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arlothegooddinosaur's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
informative
fast-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? It's complicated
4.75
rainbowbookworm's review against another edition
4.0
Representation matters. Who is in charge of writing and propitiating history matters.
In Gino's new middle-grade Sam (the protagonist) and their best friend TJ are given a project to help determine who will be featured as a statue in Staten Island. The parameters are that it has to be a historical figure and that they had to have a connection to Staten Island. Since Sam is nonbinary, they are very clear that they do not want their statue to be of another dead cis white man; so they ask a neighbor for help in finding a suitable subject. The solution: Alice Austen a photographer who lived with a lifelong female friend.
During the course of the short novel Sam will learn not just about Alice, but also about friendship, family, and queer history. The book is by no means perfect, but it is certainly precious. Even though the publisher granted me access to a digital ARC, I ended up purchasing a hardcover copy for my own collection.
In Gino's new middle-grade Sam (the protagonist) and their best friend TJ are given a project to help determine who will be featured as a statue in Staten Island. The parameters are that it has to be a historical figure and that they had to have a connection to Staten Island. Since Sam is nonbinary, they are very clear that they do not want their statue to be of another dead cis white man; so they ask a neighbor for help in finding a suitable subject. The solution: Alice Austen a photographer who lived with a lifelong female friend.
During the course of the short novel Sam will learn not just about Alice, but also about friendship, family, and queer history. The book is by no means perfect, but it is certainly precious. Even though the publisher granted me access to a digital ARC, I ended up purchasing a hardcover copy for my own collection.
morgithecorgi's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
bookobsessedmommy's review against another edition
informative
lighthearted
fast-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? It's complicated
4.5
I learned so much from this! The story around Alice Austen is fictional, but to realize she's a real person and actually be able to pull up some of the photographs mentioned was really cool. This book is very approachable for the intended audience, but I fully enjoyed it as an adult. Definitely want to read more from the author and the other books they suggested in the author's note.
singergurl4life's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-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
4.0
shanmarie14's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
rsngphoenix's review against another edition
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
finnthehuman217's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-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? It's complicated
5.0
This book is so cute! I grew up on Staten Island and this is such a beautiful love letter to the culture of the island. Alice Austen was a large figure in Staten Island’s history and people often didn’t know about her queerness. This book is middle grade and it teaches kids about boundaries and allows them to understand the difference between an adult being a mentor/friend or being part of your chosen family. The way the book also teaches folks about Alice is so awesome!
in_and_out_of_the_stash's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this book and think it is a good book for people of all ages to get used to non-gender specific pronouns.
I had a problem with the use of Latinx, especially in this book which was partly about how times have changed and we need to get away from DSCWM, as this is a construct by non-hispanic Americans, Spanish speaking countries use a different form is used to indicate non-gender specific.
I had a problem with the use of Latinx, especially in this book which was partly about how times have changed and we need to get away from DSCWM, as this is a construct by non-hispanic Americans, Spanish speaking countries use a different form is used to indicate non-gender specific.