Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
I owned a copy of this when I was little and I loved it because it had a frog on the cover but never read it. I wish I had because little me would have loved this. This is an amazing example of how thoughtful and meaningful middle grades books can be, and I'm sure it will remain a classic. Babbitt did a great job of showing how living forever can be painful and lonely, even to a child audience. And Winnie is such a fun character. Overall an excellent book, I'd recommend to anyone, especially if you missed reading this when you were younger!
I've heard about this book, and finally got around to it. Audio is only 4 hours, narrator is excellent.
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Reading this again, I know I was harsh on this book when I read it as a child (mostly because I thought it was a romance, so it was fascinating to find that my memory of the relationship with Jesse was wildly exaggerated). That said, it does do a thing that bothers me a lot in (especially older) middle grade. We have a young, precocious MC who has way too close a relationship with adults, and it just makes me uncomfortable.
That aside, however, the themes are beautiful. The pacing is good. I enjoyed the writing. This is a book that has honestly withstood the test of time.
That aside, however, the themes are beautiful. The pacing is good. I enjoyed the writing. This is a book that has honestly withstood the test of time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you to MacMillan Audio for allowing me to listen to and review this 50th Anniversary Edition ARC.
I didn't get a chance to read this book as a child, although I feel like this book is coming to me at a very good time in adulthood. I enjoy books that may not necessarily have a happy ending because they teach us about grief and why we want something to end "happily ever after". The themes of this book are still extremely applicable even though it was first published in 1975, and those themes can be digested by anyone of any age.
I didn't get a chance to read this book as a child, although I feel like this book is coming to me at a very good time in adulthood. I enjoy books that may not necessarily have a happy ending because they teach us about grief and why we want something to end "happily ever after". The themes of this book are still extremely applicable even though it was first published in 1975, and those themes can be digested by anyone of any age.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No