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abigailbat's review against another edition
Ebony Grace would much rather be spending the summer at home with her granddaddy, one of the first black engineers to integrate NASA, but instead she's been sent to another planet - Harlem - to stay with her dad. Obsessed with all things space and especially Star Trek and Star Wars, E-Grace uses her imagination location to turn her summer trip into a mission for the starship Uhura, but the other kids in her neighborhood do NOT want to play along. Even Bianca, the girl who lives in her daddy's building and who has spent many hours playing space missions with her on previous visits, has changed. No longer interested in visiting the junkyard and building rockets, Bianca is jumping double dutch and breakdancing with other girls on their block and it's all definitely alien to E-Grace.
This is quite a book... Ebony-Grace is unforgettable and the feeling of other-ness is pervasive. Like, there were times when I wanted to shake her, but I think that just illustrates how real she felt. This is a book for all the kids who are weird and don't fit in or don't want to do what everyone else is doing. It's for the kids who are strange and just fine that way. And it's a great portrait of a kid who's even outside of her family - she's kept in the dark about what's going on with her grandpa, sent away when all she wants to do is cling closer to the one person who understands her.
This book reminded me so much of Sunny by Jason Reynolds - another book about an oddball who doesn't do things the way everyone else does but is fine with that. And readers who enjoy tales with strong historical settings and strong female characters like One Crazy Summer by Rita Garcia-Williams will enjoy this one, too.
This is quite a book... Ebony-Grace is unforgettable and the feeling of other-ness is pervasive. Like, there were times when I wanted to shake her, but I think that just illustrates how real she felt. This is a book for all the kids who are weird and don't fit in or don't want to do what everyone else is doing. It's for the kids who are strange and just fine that way. And it's a great portrait of a kid who's even outside of her family - she's kept in the dark about what's going on with her grandpa, sent away when all she wants to do is cling closer to the one person who understands her.
This book reminded me so much of Sunny by Jason Reynolds - another book about an oddball who doesn't do things the way everyone else does but is fine with that. And readers who enjoy tales with strong historical settings and strong female characters like One Crazy Summer by Rita Garcia-Williams will enjoy this one, too.
sunflowerjess's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, I strongly felt for and resonated with Ebony-Grace, particularly her awkwardness and how hard it was for her to be "normal" and fit in. I think my autistic girlfriend will resonate with her as well, in terms of how Ebony-Grace paid close attention to and mimicked others' social behaviors to fit in, when those behaviors did not come naturally to her. On the other hand, the character development of Ebony-Grace happened literally in the last few pages and none during the rest of the story, so that felt rushed and forced. Also, she never finds out or understands what was going on with her grandfather - she, along with the readers, get some hints, but nothing really developed with that story either. However, I loved the homage to Nichelle Nichols and seeing her through the eyes of young Black girl who dreams of being an astronaut.
sherlock's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
the_fabric_of_words's review against another edition
5.0
Twelve-year-old Ebony-Grace Norfleet occupies her "imagination space" a lot more than she does reality, and her mother, in Alabama, decides it's time for her feet to touch down on Earth.
She's sent to spend a summer in Harlem with her father, who she's built up in her imagination to be the evil King Sirius Julius.
It's far, far away from Captain Norfleet, her grandfather, who set all this "imagination" business into motion many years before, with sharing his love and admiration of Star Trek (and Lt. Uhura) with his granddaughter.
Ebony-Grace has a hard time (this is putting it mildly) fitting in with the kinda boy-crazy, double-dutch, break dancing all-girl crews of the neighborhood.
Even Bianca, a girl she's already friends with from past visits, can't stand her refusal to grow up and exist in the vibrant life pulsing in Harlem of 1984. She makes some incredibly bad choices, and in a way, it's supremely sad, but by the end, she's made at least one connection and sort of found her way with Bianca and her father, again.
I won't spoil how it ends, just know there were plenty of tears. Enjoy the read!
Visit my blog for more great middle grade book recommendations, free teaching materials and fiction writing tips: https://amb.mystrikingly.com/
She's sent to spend a summer in Harlem with her father, who she's built up in her imagination to be the evil King Sirius Julius.
It's far, far away from Captain Norfleet, her grandfather, who set all this "imagination" business into motion many years before, with sharing his love and admiration of Star Trek (and Lt. Uhura) with his granddaughter.
Ebony-Grace has a hard time (this is putting it mildly) fitting in with the kinda boy-crazy, double-dutch, break dancing all-girl crews of the neighborhood.
Even Bianca, a girl she's already friends with from past visits, can't stand her refusal to grow up and exist in the vibrant life pulsing in Harlem of 1984. She makes some incredibly bad choices, and in a way, it's supremely sad, but by the end, she's made at least one connection and sort of found her way with Bianca and her father, again.
I won't spoil how it ends, just know there were plenty of tears. Enjoy the read!
Visit my blog for more great middle grade book recommendations, free teaching materials and fiction writing tips: https://amb.mystrikingly.com/
jengennari's review against another edition
4.0
Set in 1980s Harlem, this is the story of Ebony-Grace, who spends a summer with her father in New York City while her mother in Alabama cares for her sick grandfather. Obsessed with Star Trek and her dreams of going into space, Ebony feels like an alien in the city. Full of break-dancing, contests, and catastrophes, this book will appeal to geeky sci-fi kids who have trouble making friends. Nice touch interspersing a few comic panels between chapters.
mjkienbaum's review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
azajacks's review against another edition
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renatasnacks's review against another edition
3.0
Hmm, I struggled with this one. I think that was intended--the voice here is really strong and gets you deep into Ebony-Grace's head, and she seems to be a character who's pretty clearly on the spectrum but, given that it's set in 1984, that word is never used. Instead her parents call her spoiled, fresh, tell her to stop playing around, etc etc etc. So I get that we felt left out of the story because her family was keeping things from her, but in the end it felt unsatisfying because there were really big pieces of information that we never got as a reader.
Still--it's an interesting POV and I think some readers will really connect to it, and it's great to see a character who's a young black girl inspired by Uhura from Star Trek--the power of representation!
Still--it's an interesting POV and I think some readers will really connect to it, and it's great to see a character who's a young black girl inspired by Uhura from Star Trek--the power of representation!
gallagirlreads's review against another edition
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0