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4.09 AVERAGE
4.09 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I was really looking forward to this book set in 1986 with the launch of the Challenger in the background of the story. The book tells the story of three siblings: twins Bird and Fitch and their slightly older brother Cash. The book is told in multiple points of view from the three siblings, another thing I usually like in books. So why the two stars? Well, the parents are monsters, not actual monsters, which might have been kind of fun, just one dimensional "bad parents". I cannot stand that in books for children and for me it is a deal breaker for enjoying the story. The children are fully drawn, good and bad parts, so why can't the adults in the story be fully dimensional humans as well? It was hard for me to read this book. So, if you like slightly interesting sibling stories, want to relive the nightmare of the Challenger explosion and enjoy seeing parents portrayed one dimensionally, you might enjoy this book more than me.
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Welp, Erin Entrada Kelly has done it again. She’s created yet another middle grade heroine that I want to love and protect forever and ever.
WE DREAM OF SPACE follows three siblings in the weeks leading up to Challenger space shuttle launch in 1986. The two boys, Cash and Fitch, struggle in school in different ways. Bird, their sister, is an excellent student obsessed with astronomy and engineering, but she struggles socially. Their parents’ marriage is disintegrating in real time as they watch, crammed into their tiny house (they dream of space in many ways, see what she did there?) and the entire atmosphere is exactly as toxic as you think.
I outright started bawling when I read that passage above. Bird joins Kaori and Lalani in Kelly’s growing list of jump-off-the-page heroines…although Bird may break your heart more. I may not have lived her life, but I have BEEN Bird. For any chronic people-pleaser who realized at too young an age that they could whip out a fun fact, or an impressive grade, or a funny comment, to lighten a tense mood in the house: you might find this book as cathartic as I did. The brothers get wonderful arcs of their own - Fitch’s is particularly empathetic - but for me Bird is the star of this show. Anyone who knows about the Challenger launch will appreciate the creeping sense of dread that Kelly masterfully casts over the story and Bird’s growing hopes, while anyone who doesn’t can take Bird’s emotional journey with her. One of the best new books I’ve read this year!
WE DREAM OF SPACE follows three siblings in the weeks leading up to Challenger space shuttle launch in 1986. The two boys, Cash and Fitch, struggle in school in different ways. Bird, their sister, is an excellent student obsessed with astronomy and engineering, but she struggles socially. Their parents’ marriage is disintegrating in real time as they watch, crammed into their tiny house (they dream of space in many ways, see what she did there?) and the entire atmosphere is exactly as toxic as you think.
I outright started bawling when I read that passage above. Bird joins Kaori and Lalani in Kelly’s growing list of jump-off-the-page heroines…although Bird may break your heart more. I may not have lived her life, but I have BEEN Bird. For any chronic people-pleaser who realized at too young an age that they could whip out a fun fact, or an impressive grade, or a funny comment, to lighten a tense mood in the house: you might find this book as cathartic as I did. The brothers get wonderful arcs of their own - Fitch’s is particularly empathetic - but for me Bird is the star of this show. Anyone who knows about the Challenger launch will appreciate the creeping sense of dread that Kelly masterfully casts over the story and Bird’s growing hopes, while anyone who doesn’t can take Bird’s emotional journey with her. One of the best new books I’ve read this year!
The voice is a bit young, but I liked how tender this book hold the hearts of its young characters and how the siblings had their own stories and journeys.
Erin Entrada Kelly knows middle grade writing. I fully support her winning the Newbery for this. She weaves the stories of three siblings who seem disconnected as they face the struggles of middle school and the impending launch of the Challenger in 1986.
An amazing look inside the complexity and confusion that goes inside a pre-teen’s head, this is a must read for parents who have kids 10-13.
And it’s a must read for everyone else. The message that we all matter on this green earth is special and told in an unforgettable way in this book.
An amazing look inside the complexity and confusion that goes inside a pre-teen’s head, this is a must read for parents who have kids 10-13.
And it’s a must read for everyone else. The message that we all matter on this green earth is special and told in an unforgettable way in this book.
challenging
emotional
informative
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes