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imstephtacular's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Grief, and Mental illness
Minor: Medical content, Classism, Pregnancy, Medical trauma, and Murder
readingwithcats's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
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
3.75
audreylee's review
adventurous
tense
medium-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
3.75
A creepy ghost story mixed with a good dose of environmental concerns. It is short and filled with adventure as well as the protagonist's place in her family. I liked the inclusiveness but wish there had been a bit more fleshed out at the beginning and the ending.
ehparrish's review against another edition
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
miloblue's review
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
themagician's review
4.5
I loved Fox and Tennie, my sweet kids,,, a surprisingly spooky read with an important message for young readers about prioritizing your own well-being that I'm glad exists :)
ninegladiolus's review
lighthearted
mysterious
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
4.5
I will admit full stop here that I don’t read a lot of middle grade. This has nothing to do with quality of kidlit—in fact, quite the contrary, as I am amazed and inspired by the wonderful diversity of middle grade stories coming out each year—and everything to do with only having so many hours in a day. Still, I’ve wanted to increase my repertoire given the frequency with which I get asked for middle grade recs, particularly in the LGBTQIA+ arena, so when the opportunity came for me to read and review A Touch of Ruckus, I eagerly jumped on it. And I am glad I did. A Touch of Ruckus by Ash Van Otterloo is magical, charming, heartfelt, and full of Appalachian soul and age-appropriate spook, and I devoured it from beginning to end in a single setting.
A Touch of Ruckus follows Tennessee “Tennie” Lancaster, second oldest child out of four in her chaotic family and possessed of a unique gift: the ability to read the memories stored in any object she touches. Her power is only one of many secrets Tennie feels as though she needs to keep, most of them involving the somewhat strained relationship between her mother, Mama, and her grandmother, Mimsy. Being pressured into the role of caretaker for her two youngest siblings, worrying about her family’s finances, and dealing with her power puts a lot of pressure on Tennie. But when she meets Fox, a new friend with the ability to see ghosts, Tennie finds herself involved in a supernatural mystery and keeping even more secrets.
Tennie as a protagonist stole my heart from the very first page, and not only did her circumstances resonate with me a lot personally—I too felt like I had to be the peacekeeper of my family, once upon a time—I think she’ll speak to a lot a kids who carry burdens heavier than they should bear, supernatural or otherwise. Her desire for time and space away from her family and the accompanying guilt felt realistic, and her journey as she grows into herself, her powers, and her voice was beautifully done.
Likewise, Fox also had my entire heart. It still hasn’t gotten old to see thoughtful nonbinary representation in books and particularly in kidlit. I loved how accepting Fox’s family was of them, even if there were some realistic slip-ups from time to time, and how no conflict hinged upon them being nonbinary. Their fire served as a nice contrast to the quieter Tennie, and their immediate camaraderie and developing rapport with her was so pleasurable to watch unfold.
As mentioned in the beginning, the plot of A Touch of Ruckus moves at a steady, engaging pace. The blend of ghost story and real life ramifications makes it an absolutely perfect spooky season read for younger readers, and the infusion of southern dialect and idioms into the prose delighted me. There was a great deal of normalized mental health representation, particularly around Mama and her blues, and I think the more of that we see in books for younger readers the better.
Not only do I feel fortunate to have read a middle grade novel centering two LGBTQIA+ protagonists and a setting I don’t see often explored, I felt so seen within its pages, from Fox’s identity to Tennie’s peacemaking heart to the power found in the forested mountains of the south. I enjoyed every minute of this book and can’t wait to get A Touch of Ruckus into the hands of folks looking for a heartwarming spooky season read this fall.
Thank you so much to Ash Van Otterloo for sending me an advance reader copy to read and review. All opinions are my own.
A Touch of Ruckus follows Tennessee “Tennie” Lancaster, second oldest child out of four in her chaotic family and possessed of a unique gift: the ability to read the memories stored in any object she touches. Her power is only one of many secrets Tennie feels as though she needs to keep, most of them involving the somewhat strained relationship between her mother, Mama, and her grandmother, Mimsy. Being pressured into the role of caretaker for her two youngest siblings, worrying about her family’s finances, and dealing with her power puts a lot of pressure on Tennie. But when she meets Fox, a new friend with the ability to see ghosts, Tennie finds herself involved in a supernatural mystery and keeping even more secrets.
Tennie as a protagonist stole my heart from the very first page, and not only did her circumstances resonate with me a lot personally—I too felt like I had to be the peacekeeper of my family, once upon a time—I think she’ll speak to a lot a kids who carry burdens heavier than they should bear, supernatural or otherwise. Her desire for time and space away from her family and the accompanying guilt felt realistic, and her journey as she grows into herself, her powers, and her voice was beautifully done.
Likewise, Fox also had my entire heart. It still hasn’t gotten old to see thoughtful nonbinary representation in books and particularly in kidlit. I loved how accepting Fox’s family was of them, even if there were some realistic slip-ups from time to time, and how no conflict hinged upon them being nonbinary. Their fire served as a nice contrast to the quieter Tennie, and their immediate camaraderie and developing rapport with her was so pleasurable to watch unfold.
As mentioned in the beginning, the plot of A Touch of Ruckus moves at a steady, engaging pace. The blend of ghost story and real life ramifications makes it an absolutely perfect spooky season read for younger readers, and the infusion of southern dialect and idioms into the prose delighted me. There was a great deal of normalized mental health representation, particularly around Mama and her blues, and I think the more of that we see in books for younger readers the better.
Not only do I feel fortunate to have read a middle grade novel centering two LGBTQIA+ protagonists and a setting I don’t see often explored, I felt so seen within its pages, from Fox’s identity to Tennie’s peacemaking heart to the power found in the forested mountains of the south. I enjoyed every minute of this book and can’t wait to get A Touch of Ruckus into the hands of folks looking for a heartwarming spooky season read this fall.
Thank you so much to Ash Van Otterloo for sending me an advance reader copy to read and review. All opinions are my own.
elcowboyreads's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-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
4.5