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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
emotional
reflective
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:
Yes
lighthearted
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
This heartwarming story about bullying, friendship, and learning to celebrate our differences features diverse characters and #ownvoices representation. Author Ellie Terry has Tourette syndrome and bases Callie's tics on her own. While the bulk of the story is told in verse from Callie’s perspective, there are occasional pages in prose written from Jinsong’s perspective. I think Terry did an excellent job not only helping readers better understand what it's like living with Tourette syndrome, but conveying the feeling of isolation that can come with being ostracized by classmates for being different, as well. This was a really great book and I highly recommend it.
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
Calliope's mother has had yet another relationship - one in a string of relationships - and that means another move and another school. Though Calli has plenty of experience with new schools, it's never easy. You see, Calli has Tourette's Syndrome which causes her to have lots of tics, and her doctor advised her mother - and thus Calli - to not tell people about having Tourette's Syndrome. His advice comes from a good place since TS is often misunderstood, but rather than helping, it makes things worse. The more Calli tries to hold in her tics, the more they wanted out.
So with this new move and new school, Calli decides to start fresh and not tell anyone about her TS. And things seem to be looking up; her neighbor Jinsong is a boy in the same grade, and he seems to see her for her. But when she starts at the new school, Calli faces the same struggles she has before: Her tics try to find their way out, and the other students begin to make fun of her for it. Is Calli brave enough to reveal the truth about her behavior? Is her new friendship with Jinsong strong enough to survive that reveal? Can Calli accept herself, tics and all?
This book is a powerful story about accepting yourself and others for who you and they are, warts and all. Terry does a great job of illustrating what it's like to live with Tourette's Syndrome, and it was really easy to empathize with Calli throughout. There were several times that I found myself tearing up at the bullying that Calli was suffering. At the same time, knowing how rough middle school can be for kids who are struggling to figure out who they are and the peer pressure they face to fit in, to not be too different, I could also empathize with Jinsong; the pressure he felt to be everyone's friend, the way he could see beyond Calli's tics when others refused to do the same, and the struggle he faced between his original friends and Calli were all very true scenarios.
The dual point-of-view presentation of this story made it even more powerful of a read for me. The balance between Calli's internal thoughts about her own struggles and Jinsong's thoughts about how others are acting in response to Calli's behavioral tics.
Listening to this story, narrated by Heather Costa and Matt Godfrey, added yet another dimension to the story. Both narrators gave great performances, and Terry's use of verse combined with the narration turned the book into a powerful spoken word piece that I can't wait to listen to again. I highly recommend you read or listen to this book, too. It is absolutely worth your time to do so.
So with this new move and new school, Calli decides to start fresh and not tell anyone about her TS. And things seem to be looking up; her neighbor Jinsong is a boy in the same grade, and he seems to see her for her. But when she starts at the new school, Calli faces the same struggles she has before: Her tics try to find their way out, and the other students begin to make fun of her for it. Is Calli brave enough to reveal the truth about her behavior? Is her new friendship with Jinsong strong enough to survive that reveal? Can Calli accept herself, tics and all?
This book is a powerful story about accepting yourself and others for who you and they are, warts and all. Terry does a great job of illustrating what it's like to live with Tourette's Syndrome, and it was really easy to empathize with Calli throughout. There were several times that I found myself tearing up at the bullying that Calli was suffering. At the same time, knowing how rough middle school can be for kids who are struggling to figure out who they are and the peer pressure they face to fit in, to not be too different, I could also empathize with Jinsong; the pressure he felt to be everyone's friend, the way he could see beyond Calli's tics when others refused to do the same, and the struggle he faced between his original friends and Calli were all very true scenarios.
The dual point-of-view presentation of this story made it even more powerful of a read for me. The balance between Calli's internal thoughts about her own struggles and Jinsong's thoughts about how others are acting in response to Calli's behavioral tics.
Listening to this story, narrated by Heather Costa and Matt Godfrey, added yet another dimension to the story. Both narrators gave great performances, and Terry's use of verse combined with the narration turned the book into a powerful spoken word piece that I can't wait to listen to again. I highly recommend you read or listen to this book, too. It is absolutely worth your time to do so.
informative
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
Heartfelt journey of callie making it through difficult obstacles in her life. Creating new meanings for herself. Acceptance.
Content Warnings
Minor: Bullying
terettes syndrome
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes