marco was a bit annoying, but otherwise, the characters were great - I particularly enjoyed the fact that the girls were all independent, strong and capable in their own right, and that the beautiful sister was the one struggling to achieve intellectual greatness rather than just living for the social trope of beauty first.
mconant's review
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
suzannedix's review
2.0
I was really rooting for this one because my library does not have many novels with gay or lesbian main characters (sidekicks and tangential characters yes but interesting and genuine protagonists no). However I truly disliked this one for several reasons:
1. Marco was a miserable friend and an unlikable person
2. The plot/mystery to get Marco to the prom was just absurd. Not amusing and silly but just plain stupid.
3. Stevey's family (who frankly were the only highlights of this story) were so over the top lovey dovey with one another that it again seemed absurd
4. I honestly can't imagine who I could recommend this story to and wish I had not purchased it
1. Marco was a miserable friend and an unlikable person
2. The plot/mystery to get Marco to the prom was just absurd. Not amusing and silly but just plain stupid.
3. Stevey's family (who frankly were the only highlights of this story) were so over the top lovey dovey with one another that it again seemed absurd
4. I honestly can't imagine who I could recommend this story to and wish I had not purchased it
breadedbookpages's review
5.0
As part of the little initiative I'm taking to read all of Hannah's work, I prepared myself for the cute by reading Marco Impossible.
Marco Impossible is this very sweet Middle Grade story narrated from the point of view of Stephen who happens to be Marco's best friend. Set on the last day of middle school, Stephen and Marco get into one last shenanigan before high school. They'd probably murder me for calling their very-serious investigative work 'shenanigan' but they're just so adorable I can't help it.
Marco and Stephen have this incredible friendship that isn't devoid from its problems and reading from Stephen's point of view you get the sense that they are not on equal footing. I really felt for Stephen but Marco was also a very sympathetic character who just didn't want you to feel bad for him. I truly enjoyed the distinctive voice these boys had even at the age of thirteen. Which brings up the topic of how proud I am to read about an openly gay boy at only thirteen. Sure, it kind of stressed me out because let's admit it: kids can be ruthless, and Marco had his share of bullying. But Marco's attitude towards it was so incredibly inspiring. Stephen too had a lot of loyalty to Marco which was the main cause of how bitter he felt about Marco going to a private high school.
The theme of separation was a very subtle yet there topic that got me very emotional. I too had to separate from at-the-time best friend when I graduated middle school and reading Stephen's thoughts got me all nostalgic and honestly sad. I couldn't entirely relate to Stephen since he and Marco were friends for years and years. What I really could relate to is Stephen's big family. He comes from a Jewish family with five siblings! That's the most number of siblings I've read to this day! I personally have 8! And Oh my god, Stephen's affection for his siblings was so lovely and on page and it made me so happy to read about such strong familial relationships.
The bigger plot in the story however is Marco's heist to get into the high school prom where his crush Benji was playing (part of the band) and to confess his love. I just went heart-eyes whenever Stephen would describe how Marco was so dramatic about Benji. It felt so relatable. Crushes, for the most part, are so fun to have. Sure, they're agonizing 90% of the time, but the remaining 10 is cool I guess. I really liked the high esteem Stephen had for Marco even if he was exasperated by it at times. It was the kind of realistic relationships two young people would have.
There is also a very nice cast of minor characters like Stephen's sister Julia, his own crush on Sasha, and even his little sister Catherine was adorable. I all in all loved these people a lot.
All in all, I recommend this a lot a lot a lot. It's got cute boys in love, it's got loyal friends, shenanigans, very nicely written female characters, and a lot of feelings.
Marco Impossible is this very sweet Middle Grade story narrated from the point of view of Stephen who happens to be Marco's best friend. Set on the last day of middle school, Stephen and Marco get into one last shenanigan before high school. They'd probably murder me for calling their very-serious investigative work 'shenanigan' but they're just so adorable I can't help it.
Marco and Stephen have this incredible friendship that isn't devoid from its problems and reading from Stephen's point of view you get the sense that they are not on equal footing. I really felt for Stephen but Marco was also a very sympathetic character who just didn't want you to feel bad for him. I truly enjoyed the distinctive voice these boys had even at the age of thirteen. Which brings up the topic of how proud I am to read about an openly gay boy at only thirteen. Sure, it kind of stressed me out because let's admit it: kids can be ruthless, and Marco had his share of bullying. But Marco's attitude towards it was so incredibly inspiring. Stephen too had a lot of loyalty to Marco which was the main cause of how bitter he felt about Marco going to a private high school.
The theme of separation was a very subtle yet there topic that got me very emotional. I too had to separate from at-the-time best friend when I graduated middle school and reading Stephen's thoughts got me all nostalgic and honestly sad. I couldn't entirely relate to Stephen since he and Marco were friends for years and years. What I really could relate to is Stephen's big family. He comes from a Jewish family with five siblings! That's the most number of siblings I've read to this day! I personally have 8! And Oh my god, Stephen's affection for his siblings was so lovely and on page and it made me so happy to read about such strong familial relationships.
The bigger plot in the story however is Marco's heist to get into the high school prom where his crush Benji was playing (part of the band) and to confess his love. I just went heart-eyes whenever Stephen would describe how Marco was so dramatic about Benji. It felt so relatable. Crushes, for the most part, are so fun to have. Sure, they're agonizing 90% of the time, but the remaining 10 is cool I guess. I really liked the high esteem Stephen had for Marco even if he was exasperated by it at times. It was the kind of realistic relationships two young people would have.
There is also a very nice cast of minor characters like Stephen's sister Julia, his own crush on Sasha, and even his little sister Catherine was adorable. I all in all loved these people a lot.
All in all, I recommend this a lot a lot a lot. It's got cute boys in love, it's got loyal friends, shenanigans, very nicely written female characters, and a lot of feelings.
renatasnacks's review
3.0
This was funny and had great character voices--I loved Stephen and Marco's friendship and squabbles. It's like a combination of [b:Winger|11861815|Winger (Winger, #1)|Andrew Smith|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1367927656s/11861815.jpg|16818567] and [b:The Great Greene Heist|17928557|The Great Greene Heist|Varian Johnson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1432313463s/17928557.jpg|25129212]?
Ultimately it's nice to have another good, fun, realistic MG-appropriate story about a gay (multi-racial!) kid in my mental arsenal.
Spoiler
Another way this reminded me of Winger is that I thought it was a Fun Guy Friendship story but SURPRISE IT'S ABOUT HATE CRIMES!Ultimately it's nice to have another good, fun, realistic MG-appropriate story about a gay (multi-racial!) kid in my mental arsenal.