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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
fast-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
Such a fabulous premise for what feels like a book of short stories....but as you read you realize it is more. Much more. One of my favorite reads so far this year.
Short stories about different kids and what they do when the bell rings to end the day at their middle school. Only a couple of them are truly interconnected, but these kids are part of the same bigger community, and their journeys may cross. Great resource for empathy building and walking a mile in someone else's shoes. I thought the ending lacked the emotional resolution I was hoping for, but overall a great book.
Young adult fiction that was readable and enjoyable, each character's story told with loving care. Jason Reynolds respects and likes his characters, perhaps being somewhat based upon his life experiences.
This is "a tale told in ten blocks" with each mini-story taking place on a different block as children head home from school. They know one another, connections sometimes being made across the stories, and I found myself liking all of the children-even the ones who weren't hands-off.
This story is a wonderful reminder that every child has a reason for why they act the way they do, and the more the adults in their lives try to understand those reasons, the better for everyone. It's been a long time since I was the age of the children in these stories, but my sense is that it could be a wonderful book for upper elementary age students to read.
This is "a tale told in ten blocks" with each mini-story taking place on a different block as children head home from school. They know one another, connections sometimes being made across the stories, and I found myself liking all of the children-even the ones who weren't hands-off.
This story is a wonderful reminder that every child has a reason for why they act the way they do, and the more the adults in their lives try to understand those reasons, the better for everyone. It's been a long time since I was the age of the children in these stories, but my sense is that it could be a wonderful book for upper elementary age students to read.
A middling 3/5 stars.
This book has only 188 pages, and nearly 30 of them are chapter titles and blank pages. Despite its length, there are 10 distinct stories within this book, each story averaging only 15.9 pages. This doesn't give you a lot of time to settle into the story or connect with the characters.
However, Jason Reynolds is a good author, and in five of the ten stories I did end up attached to at least one character. But since it was so short - the longest at 22 pages - I was then frustrated to be ripped away from them so quickly after we were introduced.
There's also the problem of the ending. This book has so many different perspectives, with the locations in common and sometimes even references between them. It seemed to promise that they would tie together in the end, but to be honest, the conclusion was a bit lacking. It would've probably tied in better if there wasn't so much of a buildup about the 'falling school bus', and if school buses were actually meaningful or even related to the other nine characters.
This book has only 188 pages, and nearly 30 of them are chapter titles and blank pages. Despite its length, there are 10 distinct stories within this book, each story averaging only 15.9 pages. This doesn't give you a lot of time to settle into the story or connect with the characters.
However, Jason Reynolds is a good author, and in five of the ten stories I did end up attached to at least one character. But since it was so short - the longest at 22 pages - I was then frustrated to be ripped away from them so quickly after we were introduced.
There's also the problem of the ending. This book has so many different perspectives, with the locations in common and sometimes even references between them. It seemed to promise that they would tie together in the end, but to be honest, the conclusion was a bit lacking. It would've probably tied in better if there wasn't so much of a buildup about the 'falling school bus', and if school buses were actually meaningful or even related to the other nine characters.
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
We read this aloud we all loved it! Clever writing, relatable topics, laugh out loud funny in parts. This was a big hit with my middle school kids.
This is an Amazing work of literature.
Ideally for middle school students, although it wouldn't feel out of place in my Sheltered ELA HS classroom library.
I deeply appreciate how Jason Reynolds thought about where young people have agency & unsupervised time in real life, and used that space as a place to tell stories from. The stories are mainly light & fun--in a way that middle school students are--and also touch upon really deep and difficult topics young people experience. These include sick family members, LGBTQ identity & bullying, incarcerated family members & people with low expectations for you. Through all of these stories, the kiddos find sweet and authentic ways to navigate these difficult topics. This is a really rare book in which the hard things kids experience are shared, but it does not prevent them from being kiddos with lives also full of fun, friendship, and silliness.
Also, what about the bus falling from the sky?!?! I am an adult reader, but was still compelled to keep reading to see how this played out throughout all of the stories.
My only question/critique (but in no way stops this from being perhaps the best middle school book I have ever read) is why the last story has adults playing such a central role. In a book that was mainly about kids navigating life and finding agency, why end on a story in which the adults seem to be the ones coming though for the kid. In my initial reading, this feels like a betrayal of the books' central thesis. But maybe it's not. Maybe it matters that adults also come through for kids. That they are there. And that that matters, too. I will keep thinking about this.
Ideally for middle school students, although it wouldn't feel out of place in my Sheltered ELA HS classroom library.
I deeply appreciate how Jason Reynolds thought about where young people have agency & unsupervised time in real life, and used that space as a place to tell stories from. The stories are mainly light & fun--in a way that middle school students are--and also touch upon really deep and difficult topics young people experience. These include sick family members, LGBTQ identity & bullying, incarcerated family members & people with low expectations for you. Through all of these stories, the kiddos find sweet and authentic ways to navigate these difficult topics. This is a really rare book in which the hard things kids experience are shared, but it does not prevent them from being kiddos with lives also full of fun, friendship, and silliness.
Also, what about the bus falling from the sky?!?! I am an adult reader, but was still compelled to keep reading to see how this played out throughout all of the stories.
My only question/critique (but in no way stops this from being perhaps the best middle school book I have ever read) is why the last story has adults playing such a central role. In a book that was mainly about kids navigating life and finding agency, why end on a story in which the adults seem to be the ones coming though for the kid. In my initial reading, this feels like a betrayal of the books' central thesis. But maybe it's not. Maybe it matters that adults also come through for kids. That they are there. And that that matters, too. I will keep thinking about this.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I’ll try not to be too critical as this is meant for a much younger audience. I found the stories cute, but largely the writing is what I struggled with. I frequently found the prose awkward. Perhaps that’s an attempt at showing the immaturity and awkward nature of being a young teenager, but it didn’t charm me.
Basically anything Jason Reynolds writes is amazing. This book is so unique in that it tells the stories of students walking home from school and what happens not only on their walk, but what is happening in their lives. A novel in 10 blocks. It had me looking back through the chapters to see who was mentioned in who’s chapter. And I think this would be a great intro to some other short stories for students. Perfect for middle grades!