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4.24 AVERAGE
4.24 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
sad
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:
Complicated
Rowan's not the "right kind" of girl, and not the "right kind" of boy. This middle grade epistolary novel takes us to Rowan's journey from being Ellie. It was a journey of self discovery and self acceptance. He was shunned away by his friends because he was "different". He found a way to share his secrets by writing letters and attaching them to balloons, hoping that someone would read them. Until he found a friend in the name of Sofie who understood and accepted him for who he was. This story was gentle yet it touches sensitive topics such as bullying and sexual abuse. I also like the fact that this was set in 1997 and 1998 so expect 90s shows and music mentioned in the novel such as Boy Meets World and the Backstreet Boys. My favorite characters would definitely be Sofie and their teacher, Mr. B who were supportive of Rowan's journey. Mr. B surprised me the most, and I was deeply touched by his support.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Sexual assault
wowowow when will middle grades stop breaking my heart!! this was so good
rowan beck I love you, you're gonna be okay, kid <3
(also if you were ever the weird kid in elementary school you might wanna brace yourself bc Oof this hit a lil too close to home sometimes)
rowan beck I love you, you're gonna be okay, kid <3
(also if you were ever the weird kid in elementary school you might wanna brace yourself bc Oof this hit a lil too close to home sometimes)
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse, Homophobia, Incest, Transphobia
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
hopeful
sad
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:
Complicated
cried at the end. such an emotional and hopeful book
I think this book will be important to some kids. However, there were a couple of things that bothered me. I'm not sure why the author chose the time period it was set in, maybe it's semi-autobiographical? Also, the voice of the main character didn't seem consistent. Sometimes it sounded like the character was much older than the age of the protagonist, and sometimes it sounded much younger. I would like for that to have been more consistent.
I wanted to love this much-needed middle grade book, but I just couldn't get through it. I stopped reading this about halfway through. The characters had no depth causing me to feel disconnected to them; maybe this was due to the story-telling through letters too. The constant 90's references became an unnecessary focal point of the story causing serious disruptions in the plotline.
Rowan, born Ellie, is struggling with his identity at an age when the biggest concern is being invited to the next birthday party and being invited to play at recess. While trying to come to terms with his identity, he's also being abused by his father. The story is told through letters written by Rowan that he sends off on balloons for someone to find.
Rowan, born Ellie, is struggling with his identity at an age when the biggest concern is being invited to the next birthday party and being invited to play at recess. While trying to come to terms with his identity, he's also being abused by his father. The story is told through letters written by Rowan that he sends off on balloons for someone to find.