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fabiandtheberts's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
4.25
sara_hudson's review against another edition
4.0
Such a creative approach to biography for young readers, with a mix of poetry, quotes, and narrative. I hope the author will turn this approach to other subjects - I didn't know much about Octavia Butler, and now I do but in such a rich and engaging way. I wonder how popular this will be with young readers only because Ms. Butler did not write for children.
reading_rachel's review against another edition
5.0
What a weird little wonderful book. I loved seeing writing and images from Butler’s childhood and writing journey. I also loved seeing Ibi Zoboi’s loving reflection on how much Octavia Butler meant to her.
amyjoy's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.5
A fantastic biography of a great writer for middle grade-teen readers. I really liked the mix of poetry, prose, and quote from Butler herself to tell the story of her early life and how she became a writer.
thenextgenlibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
Star Child: A Biographical Constellation of Octavia Estelle Butler by Ibi Zoboi is part poetry, part biography.
cclift1114's review against another edition
5.0
Told through a mix of prose, poetry and quotations from the woman herself, this is a brief and beautiful biographical account of Octavia Butler’s life, with insight into the history that shaped her and her writing, including the Space Race, the Cold War, and the Civil Rights Movement. Fans of Butler will appreciate the lovely way that her life and her work is treated.
emilymorgan02's review against another edition
3.0
I wanted to like this so much more than I did. I have really loved all of the Ibi Zoboi I have read. I find her poetry powerful and when I hear it read in the audiobooks, it's so moving and beautiful. I also love and am fascinated by Octavia Butler. Kindred is one of my favorite novels.
This biography however, fell really short for me. I was interested in the poetry written about Butler, but didn't find any of it particularly powerful. I thought I got just as much out of the quotes from Butler herself.
Honestly, this felt like a multi-genre research project by a middle school student. There would be a quote and then a very literal explanation of the quote. Then there would be a poem, also about what I learned in the quote.
I do feel like I learned a lot more about Bulter, which I appreciated, and I also really like reading about why Zoboi wanted to write this. I loved hearing about how Bulter inspired her and how they met.
This biography however, fell really short for me. I was interested in the poetry written about Butler, but didn't find any of it particularly powerful. I thought I got just as much out of the quotes from Butler herself.
Honestly, this felt like a multi-genre research project by a middle school student. There would be a quote and then a very literal explanation of the quote. Then there would be a poem, also about what I learned in the quote.
I do feel like I learned a lot more about Bulter, which I appreciated, and I also really like reading about why Zoboi wanted to write this. I loved hearing about how Bulter inspired her and how they met.
neglet's review against another edition
Lovely combination of poetry, straight nonfiction prose, and primary sources create a lovely portrait of this pioneering author (one of my favorite). The poems bring more emotion and depth to Butler's journey than straight prose could do, while the prose sections bring needed context to the times surrounding her individual life. Should inspire curiosity in young readers about this amazing author.
rwxtd's review against another edition
5.0
I read this book literally so long ago and I've just been procrastinating on writing reviews recently, so. Sorry about that.
I don't have a ton to say about this one; it's really cute! It's a really unique and fun and beautiful way to write a biography, and I thought it was really effective and engaging. I learned a lot about Octavia Butler (I didn't know she was dyslexic? I also didn't know she was a horse girl? Amazing) which means the book achieved its goal. The poetry was great, and I think it's an especially great way to introduce kids to different kinds of poetry, because it uses a lot of different forms. 10/10 would recommend, now I want to read more Octavia Butler
I don't have a ton to say about this one; it's really cute! It's a really unique and fun and beautiful way to write a biography, and I thought it was really effective and engaging. I learned a lot about Octavia Butler (I didn't know she was dyslexic? I also didn't know she was a horse girl? Amazing) which means the book achieved its goal. The poetry was great, and I think it's an especially great way to introduce kids to different kinds of poetry, because it uses a lot of different forms. 10/10 would recommend, now I want to read more Octavia Butler