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katykelly's review
4.0
A very quick read but such a lovely idea, all the chapters told in various forms of poem. Nice story and ending.
vitaluna's review
5.0
Amazing. It made me cry, I can say that without shame. This is beautiful and devestating and uplifting at the same time. What a special book.
ashleighjt's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
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
danielle1996's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
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
4.5
mrsfionnacharming's review
4.0
A lovely little book that I picked up from a Charity Shop. I think if I were younger when I had first read this I would have enjoyed it even more. What a cute little book.
simonrtaylor's review
1.0
Cloud Busting is a very disappointing effort from Children’s Laureate Emeritus, Malorie Blackman. Acknowledging her considerable skill and talent, this falls way short of what Blackman is capable of.
Told from the perspective of one schoolboy, who happens to tell another pupil that a third classmate has a peanut allergy, the book has all the excitement of stale bread.
What I suppose is supposed to hook us is the fact it’s told with a medley of poetic methods: haiku, limerick, freeform, shape, you name it. But no acrostics.
Technically, a lot could no doubt be gleaned from some literary analysis is the classroom. But it breaks the golden rule of children’s literature: if it’s totally boring, nobody really cares why it’s boring in rhyming couplets.
So much more could have come from the idea behind this book. It feels like a rush job to go free with packets of cereal, and it belies the genius of the writer who brought us Noughts and Crosses.
Told from the perspective of one schoolboy, who happens to tell another pupil that a third classmate has a peanut allergy, the book has all the excitement of stale bread.
What I suppose is supposed to hook us is the fact it’s told with a medley of poetic methods: haiku, limerick, freeform, shape, you name it. But no acrostics.
Technically, a lot could no doubt be gleaned from some literary analysis is the classroom. But it breaks the golden rule of children’s literature: if it’s totally boring, nobody really cares why it’s boring in rhyming couplets.
So much more could have come from the idea behind this book. It feels like a rush job to go free with packets of cereal, and it belies the genius of the writer who brought us Noughts and Crosses.
beth_books_123's review
5.0
December 2021 update:
My class enjoyed this but we didn't make it to the end. They loved the twist of the class bully but this year my class found it difficult to understand the depth of the feelings as they've not experienced books like this before. It's still a great resistance text.
_________________________
February 2021 update:
We really enjoyed this. It allowed children to think deeply about feelings and make connections between chapters and in the book. Accessible to all. A perfect length and it didn't drone on like our last read. It leaked into the first week of Spring2 but it fit perfectly into Playlist.
__________________
ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS I AM GOING TO TEACH NEXT YEAR - 5*
If you're a child, pick this up.
If you're an adult, pick this up.
I'm imcredibly emotional because honestly I love this book.
This book was chosen as my resistance text. A resistance text is either supposed to be difficult to understand or a completely different structure.
Blackman, you are a genius!
My class enjoyed this but we didn't make it to the end. They loved the twist of the class bully but this year my class found it difficult to understand the depth of the feelings as they've not experienced books like this before. It's still a great resistance text.
_________________________
February 2021 update:
We really enjoyed this. It allowed children to think deeply about feelings and make connections between chapters and in the book. Accessible to all. A perfect length and it didn't drone on like our last read. It leaked into the first week of Spring2 but it fit perfectly into Playlist.
__________________
ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS I AM GOING TO TEACH NEXT YEAR - 5*
If you're a child, pick this up.
If you're an adult, pick this up.
I'm imcredibly emotional because honestly I love this book.
This book was chosen as my resistance text. A resistance text is either supposed to be difficult to understand or a completely different structure.
Blackman, you are a genius!
cmyers99's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0