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4.23 AVERAGE
4.23 AVERAGE
content warnings: childhood sexual abuse (indirectly shown), gender dysphoria, transphobia, bullying, depression/anxiety
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Support more trans artists! Really important reading for parents, and really, everyone, to see different perspectives. It was really well done and heart-wrenching.
an amazing #ownvoices middle grade about a trans boy! Rowan is figuring things out. About what home means and why his own home doesn’t feel quite right, about religion, God, and wishes, about broken and new friendships, about small towns and places you can’t find on maps, and about masculinity and his name and gender and what his crushes mean. He doesn’t feel confident and doesn’t know how much he’s really allowed to share with others or even himself. So, he starts sending letters into the sky, and slowly begins to process things throughout the course of 5th grade.
This book was so tender and gentle with Rowan, who is scared and lonely and needs somebody in his corner. While this covered difficult topics and is no easy read, it is ultimately affirming and reassuring that you can build a path forward. I read a physical copy and listened to the audiobook and would highly recommend it in any format (but if a print copy or e-book is accessible for you, the illustrations by Noah Grigni are fantastic!!)
TW: childhood sexual abuse (not graphic), homophobia, bullying, conversion therapy, substance abuse, prison
This book was so tender and gentle with Rowan, who is scared and lonely and needs somebody in his corner. While this covered difficult topics and is no easy read, it is ultimately affirming and reassuring that you can build a path forward. I read a physical copy and listened to the audiobook and would highly recommend it in any format (but if a print copy or e-book is accessible for you, the illustrations by Noah Grigni are fantastic!!)
TW: childhood sexual abuse (not graphic), homophobia, bullying, conversion therapy, substance abuse, prison
emotional
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
A friend mentioned this author and I just bought this book sight unseen. I had no idea this was a children's book, but luckily it is the good kind. Like Beverly Cleary kind of good. I'm an adult and this book brought me to tears. Since I don't teach and I don't have a kid of my own it's a little hard to say what age range this book is intended for. The prose seems like probably in the fourth to seventh grade range. I think probably. If you don't want to read the entire review then just know I recommend the book.
The subjects in this book are weighty, but as the author mentions in the afterward the subjects shouldn't be used as a way to section this story off. It's the kind of book that should be read by a wider audience because it does such a good job of showing what life is like for kids in a range of situations. Some of the topics in this book are sexual abuse, dealing with defining who you are, racism, and the difficulties of being LGBTQ+ in a conservative part of America.
I'm not about to judge parents and schools that might think those topics aren't appropriate for kids, but I will just say maybe we should think more on why those topics seem taboo in children's lit. Kids are living in situations like the ones in this book right now, and it would be a disservice to those children not to have stories like this available. It would be a disservice not to give other kids the chance to gain better understanding of their fellow students.
The subjects in this book are heavy, but they're described from the point of view of a shy fifth grader. They don't have the understanding to describe the full situation. There isn't anything described in a graphic way in the novel, but as an adult it is very clear those topics are in it. The way the character describes things its more like they desperately want to share the secrets in their life but are too scared to really say it all.
This is the kind of book I needed when I was the main character's age. I remember dealing with many of the same things the main character went through. I didn't have the emotional maturity to express how I felt or who I was and I couldn't find books/movies/shows that helped me get a better understanding of it. A book like this would have been a refuge in the ocean. As a young transkid it would have been just what I needed.
This book came into my life about twenty five years too late, but I very much appreciate that it is now out in the world for the next generation. I would recommend this book to anyone. If you're concerned about the subject matter of the book maybe read it before you give it to your kids.
The subjects in this book are weighty, but as the author mentions in the afterward the subjects shouldn't be used as a way to section this story off. It's the kind of book that should be read by a wider audience because it does such a good job of showing what life is like for kids in a range of situations. Some of the topics in this book are sexual abuse, dealing with defining who you are, racism, and the difficulties of being LGBTQ+ in a conservative part of America.
I'm not about to judge parents and schools that might think those topics aren't appropriate for kids, but I will just say maybe we should think more on why those topics seem taboo in children's lit. Kids are living in situations like the ones in this book right now, and it would be a disservice to those children not to have stories like this available. It would be a disservice not to give other kids the chance to gain better understanding of their fellow students.
The subjects in this book are heavy, but they're described from the point of view of a shy fifth grader. They don't have the understanding to describe the full situation. There isn't anything described in a graphic way in the novel, but as an adult it is very clear those topics are in it. The way the character describes things its more like they desperately want to share the secrets in their life but are too scared to really say it all.
This is the kind of book I needed when I was the main character's age. I remember dealing with many of the same things the main character went through. I didn't have the emotional maturity to express how I felt or who I was and I couldn't find books/movies/shows that helped me get a better understanding of it. A book like this would have been a refuge in the ocean. As a young transkid it would have been just what I needed.
This book came into my life about twenty five years too late, but I very much appreciate that it is now out in the world for the next generation. I would recommend this book to anyone. If you're concerned about the subject matter of the book maybe read it before you give it to your kids.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I want to preface my review by saying… I am going to refer to the main character as Rowan Beck. Rowan is a 10-year-old transgender boy. While another name is used to identify Rowan in the book, and other pronouns I am going to use Rowan’s name and the pronoun he. That’s what seems right to me, but I apologize if I have confused anyone or done it wrong. That just seems right to me! Now! On to the review.
Rowan is ten years old and Rowan is a transgender boy. He doesn’t necessarily have the exact vocabulary to describe it, but he knows that he is different – special on days when he is feeling more charitable towards himself. “I’m not like other boys,” Rowan declares early in the novel and his is the beginning of the story.
His group of girlfriends have abandoned him and have begun the almost silent bullying that so often happens in middle school: laughing, pointing, exclusion. There’s Sophia… Rowan thinks that he and Sophia have a lot in common. Neither of them seems to “fit in” the way they feel the should. Together they have a tender and touching friendship. I was particularly touched by the way they would leave rocks on each other’s porches so that they knew they were each fine. It struck me as something that a young person would do… a way of existing and being noticed.
Because of the inner turmoil Rowan is dealing with he begins writing letters to an anonymous friend. Using his allowance Rowan buys balloons and ties the letters to them and sets them free. It’s a wonderful coping mechanism and a beautiful vehicle for the character’s thoughts.
“I don’t really care if the person reading this is a boy or a girl, but for some reason picking sides seems to matter more now than ever.” – Rowan
The letters are Rowan’s way of processing what is going on in his own mind and around him. As he explores gender by signing with different names and pondering the way he feels about various students at his school – Rowan reveals that he has another secret. Clearly, he is dealing with sexual abuse at home.
The letters are very realistic, heart-felt and reflected the turmoil of living in a home in which there is little safety. I found the voice sometimes varied a bit… there were times when I felt that Rowan seemed much younger than 10 years old, but I suppose that could be a manifestation of spending so much time alone. It’s a minor issue.
I did feel that the 90s references in the book were a little overwhelming. Sometimes there were so many references that it pulled me out of the emotion of the novel.
This is a very important topic and I suspect that it will reach children right where they are. I don’t know that all young people will connect with Rowan as the letter-writing is something than a lot of young people won’t identify with. I do see how it would be a way of speaking when you feel as though you aren’t being heard. And, if there is any message in this book it’s that Rowan is desperately trying to say something, and no one is listening.
Rowan is ten years old and Rowan is a transgender boy. He doesn’t necessarily have the exact vocabulary to describe it, but he knows that he is different – special on days when he is feeling more charitable towards himself. “I’m not like other boys,” Rowan declares early in the novel and his is the beginning of the story.
His group of girlfriends have abandoned him and have begun the almost silent bullying that so often happens in middle school: laughing, pointing, exclusion. There’s Sophia… Rowan thinks that he and Sophia have a lot in common. Neither of them seems to “fit in” the way they feel the should. Together they have a tender and touching friendship. I was particularly touched by the way they would leave rocks on each other’s porches so that they knew they were each fine. It struck me as something that a young person would do… a way of existing and being noticed.
Because of the inner turmoil Rowan is dealing with he begins writing letters to an anonymous friend. Using his allowance Rowan buys balloons and ties the letters to them and sets them free. It’s a wonderful coping mechanism and a beautiful vehicle for the character’s thoughts.
“I don’t really care if the person reading this is a boy or a girl, but for some reason picking sides seems to matter more now than ever.” – Rowan
The letters are Rowan’s way of processing what is going on in his own mind and around him. As he explores gender by signing with different names and pondering the way he feels about various students at his school – Rowan reveals that he has another secret. Clearly, he is dealing with sexual abuse at home.
The letters are very realistic, heart-felt and reflected the turmoil of living in a home in which there is little safety. I found the voice sometimes varied a bit… there were times when I felt that Rowan seemed much younger than 10 years old, but I suppose that could be a manifestation of spending so much time alone. It’s a minor issue.
I did feel that the 90s references in the book were a little overwhelming. Sometimes there were so many references that it pulled me out of the emotion of the novel.
This is a very important topic and I suspect that it will reach children right where they are. I don’t know that all young people will connect with Rowan as the letter-writing is something than a lot of young people won’t identify with. I do see how it would be a way of speaking when you feel as though you aren’t being heard. And, if there is any message in this book it’s that Rowan is desperately trying to say something, and no one is listening.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This is an exceptional novel that everyone should read. I was so, so deeply moved. It's a monologic epistolary novel written from the point of view of Rowan, a young trans boy who is dealing with bullying at school and sexual abuse at home. He writes letters and attaches them to balloons, hoping to reach someone who understands. The book takes place during his fifth-grade year, and you see him form a beautiful friendship with a girl in his grade, gain more confidence in himself, and realize that his father's abuse is not okay. I am not kidding when I say that I cried my eyes out and that I continue to tear up when I think about it.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes