Reviews

Well, this one took me back - I was in school in the 80s and all the references rang so true. What a perfect vehicle to challenge students to think about their own biases, wrapped up in a compelling story with compelling characters - even if you didn't go to school in the 80s. Loved it!

thenextgenlibrarian's review against another edition

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5.0

This MG book struck a huge chord for me when reading it today because even though this novel is set in the 1980s, it could easily have happened today. Lauren Horowitz is a Chinese-Jewish girl with an incredible voice, but when her brown hair-blue eyed BFF is chosen for the lead in the school musical over her, Lauren is told it’s because she’s not All-American looking enough for the part. Microaggressions plague Lauren throughout the book, causing her to stand up for herself and realize who her true friends are. Comments made towards Lauren in the book still happen today, 40 years later. It’s not okay and I think novels like this will help people realize how hurtful their comments can be. I loved this book. Thank you Edelweiss for providing an ARC to this follow up of This Is Just A Test. You don’t have to read the first one to enjoy this one.

hamckeon's review against another edition

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3.0

3.5

thenextgenlib's review against another edition

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5.0

miszjeanie's review against another edition

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4.0

Not Your All-American Girl is a vital look at racial prejudice in the 1980’s through a fun, engaging lens. This middle-grade book showcases a strong biracial protagonist (Jewish-Chinese) who learns to embrace her identity with the help of her family and two boisterous grandmothers. The story centers around a fun school musical that will make this book appealing to fans of middle-grade books about music and musical theater. I would also highly recommend the audiobook for a more immersive experience (including real singing!)

Read my full review on my blog.

mindfullibrarian's review against another edition

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5.0

This is the December 2020 NEA Read Across America pick for the theme of Identity and what a pick! I can definitely see pushing this toward kids who love music and theater, specifically grades 4-6.

** I have to admit at first I was skeptical about it being set in 1984 but it was done in such a natural way that it read pretty contemporary. Why skeptical? Well, just because I don’t love reading almost any kind of fiction set between 1950 and 2010 right now - personal preference

hearts4cara's review against another edition

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adventurous informative lighthearted sad 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? No

3.75

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