Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.49 AVERAGE
4.49 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
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
Such a riveting and heartfelt tale about a part of history I knew next to nothing about. And extra points because the author is a Choate alumna!
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I read this aloud with my 11 year old daughter. In addition to the heart wrenching story, we learned more about the Holodomor in the USSR, in particular Ukraine. This is definitely a middle grade book - a significant amount of grief, tragedy, hardship, abuse, and trauma. One astute observation my daughter made was “you have no power if you kill everyone.” So an important look at propaganda, totalitarian and authoritarian governments, and what the abuse of power can look like. It was weird to read about life in lockdown in 2020. To have what we experienced already in a novel!
Overall very touching. The main lesson was the power of family and friendship.
Overall very touching. The main lesson was the power of family and friendship.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Death of parent, War, Pandemic/Epidemic
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
medium-paced
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
slow-paced
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This really pulled together for me in a lovely way. I wasn’t super sold at first but then came to like it. There were some forced emotional moments, but I understand why even if I didn’t love the choice.