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asphodelic's review
1.0
This book was teetering dangerously on tokenism and white savior.
Throwing a bunch of super powered kids of varying backgrounds is nothing new, and it's a base concept that I happen to enjoy.
The first issue is that out of all five main children, only two are specified to not be white (Camilla and Kenji), and the second issue is that two of the white children (Piper and Teddy) have much more agency in the book. Only in the last fourth did the others have any involvement, where Piper got called out on her shit. There was barely enough to make Camilla, Kenji and Julius more than just stock characters. (Camilla got the most mileage out of the others.)
Piper's "eleventh hour power upgrade" was really bad. It's a shame that the author couldn't have either: A. made Piper rely on her brains or B. have the other children work together with their powers in a strategic way. Nope. We went for the bad old fashioned deus ex machina power upgrade.
I can't say I was particularly fond of the last minute reveal involving Piper's grandmother either.
Throwing a bunch of super powered kids of varying backgrounds is nothing new, and it's a base concept that I happen to enjoy.
The first issue is that out of all five main children, only two are specified to not be white (Camilla and Kenji), and the second issue is that two of the white children (Piper and Teddy) have much more agency in the book. Only in the last fourth did the others have any involvement, where Piper got called out on her shit. There was barely enough to make Camilla, Kenji and Julius more than just stock characters. (Camilla got the most mileage out of the others.)
Piper's "eleventh hour power upgrade" was really bad. It's a shame that the author couldn't have either: A. made Piper rely on her brains or B. have the other children work together with their powers in a strategic way. Nope. We went for the bad old fashioned deus ex machina power upgrade.
I can't say I was particularly fond of the last minute reveal involving Piper's grandmother either.
baerallison's review
4.0
A great story for middle grades about friendship, dealing with grief, and forgiveness. I wish some of the characters were a little more dimensional but it was a fun story nonetheless.
meaagan's review
3.0
I picked this one up because of the Studio Ghibli-esque cover. A sweet story about grief and friendship.
readuntilthelastpage's review against another edition
5.0
Y’all, this book was so good! If you like The Mysterious Benedict Society or Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children but want a Secret Garden type setting, you should check out this book! I flew through this book so quickly and I hope it’ll end up turning into a series where we’ll get more books!
juliedswearingen's review against another edition
4.0
I received a free digital arc from edelweiss.
This is a lovely little book. The cover originally caught my eye and I've been trying to read more middle grade fiction to round out my knowledge as an editor and a bookseller. This was a delightful addition. I was immediately intrigued by it and ended up finishing it in three sittings.
A good balance of good and evil, magic, family dynamics, and new friendships.
This is a lovely little book. The cover originally caught my eye and I've been trying to read more middle grade fiction to round out my knowledge as an editor and a bookseller. This was a delightful addition. I was immediately intrigued by it and ended up finishing it in three sittings.
A good balance of good and evil, magic, family dynamics, and new friendships.
andriaerin's review against another edition
4.0
This was such a cute, whimsical read that really captivated and drew me into the story. I loved the mystery surrounding the Witch's garden. I appreciated that this MG book was willing to deal with hard topics like death, but was able to balance out those hard moments with more humorous and light-hearted ones. Erin Bowman's writing is, as usual, wonderful and I really loved this book.
erinelizabeth8857's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer and Death of parent
jsisler's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
relaxing
sad
fast-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
4.0