Scan barcode
A review by adoras
Serena Says by Tanita S. Davis
4.0
Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books for an ARC.
This book fully transported me back to middle school and late-elementary school: the friend dynamics, the feeling of being uncomfortable in your own skin, and the way your relationships with your classmates can change drastically over the course of a year or even a couple months. I loved the focus on being able to accept these changes, and on friendship in general. This book had a positive but realistic feel, where many of the issues the characters were going through weren't wrapped up perfectly, but all the characters (and the reader) are given the tools they need to move forward.
This book does deal with some heavy issues in a way that I thought was perfect for the target age group. It talks about mental health, as well as featuring a character who has had a kidney transplant and is in recovery. Just as with the rest of the plot, there are no easy fixes or answers to what some of the characters are going through, but everything is spoken about in an empathetic and straight-forward manner.
I really enjoyed the vlog format, and how it showed Serena's increased confidence and ability to assert herself and find new interests.
This book fully transported me back to middle school and late-elementary school: the friend dynamics, the feeling of being uncomfortable in your own skin, and the way your relationships with your classmates can change drastically over the course of a year or even a couple months. I loved the focus on being able to accept these changes, and on friendship in general. This book had a positive but realistic feel, where many of the issues the characters were going through weren't wrapped up perfectly, but all the characters (and the reader) are given the tools they need to move forward.
This book does deal with some heavy issues in a way that I thought was perfect for the target age group. It talks about mental health, as well as featuring a character who has had a kidney transplant and is in recovery. Just as with the rest of the plot, there are no easy fixes or answers to what some of the characters are going through, but everything is spoken about in an empathetic and straight-forward manner.
I really enjoyed the vlog format, and how it showed Serena's increased confidence and ability to assert herself and find new interests.