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sc104906's review against another edition
2.0
Find my original review on my blog: https://wp.me/p8jcuj-20m
Ebony-Grace lives with her mother and grandfather in Alabama, occasionally seeing her father in Harlem over the summers. However, when something begins happening with her grandfather, Ebony-Grace's mother becomes too overwhelmed with that situation and sends her to stay with her father in New York City for a little while. Ebony-Grace has a hard time staying rooted in reality. Both she and her grandfather opened their imagination locations and had imaginary quests throughout time and space, like those from Star Trek. Ebony-Grace hopes to pick up her space adventures with her childhood friend Bianca Pluto, when she gets to No Joke City, New York. However, Bianca has put aside the silly space adventures and is growing up. She has joined a crew of break dancing double dutchers, who cannot understand Ebony Grade at all. Ebony-Grace is determined to save Bianca from the minions, but does Bianca really want to be saved? Will E-Grace be able to survive with her imagination location wide open, or will she need to check back into reality?
E-Grace is a special snowflake. She is super weird and I can totally understand why Bianca and her friends react the way they do. While I feel this way, I know that there are many readers out there who will connect with this character. I liked the integration of graphic novel panels within the narrative text. This novel takes on more recent history, the 1980s. This novel was difficult for me to read because I didn't like the main character, but I will certainly offer this to readers and know that many will enjoy it.
Ebony-Grace lives with her mother and grandfather in Alabama, occasionally seeing her father in Harlem over the summers. However, when something begins happening with her grandfather, Ebony-Grace's mother becomes too overwhelmed with that situation and sends her to stay with her father in New York City for a little while. Ebony-Grace has a hard time staying rooted in reality. Both she and her grandfather opened their imagination locations and had imaginary quests throughout time and space, like those from Star Trek. Ebony-Grace hopes to pick up her space adventures with her childhood friend Bianca Pluto, when she gets to No Joke City, New York. However, Bianca has put aside the silly space adventures and is growing up. She has joined a crew of break dancing double dutchers, who cannot understand Ebony Grade at all. Ebony-Grace is determined to save Bianca from the minions, but does Bianca really want to be saved? Will E-Grace be able to survive with her imagination location wide open, or will she need to check back into reality?
E-Grace is a special snowflake. She is super weird and I can totally understand why Bianca and her friends react the way they do. While I feel this way, I know that there are many readers out there who will connect with this character. I liked the integration of graphic novel panels within the narrative text. This novel takes on more recent history, the 1980s. This novel was difficult for me to read because I didn't like the main character, but I will certainly offer this to readers and know that many will enjoy it.
lifeinpoetry's review against another edition
4.0
When I first started this book I thought I'd hate it, that I thought I too would give up 10 pages in like other reviewers sans 1 star review. I stuck with it and I ended up loving it quite a bit.
You get the sense that Ebony Grace is on the spectrum (or neuroatypical) and using her imagination to cope with being sent to live with her father on a visit that seems to have no end in sight. New York City is "No Joke City" and her former playmate is no longer interested in kids games. Ebony Grace imagines herself as part of the crew of the Enterprise coming to a new world, her imagination so complete that readers seem to flee during the beginning of this novel, when Ebony Grace lets very little of the real world seem, well, real.
When she does try to conform she parrots the less savory moralizing and classism of her mother, thus alienating her more when the people around her react negatively. It's almost like she has to train herself to conform and sees it as a very "no joke" business. She keeps trying to return to familiarity, to her grandfather and mother, and keeps getting cryptic answers from the adults about when exactly she'll be able to return home.
I ended up feeling a lot of compassion for Ebony Grace because a likely neurodivergent/neurotypical girl put into an uncertain situation with very few answers and who struggles to act "regular" (her name for it) like everyone around her wants her to act isn't an easy path. Her best friend in both imagination and life is the grandfather she keeps being told not to contact. Definitely a major failure on the part of the adults in her life.
You get the sense that Ebony Grace is on the spectrum (or neuroatypical) and using her imagination to cope with being sent to live with her father on a visit that seems to have no end in sight. New York City is "No Joke City" and her former playmate is no longer interested in kids games. Ebony Grace imagines herself as part of the crew of the Enterprise coming to a new world, her imagination so complete that readers seem to flee during the beginning of this novel, when Ebony Grace lets very little of the real world seem, well, real.
When she does try to conform she parrots the less savory moralizing and classism of her mother, thus alienating her more when the people around her react negatively. It's almost like she has to train herself to conform and sees it as a very "no joke" business. She keeps trying to return to familiarity, to her grandfather and mother, and keeps getting cryptic answers from the adults about when exactly she'll be able to return home.
I ended up feeling a lot of compassion for Ebony Grace because a likely neurodivergent/neurotypical girl put into an uncertain situation with very few answers and who struggles to act "regular" (her name for it) like everyone around her wants her to act isn't an easy path. Her best friend in both imagination and life is the grandfather she keeps being told not to contact
Spoiler
and who ultimately dies without her ever being told he was ill. The money he sends Ebony Grace's father to buy plane tickets for a last visit ended up being used as prize money for a block partybitterseason's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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? Yes
4.25
kjurewicz's review against another edition
5.0
I would give this book between 4.5 and 5 stars. I loved the writing style, especially the inclusion of comics to emphasize the imagined world of the story(in fact, I wish there was more of it - such a unique touch that enhanced the writing!) I LOVED Ebony-Grace; she was such a well-developed, lovable character. I cheered for her when things went well and was heartbroken by all of the challenges that she faced with her family and peers. Although there were some loose ends and unexplained elements, overall I thought it was a wonderful book. It touched on some very important themes and although it wasn’t a “happy book,” I think it’s another reason it was so special.
Side Note (not part of official review): Before reading this book, I read another book by this author titled Star Child: A Biographical Constellation of Octavia Estelle Butler. It was really cool to see parallels in the writing style, as well as to see how Zoboi was so heavily influenced by Butler, especially in writing about similar subject matter (afrofuturism) and were heavily influenced by their time periods (1980s and 1950s, respectively). Highly recommend if you are interested in science-fiction by black authors.
Side Note (not part of official review): Before reading this book, I read another book by this author titled Star Child: A Biographical Constellation of Octavia Estelle Butler. It was really cool to see parallels in the writing style, as well as to see how Zoboi was so heavily influenced by Butler, especially in writing about similar subject matter (afrofuturism) and were heavily influenced by their time periods (1980s and 1950s, respectively). Highly recommend if you are interested in science-fiction by black authors.
sab_rose's review against another edition
5.0
What a treat! I love it when authors narrate their own books <3
This book definitely touches on more mature themes but it is not out of the scope of what a child would think and possibly experience.
Awesome mixture of Sci-Fi and Coming of Age.
Would recommend to older middle grade readers.
This book definitely touches on more mature themes but it is not out of the scope of what a child would think and possibly experience.
Awesome mixture of Sci-Fi and Coming of Age.
Would recommend to older middle grade readers.
emperor_e's review against another edition
3.0
The point of view in this book was just frustrating and kind of hard for me to get through. I finished the book but felt like were a lot of books I could have read then instead that I would of probably enjoyed more. I can relate to loving Star Wars and all but this book just wasn’t for me.
okiecozyreader's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Zoboi moves to Harlem to live with her father, when her grandfather, who she lived with in Huntsville, is sick in the summer. Her grandfather was one of the first black engineers at NASA and she dreams about going into space and being like him. Being at Harlem is a new culture she has to navigate and find her new place.
“You don’t need to be up in the clouds. There’s a difference between knowin’ and livin’.” Ch 13
“She can’t be one of us. She don’t have no flavor. She’s just a plain old ice cream sandwich - chocolate on the outside, vanilla on the inside. But chocolate and vanilla are flavors… and who wants to be a flavor anyway?” Ch 16
“I don’t wait for anyone to move me into the next adventure. One that doesn’t come out of granddaddy’s stories or even my own imagination. Adventure now is every day. Everything. It’s waking up, eating, talking about nothing, watching nothing and going back to sleep.” Ch 38
“You don’t need to be up in the clouds. There’s a difference between knowin’ and livin’.” Ch 13
“She can’t be one of us. She don’t have no flavor. She’s just a plain old ice cream sandwich - chocolate on the outside, vanilla on the inside. But chocolate and vanilla are flavors… and who wants to be a flavor anyway?” Ch 16
“I don’t wait for anyone to move me into the next adventure. One that doesn’t come out of granddaddy’s stories or even my own imagination. Adventure now is every day. Everything. It’s waking up, eating, talking about nothing, watching nothing and going back to sleep.” Ch 38
cnstamper's review against another edition
3.0
In this charming Middle Grade debut, 12-year-old Ebony Grace spends a summer with her father in New York City. The hustle and bustle of the city is different from her southern home, but it is a challenge that this Starfleet officer is ready to take up. Full of nerdy references, this oddball, but charming narrator takes readers through the changes in her life and how she learns to understand her imagination within the greater context of life.