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A review by teaandspite
Kiki Kallira Breaks a Kingdom by Sangu Mandanna
2.0
I wanted to like this book more than I did. It falls into the major trap nearly all "I wish this character had existed when I was a kid" type books fall into though: it talks down to children.
I cannot stand books talking down to children. Kids aren't stupid! They understand a lot more than adults give them credit for. They can handle complex topics and difficult issues without being spoon-fed. This book spoon-feeds. Painfully. The anxiety/acceptance plot is so trite I can't imagine most kids being willing to put up with it. I know I wouldn't have at nine or ten.
It's too bad because the book starts off great. Kiki is fun and engaging when she's allowed to simply exist as a child with anxiety. It's when the book tries to insert fan-ish conversations about fantasy worlds and representation that everything falls apart. For instance, Kiki repeatedly beats herself up about not giving her made-up band of child heroes parents or guardians. This is not something most kids ever notice or care about. They're aware enough to understand that if Peter Pan had adult supervision they'd tell him that pirates are dangerous and to get away from that crocodile. Adults are the ones who write meta about parents in fantasy stories being criminally incompetent.
There's also a major plot hole in that Kiki, upon being taken into a world created by her own drawings, never stops to ask if she can just go back to her proper world and draw her band of heroes defeating the bad guy. It's a clear indication of Mandanna having no concept of how children think because that is literally the first question every child I know would ask. Give a reason it can't be done if you want, but you have to rule out the simplest, most obvious solution before moving on to the rest of the story. Especially in books for kids. There is no group of critics more capable of ripping apart an overly-complicated plot than 8-12 year old children.
That plot hole, combined with the overly didactic portrayal of anxiety and a cast of characters that never fully came to life, made the book slow to read. I like the idea. I like the intentions. But good intentions and a fun idea are not enough to make a book worth reading.
I cannot stand books talking down to children. Kids aren't stupid! They understand a lot more than adults give them credit for. They can handle complex topics and difficult issues without being spoon-fed. This book spoon-feeds. Painfully. The anxiety/acceptance plot is so trite I can't imagine most kids being willing to put up with it. I know I wouldn't have at nine or ten.
It's too bad because the book starts off great. Kiki is fun and engaging when she's allowed to simply exist as a child with anxiety. It's when the book tries to insert fan-ish conversations about fantasy worlds and representation that everything falls apart. For instance, Kiki repeatedly beats herself up about not giving her made-up band of child heroes parents or guardians. This is not something most kids ever notice or care about. They're aware enough to understand that if Peter Pan had adult supervision they'd tell him that pirates are dangerous and to get away from that crocodile. Adults are the ones who write meta about parents in fantasy stories being criminally incompetent.
There's also a major plot hole in that Kiki, upon being taken into a world created by her own drawings, never stops to ask if she can just go back to her proper world and draw her band of heroes defeating the bad guy. It's a clear indication of Mandanna having no concept of how children think because that is literally the first question every child I know would ask. Give a reason it can't be done if you want, but you have to rule out the simplest, most obvious solution before moving on to the rest of the story. Especially in books for kids. There is no group of critics more capable of ripping apart an overly-complicated plot than 8-12 year old children.
That plot hole, combined with the overly didactic portrayal of anxiety and a cast of characters that never fully came to life, made the book slow to read. I like the idea. I like the intentions. But good intentions and a fun idea are not enough to make a book worth reading.