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trevoryan's review against another edition
1.0
Making a graphic novel series about serious issues affecting young people is a great idea. BUT the art and writing are so poor that I can't see this really doing much to actually help people.
rachelmcg2004's review against another edition
4.0
This is such a hard book to rate and review, especially in light of yesterday's great tragedy.
First, the positive. My own heart and soul were greatly moved by Lauren's story. I adored seeing her mother train her up to become the amazing activist she now is, and her relationship with her brother is one I wish my brother and I could have had. And her father taking the time out of his (precious) sleep schedule to bake cookies with his daughter, showing her that she is far more precious. This laid the groundwork for her amazing breakthrough and fight in order to claim justice for her Heart and Soul, both of which had been crushed when that demonic shooter filled them with bullets.
And now, the harder part of this review:
While Lauren's story really resonated with me for the most part, she and I disagree on the issue of gun control. I believe that if we make the procurement and use of firearms unequivocally illegal, the mentally ill people who commit the despicable and vile acts of shooting up a school will just obtain those firearms on a (naturally booming) black market. Banning firearms is not the solution, promoting human decency and kindness is the solution. As someone with a strong sense of justice who wishes with all my heart that I could just bring those children back to their parents, those teachers back to their families, it fills me with ire that these shootings keep happening. SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE - we must think, however, before we go diving into action.
The latter half of the book - where the students felt betrayed by the adults who had been unable to protect them from this issue - tore me in two. On the one hand, what they're sharing is valid. It was the responsibility of the leaders of this country to do whatever they could to ensure that a monstrosity like this evil day would never happen and would never happen again (something they have grossly failed in YET AGAIN), but at the same time, there was no way anyone could see this coming. The minds of these troubled criminal shooters are often hid behind masks of indifference and isolation, and often people are so caught up in life they fail to notice the warning signs. This is wrong, but it also a fact of life. Excruciating as it is to admit, we cannot prevent every school shooting. We cannot. I wish with every fibre of my being that we could, but we can't.
I feel like no matter how many words I use, I cannot make up for this injustice, nor can I make up for yesterday's Texas mass shooting. But I can offer the words of comfort that there is a God in this world, and though there is nothing we humans can ever do to get back those loved ones, they are far safer now than they ever have been on earth. This is no comfort to some, and for that, I am deeply sorrowful. But it is true.
Yesterday, May 24th, 2022, is a day that will forever live in infamy. A cruel and unusual act has occurred at Robb Elementary School, an act which can never be reversed or undone. My heart aches in sorrow for this unspeakably evil occurrence, and the abhorrently evil one that was the focus of this book.
A must read for all sorting through the current events of today.
First, the positive. My own heart and soul were greatly moved by Lauren's story. I adored seeing her mother train her up to become the amazing activist she now is, and her relationship with her brother is one I wish my brother and I could have had. And her father taking the time out of his (precious) sleep schedule to bake cookies with his daughter, showing her that she is far more precious. This laid the groundwork for her amazing breakthrough and fight in order to claim justice for her Heart and Soul, both of which had been crushed when that demonic shooter filled them with bullets.
And now, the harder part of this review:
While Lauren's story really resonated with me for the most part, she and I disagree on the issue of gun control. I believe that if we make the procurement and use of firearms unequivocally illegal, the mentally ill people who commit the despicable and vile acts of shooting up a school will just obtain those firearms on a (naturally booming) black market. Banning firearms is not the solution, promoting human decency and kindness is the solution. As someone with a strong sense of justice who wishes with all my heart that I could just bring those children back to their parents, those teachers back to their families, it fills me with ire that these shootings keep happening. SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE - we must think, however, before we go diving into action.
The latter half of the book - where the students felt betrayed by the adults who had been unable to protect them from this issue - tore me in two. On the one hand, what they're sharing is valid. It was the responsibility of the leaders of this country to do whatever they could to ensure that a monstrosity like this evil day would never happen and would never happen again (something they have grossly failed in YET AGAIN), but at the same time, there was no way anyone could see this coming. The minds of these troubled criminal shooters are often hid behind masks of indifference and isolation, and often people are so caught up in life they fail to notice the warning signs. This is wrong, but it also a fact of life. Excruciating as it is to admit, we cannot prevent every school shooting. We cannot. I wish with every fibre of my being that we could, but we can't.
I feel like no matter how many words I use, I cannot make up for this injustice, nor can I make up for yesterday's Texas mass shooting. But I can offer the words of comfort that there is a God in this world, and though there is nothing we humans can ever do to get back those loved ones, they are far safer now than they ever have been on earth. This is no comfort to some, and for that, I am deeply sorrowful. But it is true.
Yesterday, May 24th, 2022, is a day that will forever live in infamy. A cruel and unusual act has occurred at Robb Elementary School, an act which can never be reversed or undone. My heart aches in sorrow for this unspeakably evil occurrence, and the abhorrently evil one that was the focus of this book.
A must read for all sorting through the current events of today.
bookishadvocate's review against another edition
5.0
What a horrible, inspiring story. I don't remember even hearing about this tragic event, or the movement that happened because of it. I'm glad this girl is using her voice, we need more teens like her. My daughter and I just started reading this series of books by and for teens. It tackles some tough topics and allows your child to hear from someone who actually experienced it. We've had some great conversations and look forward to reading the others.
shipwrecksteph's review against another edition
4.0
I received a slightly early copy at the NYCC 2019 educators event. Many thanks to Zuiker Press.
The story told here is so important. The instigating event is horrific. But what the author, Lauren Hogg chose to do in the aftermath, is inspiring. It is necessary for this story to be told. And using a graphic novel to tell it is a great idea. The visuals can hit much harder and deeper then just words. I'm glad to see Zuiker Press and others creating these works.
The presentation of the story here has some issues, but they are minor. 90% of the story is told through narration instead of dialog. This can stilt the narrative flow sometimes. The art is very strong. But Lauren doesn't look like Lauren. The artwork gives her a much more angular and narrow facial structure. This isn't a problem because it looks different. It's a problem because it make her look older than she is during these events. Part of the power of this story is that this activist is a child. She's at an age where she shouldn't have to be doing this work, but she has chosen to. That lesson doesn't hit as hard when your 14 year old protagonist looks 18.
These issues are in no way disqualifying. The story is important and moving. There should be more work like this out there. I've notices a push towards non-fiction graphic novels over the past year. If you are as interested in this trend as I am, this is a great place to start.
The story told here is so important. The instigating event is horrific. But what the author, Lauren Hogg chose to do in the aftermath, is inspiring. It is necessary for this story to be told. And using a graphic novel to tell it is a great idea. The visuals can hit much harder and deeper then just words. I'm glad to see Zuiker Press and others creating these works.
The presentation of the story here has some issues, but they are minor. 90% of the story is told through narration instead of dialog. This can stilt the narrative flow sometimes. The art is very strong. But Lauren doesn't look like Lauren. The artwork gives her a much more angular and narrow facial structure. This isn't a problem because it looks different. It's a problem because it make her look older than she is during these events. Part of the power of this story is that this activist is a child. She's at an age where she shouldn't have to be doing this work, but she has chosen to. That lesson doesn't hit as hard when your 14 year old protagonist looks 18.
These issues are in no way disqualifying. The story is important and moving. There should be more work like this out there. I've notices a push towards non-fiction graphic novels over the past year. If you are as interested in this trend as I am, this is a great place to start.
geogirl's review against another edition
4.0
Easy to read format for a tough to handle subject. Great read for older middle school through high school. Own voice telling her story of surviving before, during and after a violent school shooting tragedy. Narrator also tells reader how she stands up for her beliefs and became an activist.
chardeemacdennis's review against another edition
3.0
This one was interesting. I like the idea of this series quite a bit. I want to try at least one more to see if they all have a similar tone to this one. Something about the writing was just a little "off" to me. Too cheery and heavy handed at the same time. I also found some parts of it cringy with all the mentions of how perfect her life is with great parents (even when one works crazy hours, he always has time to bake cookies at midnight to take into her bedroom to make up for all the lost moments he missed out on), great vacations, an amazing activist mother, an outstanding brother, a great GPA (even after taking on all this extra activism she still achieves over a 4.0 GPA - which when this was mentioned just felt like fluff and eye roll inducing), and just so much happiness. This is a story about a horrific event. Yes, life goes on after horrific events. Yes, you can use tragedy to make change and inspire other people. These are great lessons to make sure to let young readers know so they don't just see the gloom and see no hope. But...it was still just off to me. Early on in the book you find out that her two best friends were killed in the shooting, but she's changed her name for this book. Why? That's a big question mark for me because we know 17 people were killed in the shooting. You can find all of their names online so it's not like it's protecting their identities or the identities of their families. Omitting the names made me question the reliability of the entire story. That question of doubt started at the very beginning when we were told their names wouldn't be mentioned.
After all of that negativity and questioning of how much I liked (or didn't like) this book, on to the positives of the book. It's a quick read. It holds your interest the entire time. It will help a young generation learn about real people in history. A very short and easy to read story to help kids learn about real events.
Overall, not bad, but not great either.
After all of that negativity and questioning of how much I liked (or didn't like) this book, on to the positives of the book. It's a quick read. It holds your interest the entire time. It will help a young generation learn about real people in history. A very short and easy to read story to help kids learn about real events.
Overall, not bad, but not great either.
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