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chantelleatkinswriter's review against another edition
4.0
I found this book a little bit slow in the beginning, as all the various storylines are set up. But things soon get going and the characters are so well drawn, that I warmed to them very quickly. Ben is the narrator, and has been sent to live with his grandparents while his mother is recovering from an illness. His dad died in 9/11 and Ben does not remember him. Also at his grandparents for the summer is his cousin Jed. A boy who hangs on every word his bitter father says, which has led him to cut his mother out of his life. Jed's father Ian is an angry man who blames all Muslims for what happened to his brother. Across the street lives Priti, an Asian girl, with a very vivid imagination. She believes her older sister Zara is at risk of being a victim of an honour killing, due to her involvement with local white thug Tyreese. When her, Jed and Ben join forces, their pasts, uncertainties and imaginations create even more drama, as they begin to suspect Priti's older brother Shakeel of being a suicide bomber. There is a lot going on, and several storylines to follow, all of which culminate in a very dramatic and explosive ending. I couldn't put the book down towards the end and felt increasingly sorry for the three mixed up children. I bought this for my daughter and I think she is going to love it! Lots of difficult issues tackled in a sensitive and witty manner.
iainp's review against another edition
3.0
A slow burner to start with, which seems aimed at younger kids but in the last quarter it changes into something a little more mature.
Countless themes are covered, and covered will from a child's perspective. The characters are well-rounded and complex, not the two-dimensional ones far too often used in literature, both child and adult.
It took a while to get into, and over the first 100 pages or so I really did wonder if I would make it all the way through. The pace accelerates as it goes through, and although the end is a little predictable I like the way it's broken up with lists of questions the central character has about his friends and relatives.
Worth a look if you fancy trying something different.
Countless themes are covered, and covered will from a child's perspective. The characters are well-rounded and complex, not the two-dimensional ones far too often used in literature, both child and adult.
It took a while to get into, and over the first 100 pages or so I really did wonder if I would make it all the way through. The pace accelerates as it goes through, and although the end is a little predictable I like the way it's broken up with lists of questions the central character has about his friends and relatives.
Worth a look if you fancy trying something different.
floneill's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
tense
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? Yes
4.5
leila_hall's review
4.0
I think this book is good how it explains the life of a grieving child who may not know that they are and how people react when they know that his dad died in 9/11. I also thought it was interesting how Priti dosn't take any insult from the racist comments that are put towards her religion and how strong she is from keeping her emotions she may have about it hidden. When I finished the book I was half surprised about the ending but maybe I expected it to be more exciting so overall I thought it was a really good book :)
erindillman's review
3.0
The only thing I didn't enjoy about this was the age gap between the characters and myself, perhaps I left it a little too long on my shelf, a lovely read.
jowillread's review
4.0
3 3/4 stars.
"Priti looks at me and raises her eyebrows. “If you don’t understand the vast cultural difference between the Disney anti-feminist-merchandising machine crap and an Anne Hathaway classic, you’re not going to make it far in the world of animation,” she says."
Initial Final Page Thoughts.
In your FACE. But yay Granny.
High Points.
Ben… aww. Cutie. Priti. Imagination. Childhood innocence. Tree houses. Binoculars. Cartoons (sorry.. Manga. I’m not even going to pretend to know about Manga, the only experience I have in things like that is when the TV got stuck on a Pokemon marathon.) Doodling. Wheelie shoes. Girls in bunches. Cornershop sweets. Lists. Memory boxes. Biscuits. Grannies. Street parties. Curries. Honour killing by Jane Austen. Racially sensitive topics. Pointing out the absurdity of political correctness out of control … No one cares that Baa Baa was a black sheep. He could be grey or he could be white or he could be fuscia (amazing)… he’s a nursery rhyme character and he just wants to give bags of wool to the master and the dame and the little boy who lives down the lane. Stop fuelling the hatred and driving wedges between people! This book isn’t difficult to follow and I loved how Ms Bruton never tried to keep the reader in the dark over anything. It was fun to read a book where I knew what was going on when the characters didn’t (Well… at least intentionally). A lot of the laughs from this book stemmed from Ben, Priti and Jed letting their imaginations run completely wild (maybe a little bit too wild at some points) in the boredom of Summer.
Low Points.
Uncle Ian. NEVER HAVE I WANTED TO THROTTLE A FICTIONAL CHARACTER MORE THAN THIS JOKE. Seriously… he really reminded me of the twonk I saw on the news recently who was being interviewed about the riots in Manchester. He stated that his twelve year old child was ‘within his rights’ to smash up businesses and steal things because of ‘all the Polish people’.
Oh yeah, you’re totally right! That makes complete sense.
Dick.
Bruton did an all too great job at creating a character that was so frustrating (especially in the way he spoke to Ben and Jed) and, unfortunately, extremely realistic. Every time he was on the page I was left with a really bad taste in my mouth.
I wanted more pictures! I think this book would have been great with the addition of more of Ben’s drawings (Like [b:The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian|693208|The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian|Sherman Alexie|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255627075s/693208.jpg|829330] ). Just the descriptions alone were gorgeous and vivid and I would have loved to see more of them.
A lot happened in the last few pages of the book and I couldn’t help but think that this book would have been better if the action had been spread out a bit.
Hero(es…potentially)/Heroine.
Oh my gosh, Ben. I just wanted to cuddle him and tell him that everything will be OK and then drink fizzy pop with him and read Manga comics with him and pretend I have an idea of what is going on in them. It broke my heart how Ben was almost afraid to grieve for both of his parents and ask questions (he creates lists of questions he wants to ask but doesn’t show them anyone) because he feels that his feelings don’t matter or that he wasn’t supposed to ask them because everyone will think he’s being dramatic. I have to admit there were many a-time where I got a bit misty eyed in this book. Ben was just a little sweetheart.
And he’s also a brilliant doodler… so yeah.
And Priti. Oh I loved this girl. She was so over the top and mouthy and exactly like most 11 year olds you see scooting around on those blimmin’ annoying wheelie shoes.
And her outfits sounded exactly like something I would wearnow when I was 11. *shifty look*
Which brings me to Jed, Ben’s cousin. You see, I really wanted to like Jed and he did make me laugh on numerous occasions. But Jed, mate, the reasons why I didn’t like you as much as the others weren’t because of you. I promise. It’s just your Dad did a real number on you, didn’t he?
It angered me so much because his father’s prejudice ways (his father is Uncle Ian, by the way) had seeped into him and how you see it all the time. There is this hatred and ignorance passed on from generation to generation and it makes me so frustrated.
But… I like to think that Jed will break this chain. And he will if this next lady has anything to do with it…
Granny
Best. Granny. EVER. She really reminded me of my grandma (The giddiest 88 year old dodgem car extraordinaire who still makes A MILLION puddings because ‘She doesn’t know what we all like’. Hmm. It’s been 22 years, Grandma. I swear she has an agenda because she is of firm belief that girls should be ‘pleasingly plump’…. ) and I just loved her.
I would love to spend the summer with her looking at old pictures with her and playing chess (or… um, learning how to play chess) and munching on Garibaldi biscuits.
Theme Tune.
Race You - Elizabeth & the Catapult.
I want to be a kid again. Well… actually, I just want to wear my hair in bunches again.
Angst Level.
9/10. It’s funny that I read this book just now because it was only recently that I was discussing the depiction of mental illness in YA books with Catie and Cassi. We came to the conclusion that the best books about depression were written for 9-12 year old readers (of course, there are exceptions) and ‘We Can Be Heroes’ definitely fits within this category. It was clear that Bruton knew exactly what she was talking about when it came to talking about all aspects of mental illness and she addressed all the difficult emotions that come hand in hand with it.
I’m only touching the tip of the ice berg with the issues that are covered in this book but to mention them would give too much away.
Recommended For.
People who like books that explore the grittier subjects. People who miss being a kid. People who like biscuits. People who talk like a gangsta rapper when they get excited. People who wish they were superheroes and the star of their own comic book. People who know what Manga is and wouldn’t get confused when you realised you were reading it back to front even though the author states you need to start from the back. People who like to make up stories about their neighbours even if they have never spoken to them (We call the man who lives opposite us Poirot because he… well, looks like 'ercule.) People who want to build tree houses. People who wish a van full of delicious Indian snacks would come round their street on a regular occasion. People who like to use Jane Austen books to punish their kids.
You can read this review and lots of other exciting stuff on my blog here.
"Priti looks at me and raises her eyebrows. “If you don’t understand the vast cultural difference between the Disney anti-feminist-merchandising machine crap and an Anne Hathaway classic, you’re not going to make it far in the world of animation,” she says."
Initial Final Page Thoughts.
In your FACE. But yay Granny.
High Points.
Ben… aww. Cutie. Priti. Imagination. Childhood innocence. Tree houses. Binoculars. Cartoons (sorry.. Manga. I’m not even going to pretend to know about Manga, the only experience I have in things like that is when the TV got stuck on a Pokemon marathon.) Doodling. Wheelie shoes. Girls in bunches. Cornershop sweets. Lists. Memory boxes. Biscuits. Grannies. Street parties. Curries. Honour killing by Jane Austen. Racially sensitive topics. Pointing out the absurdity of political correctness out of control … No one cares that Baa Baa was a black sheep. He could be grey or he could be white or he could be fuscia (amazing)… he’s a nursery rhyme character and he just wants to give bags of wool to the master and the dame and the little boy who lives down the lane. Stop fuelling the hatred and driving wedges between people! This book isn’t difficult to follow and I loved how Ms Bruton never tried to keep the reader in the dark over anything. It was fun to read a book where I knew what was going on when the characters didn’t (Well… at least intentionally). A lot of the laughs from this book stemmed from Ben, Priti and Jed letting their imaginations run completely wild (maybe a little bit too wild at some points) in the boredom of Summer.
Low Points.
Uncle Ian. NEVER HAVE I WANTED TO THROTTLE A FICTIONAL CHARACTER MORE THAN THIS JOKE. Seriously… he really reminded me of the twonk I saw on the news recently who was being interviewed about the riots in Manchester. He stated that his twelve year old child was ‘within his rights’ to smash up businesses and steal things because of ‘all the Polish people’.
Oh yeah, you’re totally right! That makes complete sense.
Dick.
Bruton did an all too great job at creating a character that was so frustrating (especially in the way he spoke to Ben and Jed) and, unfortunately, extremely realistic. Every time he was on the page I was left with a really bad taste in my mouth.
I wanted more pictures! I think this book would have been great with the addition of more of Ben’s drawings (Like [b:The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian|693208|The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian|Sherman Alexie|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255627075s/693208.jpg|829330] ). Just the descriptions alone were gorgeous and vivid and I would have loved to see more of them.
A lot happened in the last few pages of the book and I couldn’t help but think that this book would have been better if the action had been spread out a bit.
Hero(es…potentially)/Heroine.
Oh my gosh, Ben. I just wanted to cuddle him and tell him that everything will be OK and then drink fizzy pop with him and read Manga comics with him and pretend I have an idea of what is going on in them. It broke my heart how Ben was almost afraid to grieve for both of his parents and ask questions (he creates lists of questions he wants to ask but doesn’t show them anyone) because he feels that his feelings don’t matter or that he wasn’t supposed to ask them because everyone will think he’s being dramatic. I have to admit there were many a-time where I got a bit misty eyed in this book. Ben was just a little sweetheart.
And he’s also a brilliant doodler… so yeah.
And Priti. Oh I loved this girl. She was so over the top and mouthy and exactly like most 11 year olds you see scooting around on those blimmin’ annoying wheelie shoes.
And her outfits sounded exactly like something I would wear
Which brings me to Jed, Ben’s cousin. You see, I really wanted to like Jed and he did make me laugh on numerous occasions. But Jed, mate, the reasons why I didn’t like you as much as the others weren’t because of you. I promise. It’s just your Dad did a real number on you, didn’t he?
It angered me so much because his father’s prejudice ways (his father is Uncle Ian, by the way) had seeped into him and how you see it all the time. There is this hatred and ignorance passed on from generation to generation and it makes me so frustrated.
But… I like to think that Jed will break this chain. And he will if this next lady has anything to do with it…
Granny
Best. Granny. EVER. She really reminded me of my grandma (The giddiest 88 year old dodgem car extraordinaire who still makes A MILLION puddings because ‘She doesn’t know what we all like’. Hmm. It’s been 22 years, Grandma. I swear she has an agenda because she is of firm belief that girls should be ‘pleasingly plump’…. ) and I just loved her.
I would love to spend the summer with her looking at old pictures with her and playing chess (or… um, learning how to play chess) and munching on Garibaldi biscuits.
Theme Tune.
Race You - Elizabeth & the Catapult.
I want to be a kid again. Well… actually, I just want to wear my hair in bunches again.
Angst Level.
9/10. It’s funny that I read this book just now because it was only recently that I was discussing the depiction of mental illness in YA books with Catie and Cassi. We came to the conclusion that the best books about depression were written for 9-12 year old readers (of course, there are exceptions) and ‘We Can Be Heroes’ definitely fits within this category. It was clear that Bruton knew exactly what she was talking about when it came to talking about all aspects of mental illness and she addressed all the difficult emotions that come hand in hand with it.
I’m only touching the tip of the ice berg with the issues that are covered in this book but to mention them would give too much away.
Recommended For.
People who like books that explore the grittier subjects. People who miss being a kid. People who like biscuits. People who talk like a gangsta rapper when they get excited. People who wish they were superheroes and the star of their own comic book. People who know what Manga is and wouldn’t get confused when you realised you were reading it back to front even though the author states you need to start from the back. People who like to make up stories about their neighbours even if they have never spoken to them (We call the man who lives opposite us Poirot because he… well, looks like 'ercule.) People who want to build tree houses. People who wish a van full of delicious Indian snacks would come round their street on a regular occasion. People who like to use Jane Austen books to punish their kids.
You can read this review and lots of other exciting stuff on my blog here.
gloriousbooks's review
4.0
Also reviewed on the blog: http://gloriousbooks.blogspot.com/2011/12/review-we-can-be-heroes.html
This is a book I instantly fell in love with from the first page.
The narrative is so different and I was sucked straight into the story which really surprised me.
We Can Be Heroes deals with a lot of issues that are normally quite hard to read about. Racism, mental health, bereavements, separations and gangs; they are all a big part of the story from the eyes of a 12 year old boy.
Reading the story from the person of a 12 year old boy named Ben was pretty amazing and really clever. It had this innocence to it that was funny and adorable at times. Parts of the book would take me back to when I was that age and parts made me laugh because of the situations the young characters would get themselves into.
It was really great that the book was about serious topics but at the same time made me laugh. That's really rare in a book I think because it doesn't always work. We Can Be Heroes deals with stereotypes such as Muslims being terrorists because of 9/11 and although it was such a tragic day, tackling the subject by having a little Muslim girl trying to get evidence of her brother being a terrorist was pure genius in my opinion. Being a Muslim myself these stereotypes are quite hard to deal with but this book looked at it in such a new light that it couldn't do anything but open my mind to different ways of thinking about all sorts of stereotypes not just in relation to 9/11. It really makes you think hard.
In my opinion, this book is seriously underrated and I would love to see what other people think about it. I strongly urge you to have a go at it because you won't be disappointed!
This is a book I instantly fell in love with from the first page.
The narrative is so different and I was sucked straight into the story which really surprised me.
We Can Be Heroes deals with a lot of issues that are normally quite hard to read about. Racism, mental health, bereavements, separations and gangs; they are all a big part of the story from the eyes of a 12 year old boy.
Reading the story from the person of a 12 year old boy named Ben was pretty amazing and really clever. It had this innocence to it that was funny and adorable at times. Parts of the book would take me back to when I was that age and parts made me laugh because of the situations the young characters would get themselves into.
It was really great that the book was about serious topics but at the same time made me laugh. That's really rare in a book I think because it doesn't always work. We Can Be Heroes deals with stereotypes such as Muslims being terrorists because of 9/11 and although it was such a tragic day, tackling the subject by having a little Muslim girl trying to get evidence of her brother being a terrorist was pure genius in my opinion. Being a Muslim myself these stereotypes are quite hard to deal with but this book looked at it in such a new light that it couldn't do anything but open my mind to different ways of thinking about all sorts of stereotypes not just in relation to 9/11. It really makes you think hard.
In my opinion, this book is seriously underrated and I would love to see what other people think about it. I strongly urge you to have a go at it because you won't be disappointed!
cloudsovergeorgia's review
2.0
this book was interesting n the dynamic between the main kids was believable!!! all the characters were interesting and just that little bit frustrating
pagesandpopcorn's review
4.0
This is more of a 4.5. When I read the blurb I thought it was probably going to be a bit unrealistic because all these things happen in the span of 2 months. But the author writes it in a way that makes you think 'this could be happening to my neighbour'. I think it dealt with a lot of important issues like racism, 9/11, honour killing and arranged marriages. I enjoyed seeing the way Barry reacted to the Asians moving in because the entire book it is obvious that Rita misses her son where as Barry is harder to understand. I also loved the lists that were randomly added in as I feel it really helped you get into Ben's way of thinking