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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
more a 3.5 !! a cute book with an interesting idea behind it. easy to read and just joyful!
Jason Reynolds writes a mix of sad, funny, and lighthearted short stories and does a great job of hitting hard topics, like bullying, death and trauma in a respectful manner. I just felt like the ending was abrupt and I wanted something more cohesive or memorable. An enjoyable and quick read but not my favorite by Jason.
I started Look Both Ways last fall (though that seems as if it was well over a year ago) when my youngest son chose this book from his summer reading list before the start of eighth grade. I started to try and read it before it was due back at our library — and I was admittedly a little put off by the first story. I'd like to say that was just me, but my son was also bothered by it. And not just because it pervasively talks about boogers, but because that part made it seem more like an elementary school atmosphere, rather than middle school. That's just because he and I bring our own experiences to the table, as does everyone, and we found that part of the first story to feel a little less than genuine.
Regardless, it ended up back at the library unfinished by me. (I didn't want to keep it from being able to be checked out by any other middle schooler looking to read it for their own summer reading assignment.) But I always intended on returning to it, and my son insisted that if I pushed past the first story, as he had done, the rest of the stories more than made up for all the booger talk that led to our side eye.
He was right. The rest of the book, and even the rest of the first story — ignoring the aforementioned specious talk, was incredibly authentic and observant. The subtleties that allow each story and each narrator to be separate and individual felt especially true and real. Each story has its own situation that is addressed and wrapped with such a loving touch from Reynolds.
Audiobook, as narrated by a full cast: Each narrator was wonderful. They all performed this book — each kid's story — with their all. Every nuance in tone only added to the stories created by Reynolds and bolstered the emotional impact from all ten.
This may have been the only Acknowledgements that has made my eyes well with some tears. There's nothing unusual in this one — but read by Reynolds and performing still for the younger target audience of the whole, felt so incredibly intimate and truthfully heartfelt.
Regardless, it ended up back at the library unfinished by me. (I didn't want to keep it from being able to be checked out by any other middle schooler looking to read it for their own summer reading assignment.) But I always intended on returning to it, and my son insisted that if I pushed past the first story, as he had done, the rest of the stories more than made up for all the booger talk that led to our side eye.
He was right. The rest of the book, and even the rest of the first story — ignoring the aforementioned specious talk, was incredibly authentic and observant. The subtleties that allow each story and each narrator to be separate and individual felt especially true and real. Each story has its own situation that is addressed and wrapped with such a loving touch from Reynolds.
Audiobook, as narrated by a full cast: Each narrator was wonderful. They all performed this book — each kid's story — with their all. Every nuance in tone only added to the stories created by Reynolds and bolstered the emotional impact from all ten.
This may have been the only Acknowledgements that has made my eyes well with some tears. There's nothing unusual in this one — but read by Reynolds and performing still for the younger target audience of the whole, felt so incredibly intimate and truthfully heartfelt.
A wonderful collection of short stories about everything that happens in a neighbourhood as soon as school lets out. Touching and funny. Didn't think I would like it this much but some of the stories were so sensitive, like the group of kids scrounging for pennies to buy ice cream for one boy's mother who is a cancer patient.
Several students talk about their lives as they walk home from Latimer Middle School. Every chapter references a school bus falling from the sky which becomes clear at the end of the book. A school bus is many things.
Usually I enjoy Jason Reynold's work. Look Both Ways? Not so much. Part of my problem--I think--were my expectations of the book. The jacket copy read:
I did find there to be some 'piercingly poignant' moments sprinkled throughout the stories, but I did not find anything I would call 'wickedly funny.' My biggest problem is the implication(or it could have been just my assumption from reading the blurb) that all ten stories are connected as one in some way. I expected there to be some sort of concluding event or insight that would pull all ten stories together and that didn't happen. Some of the stories moved in and out of each other, but when that happened they were usually connected only by coincidence, not content.
If Look Both Ways is meant to be an exploration of what happens to multiple characters in a specific moment in time who all share a geographic location, the book succeeds. I think it succeeds, as well, in making the case for the idea that we don't know the circumstances with which someone else is coping. It is therefore incumbent upon us to adjust our behavior toward and judgment about each other accordingly with patience, compassion and understanding.
In my local library Look Both Ways is shelved in the YA section, but it reads at a much more middle-grade level. Look Both Ways is a great read for middle graders if you're emphasizing the thoughts mentioned above, or in a classroom exploring various points of view surrounding the same (or similar) chronological moments.
Jason Reynolds weaves ten tales (one per block) about what happens after the dismissal bell rings, into one wickedly funny, piercingly poignant look at the detours we face on the walk home, and in life.
I did find there to be some 'piercingly poignant' moments sprinkled throughout the stories, but I did not find anything I would call 'wickedly funny.' My biggest problem is the implication(or it could have been just my assumption from reading the blurb) that all ten stories are connected as one in some way. I expected there to be some sort of concluding event or insight that would pull all ten stories together and that didn't happen. Some of the stories moved in and out of each other, but when that happened they were usually connected only by coincidence, not content.
If Look Both Ways is meant to be an exploration of what happens to multiple characters in a specific moment in time who all share a geographic location, the book succeeds. I think it succeeds, as well, in making the case for the idea that we don't know the circumstances with which someone else is coping. It is therefore incumbent upon us to adjust our behavior toward and judgment about each other accordingly with patience, compassion and understanding.
In my local library Look Both Ways is shelved in the YA section, but it reads at a much more middle-grade level. Look Both Ways is a great read for middle graders if you're emphasizing the thoughts mentioned above, or in a classroom exploring various points of view surrounding the same (or similar) chronological moments.
Told through ten different stories, Look Both Ways follows ten students from the same school as they head home after the bell rings. It's a creative and engaging way to show the vastly different lives classmates lead, and as always, Jason Reynolds' writing is so sharp. I love his use of metaphor, imagery, and language. I am curious how a young reader would respond to this book, but I definitely found myself crying by the last chapter.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
I love Jason Reynolds’ books. He mingles heavy topics with everyday life in such a natural way. This is geared toward middle school age, so it might not resonate with all readers. Still, in just 200 pages of 10 short stories that are interwoven, I feel like I know these characters so well. My only criticism is that I feel just a little let down that there wasn’t a final story that tied them all together - and I didn’t quite understand the theme of a bus falling from the sky.
This isn't my favorite of Jason Reynolds' books, but I always enjoy a story he tells.