Reviews

Chirp by Kate Messner

rachelmfcoles's review against another edition

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5.0

Favorite quotes from this one:

"Did every woman she knew have some awful secret story?"

"Anne Marie looked so … normal. She looked fine. Like that stuff never happened to her. How did she do that?"

"Sometimes getting up in the morning and being you, no matter what’s happened to you and no matter what anybody says, is the bravest, most defiant thing a woman can do."

What a wonderful and impactful middle-grade book.

readmoreyall's review against another edition

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5.0

Perfect middle grades text. Mystery, friendship, family, tough stuff, and crickets. I ended up so proud of Mia.

lkstrohecker's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

4.75

heidisreads's review against another edition

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4.0

A story with a weird grandma who grows crickets as food?! Yes please! A little bit of mystery, a lot about finding out who your true friends are and who you really want to be. It’s a delightful middle school book and I can’t wait to give it to readers this summer at the library. Thanks for the advanced copy, NetGalley, and Bloomsbury publishing.

ameliakz's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful inspiring mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

missmeganmann's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective 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? No

5.0

Wow, I had absolutely no idea this was going to be about so much more than a cricket farm over the summer. This was that, yes, but it was so much more. It was about finding your voice in more way than one, it was about standing up for yourself and others, it was about understanding what’s right and wrong in so many different ways. It was about friendship and entrepreneurship and sustainability and so many amazing things. And none of it felt like too much!

I laughed. I cried. I loved it.

aoosterwyk's review against another edition

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4.0

A great book with several great messages! Me too for a new generation, eat to save the planet, makerspace heroes, and the importance of listening even if you don’t agree. A very complex story with great and diverse characters, meaningful and appropriate for all.

sara_hudson's review against another edition

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4.0

Kate Messner delivers a lot in this slim novel - entrepreneurship, sustainability, new kid, intergenerational relationships, and harassment. All in a story about raising crickets. Well done!

brandypainter's review against another edition

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3.0

In this book Messner tackles a difficult subject with her typical finesses and care. The three stars is because, while it is a good story, I feel like it was a simply a vehicle for that subject and not enough development was given to the book as a whole. It bounced between being character focused and plot focused, which messed with the pacing a bit. I would definitely still recommend it to middle grade readers. Those things just kept it from being a personal favorite.

thenextgenlibrarian's review against another edition

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4.0

Honestly I didn’t have any expectations going into this book other than I love Kate Messner’s books. (If you haven’t read Breakout—DO IT!) I personally don’t like insect books and TBH there were a few gross moments about eating crickets