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4.16 AVERAGE
4.16 AVERAGE
I was so excited to read this, but I couldn’t get into the style of it being told in verse. Also, from the very beginning, it felt impossible to distinguish Tam and Kate’s voices.
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
A top tier romance/first love book. Right up there with Shug, Bridge to Terabithia, and Jacob Have I Loved.
اذا خلصت مشاريعي لليوم بايي وبكتبله ريفيو محترم لانه يستحق ! + تو مقدر لانه الشيء الوحيد فراسي هو (لطيف وقصير)
I spent most of middle school reading Ellen Hopkin's books in verse and while those were very central to my development as a young person, this is the type of book in verse that I would love to give younger me instead.
This is such an innocent story of two girls learning about themselves and coming into their own in middle school. It's so sweet and would be a great introductory book in verse for younger readers. While I really wish that the other characters would have had more development I overall really enjoyed this. We definitely need more books like this in the world.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.
This is such an innocent story of two girls learning about themselves and coming into their own in middle school. It's so sweet and would be a great introductory book in verse for younger readers. While I really wish that the other characters would have had more development I overall really enjoyed this. We definitely need more books like this in the world.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.
Plot
Tam and Kate
Redwood and Ponytail
Volleyball Player and Cheerleader/School Mascot
It's "like-like" at first sight. Tam likes Kate's bouncy blonde ponytail with the straight clip. Kate likes how tall [like a redwood] Tam is, with her big hair. The two become friends who hold pinkies, because holding hands is a little too much. Tam knows she likes girls, and Kate isn't quite sure yet. But, the cheerleading squad doesn't like that Kate sits at Tam's table during lunch, and her mom doesn't like Tam or that Kate isn't trying harder to become cheer captain. How can they maintain a relationship while their friends are being pushed aside?
Review
The author explains in the back that this book is the book she needed to read as a kid. I agree, and am glad to see several books with lesbian/questioning middle school characters.
I read bits at a time, but only because I'm not a fan of poetry. However, the book is well written, and the use of the Greek chorus of Alexes was fun. I was confused about that part at first because I thought they were three mean girls gossiping about the girls, and I'm not sure if kids would understand. Both of the girls find positive influences to talk to, and even though figuring out romance at any time of life is hard, having support makes life much easier to handle. The romance is honest, and it's sad how one of the characters is outted, but I think the way her friend handled it was great. Also, the key part in most middle and YA romances is that the characters always forget about their BFFs =\
Appropriate for 5th-8th
WASHyarg May 2019
Very G rated: a slap, but otherwise the romance is chaste
Tam and Kate
Redwood and Ponytail
Volleyball Player and Cheerleader/School Mascot
It's "like-like" at first sight. Tam likes Kate's bouncy blonde ponytail with the straight clip. Kate likes how tall [like a redwood] Tam is, with her big hair. The two become friends who hold pinkies, because holding hands is a little too much. Tam knows she likes girls, and Kate isn't quite sure yet. But, the cheerleading squad doesn't like that Kate sits at Tam's table during lunch, and her mom doesn't like Tam or that Kate isn't trying harder to become cheer captain. How can they maintain a relationship while their friends are being pushed aside?
Review
The author explains in the back that this book is the book she needed to read as a kid. I agree, and am glad to see several books with lesbian/questioning middle school characters.
I read bits at a time, but only because I'm not a fan of poetry. However, the book is well written, and the use of the Greek chorus of Alexes was fun. I was confused about that part at first because I thought they were three mean girls gossiping about the girls, and I'm not sure if kids would understand. Both of the girls find positive influences to talk to, and even though figuring out romance at any time of life is hard, having support makes life much easier to handle. The romance is honest, and it's sad how one of the characters is outted, but I think the way her friend handled it was great. Also, the key part in most middle and YA romances is that the characters always forget about their BFFs =\
Appropriate for 5th-8th
WASHyarg May 2019
Very G rated: a slap, but otherwise the romance is chaste
This verse novel takes a heartfelt look at a high school romance between two girls. Beginning with a fire being set, the book then takes readers back to the beginning as Kate and Tam first notice one another. Kate is a cheerleader with a perfect ponytail. She is angling to be squad captain, but when she agrees to fill in as mascot at the first few games, she discovers she loves being in costume and being funny. Her mother though has high expectations for Kate and isn’t amused. Tam is a tall volleyball player who moves through life being exactly who she is, never veering from that. Her mother is supportive and warm, sometimes too much so. When Kate and Tam admit what they feel for one another, it feels easy and simple, but it’s not for everyone else.
Holt’s verse is expertly written. She gives each of the main characters their own unique voice and feel. Their words at times dance and overlap with one another on the page, but the characters are distinct from one another always. Holt also adds in a Greek chorus of sorts, watching along with the reader and commenting on the story in just the right tone and verse. Holt gives the romance time to really grow, not jumping forward quickly to a full relationship, but allowing them time to linger in liking one another first. It’s a tender way to explore a new relationship on the page.
I love any LGBTQIA+ book for teens that allows love to win in the end. This book is full of hope, brimming with acceptance even as it explores having family members who don’t understand. It is not saccharine or sweet, offering clear reality but also managing to surround our protagonists with the support they need.
A book to cheer for! Appropriate for ages 13-17.
Holt’s verse is expertly written. She gives each of the main characters their own unique voice and feel. Their words at times dance and overlap with one another on the page, but the characters are distinct from one another always. Holt also adds in a Greek chorus of sorts, watching along with the reader and commenting on the story in just the right tone and verse. Holt gives the romance time to really grow, not jumping forward quickly to a full relationship, but allowing them time to linger in liking one another first. It’s a tender way to explore a new relationship on the page.
I love any LGBTQIA+ book for teens that allows love to win in the end. This book is full of hope, brimming with acceptance even as it explores having family members who don’t understand. It is not saccharine or sweet, offering clear reality but also managing to surround our protagonists with the support they need.
A book to cheer for! Appropriate for ages 13-17.
All my reviews live at https://deedispeaking.com/reads/.
Big thanks to the team at Chronicle Books for sending me a finished copy of this beautiful little novel in exchange for an honest review!
Here is pretty much everything you need to know about this book in order to know how great it is: Redwood and Ponytail is a novel about two 12-year-old girls who “fall in like” with one another and then work their way through all the joys and difficulties that come with that — and it’s written entirely in poetry. That’s it, that’s the review.
No, just kidding. But if that doesn’t make you go “YES I NEED THAT,” then I’m not sure what else you’re looking for. This book will help so many young people (and doubtless many older people, too) and is so transparent and sweet. I read it in one sitting, and my little heart practically exploded.
Everyone knows Kate, and Tam knows everyone. Kate (who always wears a perfect ponytail) is on track to become captain of the cheerleading squad, just like her mother always wanted. Tam (who is tall, like a redwood) is the star of the volleyball team and high-fives all her classmates in the hallways. But the day 7th grade starts, they’re drawn to each other in a way they can’t explain — yet.
I really, really loved the way K.A. Holt used echoes, flip-flopping the same lines in two perspectives. That was really beautiful and effective at bringing the experiences Tam and Kate were simultaneously having to life. It showed how similar and different they were to one another, and it called forward the common experience of our shared humanity.
Big thanks to the team at Chronicle Books for sending me a finished copy of this beautiful little novel in exchange for an honest review!
Here is pretty much everything you need to know about this book in order to know how great it is: Redwood and Ponytail is a novel about two 12-year-old girls who “fall in like” with one another and then work their way through all the joys and difficulties that come with that — and it’s written entirely in poetry. That’s it, that’s the review.
No, just kidding. But if that doesn’t make you go “YES I NEED THAT,” then I’m not sure what else you’re looking for. This book will help so many young people (and doubtless many older people, too) and is so transparent and sweet. I read it in one sitting, and my little heart practically exploded.
Everyone knows Kate, and Tam knows everyone. Kate (who always wears a perfect ponytail) is on track to become captain of the cheerleading squad, just like her mother always wanted. Tam (who is tall, like a redwood) is the star of the volleyball team and high-fives all her classmates in the hallways. But the day 7th grade starts, they’re drawn to each other in a way they can’t explain — yet.
I really, really loved the way K.A. Holt used echoes, flip-flopping the same lines in two perspectives. That was really beautiful and effective at bringing the experiences Tam and Kate were simultaneously having to life. It showed how similar and different they were to one another, and it called forward the common experience of our shared humanity.
It was not super enjoyable to read as an ebook - the formatting was slightly messed up regardless of the device I used. But the story was amazing and I cried at several points. KA Holt captured that queer anxiety and thrill so well I had to take a break at several points.
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes