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jenmangler's review against another edition
4.0
Such a fun read. It made me feel nostalgic for 1989 AND left me feeling very glad I am no longer that age.
howiedoowinfam's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
4.5
foxglove_honey's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
5.0
Really sweet coming of age graphic novel.
bookbuyingwithkatie's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
jnishi's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars. Great book. I can see many kids relating to this book and also being shocked at the stuff kids got away with in the past. Well deserving of all the awards.
bookph1le's review against another edition
5.0
I absolutely loved this. While for me, some of my enjoyment was due to the fact that the author and I are the same age and I could SO relate to the Gen X experience of growing up, there is so much in this story to recommend it to other readers of all ages.
Two parts of this book were the high points for me, the first one being how honest and painful a depiction this is of middle school years. Middle school completely sucked for me, and I think this book perfectly captured how hard it is to try to be yourself and do what you think is right when the social costs can be sky-high. Santat really captures that nasty feeling of being under a microscope and knowing that everything you do is being judged, so that even when your decency shines through, your peers might do their best to mock you and bully you for it. I'm glad that as an adult I have vivid memories of how difficult the middle school years are, because I think far too many adults forget about what an awkward in-between time that is. I really felt for Dan Santat.
My other favorite thing about this book is what a love letter it is to the transformative power of travel. I love to travel and every time I go on a trip I come back home feeling like a new version of myself. I loved how this book illustrated the ways in which going someplace far from home can encourage you to try things you don't normally do, and how that experience rewires you and helps shape the person you ultimately become.
The art is lovely here too. I loved seeing all the drawings of the sites Santat visited, and I was so impressed with his amazing dragon drawing!
I also want to mention that this book touches on what it's like to be the kid of a parent with a chronic illness. Santat's mother has lupus, and although this isn't a major arc of the book, the story offers a very clear-eyed view of what it means to grow up wanting to be good and helpful so as not to create more complications for a sick parent. I loved that, and I loved this his mother also wanted him to go out and live and have experiences she knew he'd remember for the rest of his life. Of course, she was still his mother, and therefore, still embarrassing, and I loved how just a few short scenes of the two of them showed what a special relationship they had.
This was such a great book.
Two parts of this book were the high points for me, the first one being how honest and painful a depiction this is of middle school years. Middle school completely sucked for me, and I think this book perfectly captured how hard it is to try to be yourself and do what you think is right when the social costs can be sky-high. Santat really captures that nasty feeling of being under a microscope and knowing that everything you do is being judged, so that even when your decency shines through, your peers might do their best to mock you and bully you for it. I'm glad that as an adult I have vivid memories of how difficult the middle school years are, because I think far too many adults forget about what an awkward in-between time that is. I really felt for Dan Santat.
My other favorite thing about this book is what a love letter it is to the transformative power of travel. I love to travel and every time I go on a trip I come back home feeling like a new version of myself. I loved how this book illustrated the ways in which going someplace far from home can encourage you to try things you don't normally do, and how that experience rewires you and helps shape the person you ultimately become.
The art is lovely here too. I loved seeing all the drawings of the sites Santat visited, and I was so impressed with his amazing dragon drawing!
I also want to mention that this book touches on what it's like to be the kid of a parent with a chronic illness. Santat's mother has lupus, and although this isn't a major arc of the book, the story offers a very clear-eyed view of what it means to grow up wanting to be good and helpful so as not to create more complications for a sick parent. I loved that, and I loved this his mother also wanted him to go out and live and have experiences she knew he'd remember for the rest of his life. Of course, she was still his mother, and therefore, still embarrassing, and I loved how just a few short scenes of the two of them showed what a special relationship they had.
This was such a great book.