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jd_loewe's review against another edition
5.0
This book is important, powerful, and profound while being tender and intimate and real. I wish this was written so long ago, and am so glad it exists now. Read this for you, and give it to everyone you can. I'm going to miss our protagonist, now that I've read it.
typethewriter's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book is so good. Idk what to say about this really. The way it was written was really effective for getting a message across coz of the simplicity of the writing. This book almost made a cry a few times and was relatable in a way that made me feel Seen.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault, Child abuse, and Transphobia
cheesewater's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault
pagesofjean's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Homophobia, Bullying, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse
punchofwishes's review against another edition
5.0
Gosh, this was a heavy read, but I absolutely adored it. Rowan is such a great protagonist and I loved following him through 5th grade via his letters. Middle grade novels with LGBTQ+ protagonists have my whole heart. All I wanted to do was hug Rowan and his friend Sofie and protect them from all the things they have to endure. The portayal of young transness was incredible, Rowan’s questions about masculinity and how to be in this world were so poignant and real. What a book! Some of the 90s references felt a bit overly direct and some parts were too descriptive, but I 100% forgive that in the face of how emotionally touching and lyrically stunning this work is. You can feel the tender heart behind the story and I can’t imagine how it must be like to read this as a younger person affected by some of the issues portrayed here. What a gift to the world.
jennybeastie's review against another edition
5.0
Painful and powerful book on the subject of trans awakening and childhood sexual abuse. The story is related in letters that Rowan attaches to balloons and releases when he needs an outlet to be heard. There's a surprising hopefullness to it, but it's also, as advertised, a hard read. The author shares that some of the experiences are based on their own life in the notes at the end.
bookyogi's review against another edition
4.0
This is a hard one. Very raw and many triggers. I am not sure I would put it in my middle school library, but as an educator it is enlightening and encourages deep empathy for others.
alccx__'s review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
qtlibrarian's review against another edition
5.0
the ship we built had me feeling all the feels - i can only imagine what it would've been like to read this during my own queer coming-of-age. instead, i can't wait to gift this to all the young people in my life who i hope will read this book and see themselves and their friends reflected in its pages. it's a middle-grade novel written in letters that follows a trans boy named rowan living in the midwest during the late 90s. it captures all the messy, lonely, scary feelings of his fifth-grade year in such a careful, hopeful voice.
it's a story about how to be yourself when who you are is changing (and the rest of the world refuses to let you change at all). about the ache of constantly feeling out of place. about sending your secret truths out into the world, hoping someone will see them and see you. about wanting more than you think you could ever have. about finding the people who will love you for everything you are. and about imagining a future you can belong to.
rowan explores what it's like to be afraid of your own changes. he questions if he can still be a boy if he cries and sings loudly and his favorite hero is matilda. he worries about what it will be like to grow up when he doesn't see an example of the kind of man he might want to be. but by the end, he begins to see that there are a lot more ways to be a boy than he thought. and just like rowan, this book reaffirmed for me that there are a lot of ways to be trans and tell trans stories.
i also loved what it has to say about friendship, especially between queer people, and all the kinds of "ships" we can build to take us to places we're not sure how to get to. rowan's friendship with sofie is so precious. together, they help each other to expand, check in on their feelings, and hold close the good times and get through the hard.
it is by no means an easy read, but it is honest and spacious. reminded me of lynda barry's my perfect life, jerry spinelli's stargirl, and nicole panteleakos' planet earth is blue. i will be rereading often <3
a big thank you to netgalley & lexie bean for sending me this genuine rosebud of a novel.
it's a story about how to be yourself when who you are is changing (and the rest of the world refuses to let you change at all). about the ache of constantly feeling out of place. about sending your secret truths out into the world, hoping someone will see them and see you. about wanting more than you think you could ever have. about finding the people who will love you for everything you are. and about imagining a future you can belong to.
rowan explores what it's like to be afraid of your own changes. he questions if he can still be a boy if he cries and sings loudly and his favorite hero is matilda. he worries about what it will be like to grow up when he doesn't see an example of the kind of man he might want to be. but by the end, he begins to see that there are a lot more ways to be a boy than he thought. and just like rowan, this book reaffirmed for me that there are a lot of ways to be trans and tell trans stories.
i also loved what it has to say about friendship, especially between queer people, and all the kinds of "ships" we can build to take us to places we're not sure how to get to. rowan's friendship with sofie is so precious. together, they help each other to expand, check in on their feelings, and hold close the good times and get through the hard.
it is by no means an easy read, but it is honest and spacious. reminded me of lynda barry's my perfect life, jerry spinelli's stargirl, and nicole panteleakos' planet earth is blue. i will be rereading often <3
a big thank you to netgalley & lexie bean for sending me this genuine rosebud of a novel.
andreinaisabel's review against another edition
4.0
Rowan es un niño trans y está muy solo. Para tener a alguien a quien contar sus días, decide escribir cartas que pone dentro de globos a ver quien las consigue.
Leer la historia de Rowan me causó mucho dolor porque los sentimientos de soledad que tenía eran muy fuertes y me dolía saber que hay tantos niños de 10 años que pasan por ese tipo de cosas. La historia es oscura, trata muchos temas difíciles y me sorprendió que Lexie haya logrado desarrollar todo eso con un lenguaje apropiado para niños en edad de escuela primaria.
Algo que me llegó a cansar y que he visto en otras reseñas así que sé que no soy la única a la que le molestó, es la cantidad de referencia a los años 90 que hay. Son demasiadas, y llegan a ser bastante invasivas, así que eso es algo que me hizo dejar de disfrutar el hilo de la lectura un par de veces.
De todas formas, estoy agradecida porque este libro existe y espero que llegue a muchas casas de gente que lo necesite.
Leer la historia de Rowan me causó mucho dolor porque los sentimientos de soledad que tenía eran muy fuertes y me dolía saber que hay tantos niños de 10 años que pasan por ese tipo de cosas. La historia es oscura, trata muchos temas difíciles y me sorprendió que Lexie haya logrado desarrollar todo eso con un lenguaje apropiado para niños en edad de escuela primaria.
Algo que me llegó a cansar y que he visto en otras reseñas así que sé que no soy la única a la que le molestó, es la cantidad de referencia a los años 90 que hay. Son demasiadas, y llegan a ser bastante invasivas, así que eso es algo que me hizo dejar de disfrutar el hilo de la lectura un par de veces.
De todas formas, estoy agradecida porque este libro existe y espero que llegue a muchas casas de gente que lo necesite.