Reviews tagging 'Grief'

The Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich

9 reviews

bexi's review against another edition

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emotional funny informative sad medium-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

4.0


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al3xa's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-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? Yes

3.5


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jessicachung13's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

4.0


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bookishcori's review against another edition

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challenging emotional inspiring sad medium-paced

4.0


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lilcoppertop's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted sad 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? Yes

4.5


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wanderonwards's review against another edition

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

3.5


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linesiunderline's review

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challenging emotional informative 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? Yes

4.0

This is a wonderful, immersive story about the life of an Ojibwe family living on an island in Lake Superior in the mid 1800s.

I enjoyed many things about this series opener, but a few aspects really stand out. First, Erdrich does a beautiful job of conveying the many seasonal practices and daily rituals of this family, in this time and place. You really do feel like you are sneaking a glimpse into aspects of their culture that might be unfamiliar at the same time as Omakayas comes across as a little girl with many highly relatable qualities and experiences. 

I found the section when the family contracted smallpox to be especially powerful. It was unflinching and impactful, but still appropriate for a young audience. 

Having finally read this title (and I plan to keep reading the series) I can’t imagine putting Little House on the Prairie into the hands of young readers without this book alongside. 

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alliemikennareads's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional reflective sad slow-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

4.5

I loved this book as a child so I was eager to read it as an adult. Maybe I have always loved reflective books that bring out my emotions???

I really enjoyed it yet again. I appreciated the writing and writing style and the sibling relationships depicted and how relatable they are. While the plot is a bit slow, it does have rich detail that kept me turning the page. There’s nice character growth and this really has all you could ask for in a middle grade read. I’m excited to keep reading the series. 

This definitely has some sad parts and isn’t the lightest of books for the younger audience it’s meant for - not a bad thing to me at all - but worth noting. I still think this is a great book for kids to read - I remember feeling like I learned a lot more from it than from what I learned in school about this time period when I first read it. 

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library_kb's review

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informative reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

If teachers are looking for a replacement for Laura Ingalls Wilder, this should definitely be considered. As I listened to the book, I was struck by the similarities in many of the interactions--relationships with father, stories about interactions with bears, dealing with feelings about siblings, preparing for winter, and more. Yet, this book improves upon what can be found in Little House in the Big Wood for example because it also deals with grief and change, and may provide a perspective on life in the 1800s that many are unfamiliar with as the main character and her family are Ojibwa. In addition, this book could be a really good way to explore grief with younger readers, as it plays a large role in the later part of the book. 
I think this would work really well for 3rd-5th graders, especially if they have some support in processing some of the big ideas present in it. 

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