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4.09 AVERAGE
4.09 AVERAGE
Flint and McKell struggle with their own unique challenges. They become unlikely friends who support and help each other. I was delighted by unexpected plot twists and the overall message of the book.
I enjoyed attending an event where the author's spoke and I actually won a copy of this book. Happy Day!
I enjoyed attending an event where the author's spoke and I actually won a copy of this book. Happy Day!
Fantastic! Right up there with Palacio's _Wonder_!
I was skeptical at first (audiobook took a little warming up to)
BUT really great and complex characters, flow, story, purpose.
Would make a SUPER read-aloud for 3rd+ classes and offers a lot of Ss choice in exploration/extension!
Themes: disability, loss, middle-school, bullying, facing fears, friends
touches on: family structure/absent mom, mental health, organ transplants,
I was skeptical at first (audiobook took a little warming up to)
BUT really great and complex characters, flow, story, purpose.
Would make a SUPER read-aloud for 3rd+ classes and offers a lot of Ss choice in exploration/extension!
Themes: disability, loss, middle-school, bullying, facing fears, friends
touches on: family structure/absent mom, mental health, organ transplants,
Flint has a degenerative eye disease that means is he slowly loosing his sight. His classmates now call him Squint and bully him when they used to be friends. Flint just wants to finish his comic and submit it to a contest before he goes blind. He is being raised by his grandparents because his mom isn't able to look after him and he doesn't know who his dad is.
McKell is new to school and a bit shy. She hangs out with the popular kids but also becomes friends with Flint. Her brother has progeria and has a YouTube channel called Danny's Challenges. When Danny dies, he leaves behind challenges for his family and friends to complete. McKell has a really hard time with some of them that are directed at her. She has to find a way to showcase her talent and overcome her shyness.
The friendship between Flint and McKell seems like a genuine one. I appreciated the fact that Flint is being raised by his grandparents as so many kids these days are. I did thing the bullying at school was a bit overdone and that there should have been more adult intervention. I liked the fact that the eye transplant didn't end up being what you thought it might be and that things didn't always work out the way the characters wanted.
McKell is new to school and a bit shy. She hangs out with the popular kids but also becomes friends with Flint. Her brother has progeria and has a YouTube channel called Danny's Challenges. When Danny dies, he leaves behind challenges for his family and friends to complete. McKell has a really hard time with some of them that are directed at her. She has to find a way to showcase her talent and overcome her shyness.
The friendship between Flint and McKell seems like a genuine one. I appreciated the fact that Flint is being raised by his grandparents as so many kids these days are. I did thing the bullying at school was a bit overdone and that there should have been more adult intervention. I liked the fact that the eye transplant didn't end up being what you thought it might be and that things didn't always work out the way the characters wanted.
Squint is another hit for this talented husband and wife author duo. I loved it! These authors really know how to tug at your heart strings, all while having you think, laugh, and smile at the same time. I loved how this book wasn't just Flint's story, but McKell's, Danny's, Grandma's, Grandpa's journey too. I appreciated and loved the lessons learned along the way. A great one was when Flint realized things about himself that he needed to change. No doubt he had been through some hard things with his keratoconus. He wasn't perfect either and tried his best to make changes and be brave himself, all while helping McKell with her challenges. McKell was a doll and Danny was a fun character too. His role was small, but he had a big impact on everyone. I absolutely loved Grandpa's football analogies. He was a hoot!
Flint is writing/drawing a graphic novel... WHY do we keep cutting to his story as prose??? Otherwise this is a serviceable book with a good message.
Squint’s real name is Flint, but he got his nickname because of the fact that he can’t see very well. He doesn’t have many friends, and uses his free time to finish the comic book he’s working on so he can enter it into an upcoming contest.
McKell is the new girl in school and has a hidden talent of her own that she’s shy about sharing. She takes a liking to Squint, and tries to ward off any kids who tease him about his eyesight. The two become great friends and learn a lot about themselves from each other.
Thanks to Netgalley for a review copy of this book.
McKell is the new girl in school and has a hidden talent of her own that she’s shy about sharing. She takes a liking to Squint, and tries to ward off any kids who tease him about his eyesight. The two become great friends and learn a lot about themselves from each other.
Thanks to Netgalley for a review copy of this book.
Good to see characters in MG books that are diverse not only racially but in the struggles they face - in this case a corneal problem. There is a nice portray of the positive power of social media and "daring" and facing up to fears and insecurities.
emotional
medium-paced
I really liked this book. It covers a lot of the issues that many (most) middle schoolers experience.