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4.23 AVERAGE
4.23 AVERAGE
I would definitely recommend this book to students. And I love the fact that the main character plays the trumpet. She's a great kid and a character that you enjoy getting to know and will root for to the end.
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
I really enjoyed this book. I flew through it. It’s a great way to approach some very very important topics for young people. I think it’s an important message for teachers and adults to about hearing what our young people are telling us. Wonderfully done!
Great story about the intricacies of middle school friendships and how to handle unwanted attention.
GET THIS BOOK INTO THE HANDS OF EVERY MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENT YOU KNOW. Read it yourself first, then get it out there. Talk about it with parents and teachers. Make sure you recommend it to boys as much as girls.
Barbara Dee captures so perfectly the bewilderment and shock and hurt of a girl all of a sudden being targeted by boys for unwanted attention, touching, and teasing that I had to stop reading the book several times just to walk away and calm down, because the words brought back with a startling clarity the painful feelings and panic that I felt in middle school under similar circumstances. Dee's work is extraordinary in pulling the reader into Mila's confusion and growing shame and feeling of disconnectedness from friends and adults alike. Allowing boys to develop empathy for her character can be a really useful tool to help boys understand how this kind of harassment causes pain.
It's not a joke.
It's not funny.
It's not welcome.
It's not a way to "like" someone.
It is torture.
I am tempted to rate it 4 stars because the last couple of chapters, in which a teacher attempts a sort of deeply uncomfortable restorative justice exercise, felt very problematic (as well as unrealistic). But the benefits of the book far outweigh this flaw...it might be a great discussion to have with boys and girls alike about what kind of response from school authorities and parents would be appropriate in these circumstances, as well as what peers and allies can do when people at school are acting this way.
I could see this book being perfect for a book club led by a school counselor, as well. Or Scout troops or youth groups. Just...get kids to read it. Read it. It's that important.
Barbara Dee captures so perfectly the bewilderment and shock and hurt of a girl all of a sudden being targeted by boys for unwanted attention, touching, and teasing that I had to stop reading the book several times just to walk away and calm down, because the words brought back with a startling clarity the painful feelings and panic that I felt in middle school under similar circumstances. Dee's work is extraordinary in pulling the reader into Mila's confusion and growing shame and feeling of disconnectedness from friends and adults alike. Allowing boys to develop empathy for her character can be a really useful tool to help boys understand how this kind of harassment causes pain.
It's not a joke.
It's not funny.
It's not welcome.
It's not a way to "like" someone.
It is torture.
I am tempted to rate it 4 stars because the last couple of chapters, in which a teacher attempts a sort of deeply uncomfortable restorative justice exercise, felt very problematic (as well as unrealistic). But the benefits of the book far outweigh this flaw...it might be a great discussion to have with boys and girls alike about what kind of response from school authorities and parents would be appropriate in these circumstances, as well as what peers and allies can do when people at school are acting this way.
I could see this book being perfect for a book club led by a school counselor, as well. Or Scout troops or youth groups. Just...get kids to read it. Read it. It's that important.
This is a good book on an important topic, but I didn’t like the way it made me feel. I was constantly distracted by flashbacks to middle school, like when I had to trade shirts with my friend because the boys wouldn’t stop staring and talking about my chest. The other shirt that I had to stop wearing altogether because it had generated a nickname that I hated. (Not that it matters, but but of these shirts were high necked and covered me completely.) I wish I had come forward and said something, but I didn’t. Maybe this book will help more young people understand the issue of sexual harassment.
This should be required reading for every middle school student.
This book is so incredibly beautiful and you should read it. I read it and i learned it's important to say no when you feel uncomfortable even if it's something small. This book teaches you that and the difference between flirting and assault/harassment.
I can't say enough about this book. I loved it. It was a powerful story of a girl being harassed by a bunch of boys who could have spoken up to stop it at any number of times - and all centered around middle school students - an age that often deals with this kind of situation. Not only did it feel remarkably true to life (both in how the main character's friends treat the situation, but, sadly, in how the adults do as well), but it truly made me consider what I was like as a middle schooler and the impact of words I spoke in those early days of me. I did some healthy reexamination after reading this book and shared it with my classes as one to read - and as a call for acceptance for each of us. Fantastic work...