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rynandri's review against another edition
3.0
Stress aja. Aku suka liat cerita persahabatan Nella dan kawan-kawan di Little Italy (lengkap beeserta seluruh background keluarga dan masyarakat di sekitarnya) dari POV Nella kecil. Aku ngerasa meski cerita ini ditutur dari POV Nella tapi mainly membahas keluarga Angela dan Anthony, lengkap dengan *ehem* papanya *ehem* yang,... yaudah gitulah.
Closurenya mblaur. Tipe buku yang setelah kita nyelesein bikin ngebatin, "Lho? lhaterus? udah gini doang? Lah,...?"
Closurenya mblaur. Tipe buku yang setelah kita nyelesein bikin ngebatin, "Lho? lhaterus? udah gini doang? Lah,...?"
nerfherder86's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this story, set in Cleveland's Little Italy neighborhood, for its warm, real characters, the theme of friendships starting and changing, and the realistic depiction of families from different cultural backgrounds and experiences and the hardships they often endure. It also deals with race relations and issues from today's world, in an age-appropriate way for a middle grade/middle school book. Being set in a somewhat familiar area for me certainly added to the appeal, but you don't have to be from the Cleveland area to enjoy reading about this closeknit neighborhood of Catholic Italian families and their Old World charm. Interspersed between the chapters narrated by the main character are magical-realistic chapters where a statue in a cemetery tells his story, as a longtime observer of the neighborhood, and that was kind of weird at first but once you get used to it, it's really quite sweet the way "he" ties in with the main character. Loved it! My one quibble is that the cartoony little drawings and map of the neighborhood made the book seem like a much younger story than it really was. I thought that the content would be great for 6th graders and even 7th and 8th, but with those little-kid drawings it made it seem like a book for much younger kids. Admittedly, the main character tells her story in flashbacks from first grade and other childhood memories (she is a 12 year old 7th grader for most of the story), which might also make it seem like a younger story. But, when you get into the issues and themes of the book, they're really important for older kids as well as younger kids. So I would have liked to see an edition of this book that was made to look a little "older" to appeal to 6th and 7th graders, not just 3rd or 4th graders. (Although it's a really long book for a 4th grader to tackle, I think) But that's just my opinion, and it doesn't really matter if you are able to get the book into any young reader's hands.
kimjunmyeon's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
gschwabauer's review against another edition
3.0
This was a weird read.
The author wanted to tackle about 57 different topics—the awkwardness of shifting friendships, the temptation to ditch people when their problems get too difficult, race relations, cycles of family violence, the need to "soften" and accept help and community from others, dealing with change, , the importance of seemingly tiny actions, parental guilt and dishonesty, alcoholism, gun violence, forgiveness, grandparents and health decline, the list just goes on and on and on.
The items on that list that WERE done well were done really well. Nella's friendships with Clem and Angela were distinct, vivid, and moving. Nella was a believable, compelling narrator who made lots of mistakes but never crossed the line into being unlikeable. The themes of guilt/shame and being unsure how to relate to a friend whose life (especially family) are just objectively a lot worse than yours were handled excellently. If she'd stuck with that, this would have been a great read!
But then the author just kind of chucked in a bunch of other stuff so that most of it never got the page space it would have needed to unfold in a satisfying way. There's a subplot about a black man being shot by a white man, and the story simply doesn't have the time to unpack that situation. We get a feel-good moment at the end where the protagonist gives money to the victim's family and gets to make a speech on TV about how we have to "let things like this change us," but it's not super clear what kind of tangible change we're talking about. Is the message to just not be racist? Because the killer also wasn't racist in any overt sense, just traumatized and quite possibly falling prey so subconscious biases, so I guess we need to combat our own subconscious biases by......giving money......to grieving families? Or something? The whole thing was just so uncomfortable. I have no problem with the humanization of the shooter, or of the discussion about how cycles of violence can perpetuate terrible mistakes in good, kind people, but I was pretty squirmy about the whole assuaging-of-white-guilt feeling surrounding the entire conclusion. Also the freaking statue was so on-the-nose that it felt like the author didn't trust me to understand her story without overwrought "heart of stone" metaphors.
The author wanted to tackle about 57 different topics—the awkwardness of shifting friendships, the temptation to ditch people when their problems get too difficult, race relations, cycles of family violence, the need to "soften" and accept help and community from others, dealing with change, , the importance of seemingly tiny actions, parental guilt and dishonesty, alcoholism, gun violence, forgiveness, grandparents and health decline, the list just goes on and on and on.
The items on that list that WERE done well were done really well. Nella's friendships with Clem and Angela were distinct, vivid, and moving. Nella was a believable, compelling narrator who made lots of mistakes but never crossed the line into being unlikeable. The themes of guilt/shame and being unsure how to relate to a friend whose life (especially family) are just objectively a lot worse than yours were handled excellently. If she'd stuck with that, this would have been a great read!
But then the author just kind of chucked in a bunch of other stuff so that most of it never got the page space it would have needed to unfold in a satisfying way. There's a subplot about a black man being shot by a white man, and the story simply doesn't have the time to unpack that situation. We get a feel-good moment at the end where the protagonist gives money to the victim's family and gets to make a speech on TV about how we have to "let things like this change us," but it's not super clear what kind of tangible change we're talking about. Is the message to just not be racist? Because the killer also wasn't racist in any overt sense, just traumatized and quite possibly falling prey so subconscious biases, so I guess we need to combat our own subconscious biases by......giving money......to grieving families? Or something? The whole thing was just so uncomfortable. I have no problem with the humanization of the shooter, or of the discussion about how cycles of violence can perpetuate terrible mistakes in good, kind people, but I was pretty squirmy about the whole assuaging-of-white-guilt feeling surrounding the entire conclusion. Also the freaking statue was so on-the-nose that it felt like the author didn't trust me to understand her story without overwrought "heart of stone" metaphors.
discoveringmich's review against another edition
5.0
i still don’t get the story very much. i mean i do, but i want to understand it more. i’ve got two words that would explain the novel but i don’y want to spoil! but that’s what great books are, right: they make you want to fully understand its message. i, personally directly had a soft spot for anthony.
jregensb's review against another edition
4.0
Starring (in alphabetical order):
Birds, Brothers, Budding Romance
Cemeteries, Family Secrets, and Guns
Friendship, Mean Girls, Nice Nuns
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Prejudice
Racial Tensions, Racist Elders, and Racism,
Seconds, Statues, Stereotypes, and Strokes.
File under: Realistic Fiction, Coming of Age, Friendship
Birds, Brothers, Budding Romance
Cemeteries, Family Secrets, and Guns
Friendship, Mean Girls, Nice Nuns
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Prejudice
Racial Tensions, Racist Elders, and Racism,
Seconds, Statues, Stereotypes, and Strokes.
File under: Realistic Fiction, Coming of Age, Friendship
courtzab's review against another edition
5.0
I received a signed copy of this novel by the author herself, and I am SO pleased. I may buy another copy to put in my classroom for the advanced readers to read.
This novel had everything: young romance, racial tension, PTSD, different family dynamics, socioeconomic tension, and religion. It is a very appropriate novel for what our country has been going through recently. AND it was told from the point of view of a young girl (age 5-13) who learns and grows so much throughout the novel. I adore this.
This novel had everything: young romance, racial tension, PTSD, different family dynamics, socioeconomic tension, and religion. It is a very appropriate novel for what our country has been going through recently. AND it was told from the point of view of a young girl (age 5-13) who learns and grows so much throughout the novel. I adore this.
sandreasen's review against another edition
3.0
I thought it was well written but it just tried to tackle too many hot button issues.
mrskatiefitz's review against another edition
3.0
Change is afoot for Nella Sabatini and her Italian-American neighborhood. Angela, the friend Nella used to consider a sister, has become consumed by family difficulties caused by her father's PTSD, leaving Nella to spend more time with a new friend named Clem. Nella's own father has been hiding a secret for Nella's entire life, and when Nella discovers the truth, she has trouble looking at him in the same way. Meanwhile, Nella's beloved school, St. Amphibalus, is about to shut down, leaving its students scrambling to figure out where they will attend next year. Worst of all, Angela's brother, Anthony, whom Nella has idolized her whole life has committed a deadly crime, resulting in the death of a young black man and a rise in racial tensions.
As she does in her other books (especially the Fox Street and Cody titles), Springstubb creates a believable and instantly appealing neighborhood in this latest novel, and she populates it with very real people whose secret sadnesses elicit instant sympathy from the reader. Though I wasn't crazy about the structure (switching back and forth in time, and including the internal monologue of a grave in the cemetery), the writing is, as always, gorgeous. There are many wonderfully insightful one-liners throughout the text, and vivid descriptions of places Nella visits, especially the cemetery, bring the landscape of her community fully to life. I also could not be more grateful to Springstubb for her authentic, factually correct, and overall positive portrayal of Catholic schools, practicing Catholic families, and nuns. In Nella, she has created a character who not only goes through the Catholic motions, but also observes her world, and speaks about it, from a Catholic worldview, which is both rare and refreshing.
As she does in her other books (especially the Fox Street and Cody titles), Springstubb creates a believable and instantly appealing neighborhood in this latest novel, and she populates it with very real people whose secret sadnesses elicit instant sympathy from the reader. Though I wasn't crazy about the structure (switching back and forth in time, and including the internal monologue of a grave in the cemetery), the writing is, as always, gorgeous. There are many wonderfully insightful one-liners throughout the text, and vivid descriptions of places Nella visits, especially the cemetery, bring the landscape of her community fully to life. I also could not be more grateful to Springstubb for her authentic, factually correct, and overall positive portrayal of Catholic schools, practicing Catholic families, and nuns. In Nella, she has created a character who not only goes through the Catholic motions, but also observes her world, and speaks about it, from a Catholic worldview, which is both rare and refreshing.