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A review by desantismt
Sophie Washington: Class Retreat by Tonya Duncan Ellis
4.0
I received this book for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own. Read an excerpt and follow the book tour here.
I feel like I say this every time I read one of these books, but this series just keeps getting better. Sophie is a joy to read about. Her friends are so much fun, and the challenges the kids face are nothing short of perfect. I always learn something from Sophie and her friends, and I’m certainly well above the target age range for this series. Also, owls can rotate their heads 270 degrees. I may have read that somewhere in middle school, but if so, I forgot, and this book reminded me. Fun facts, great characters, and real-life issues make these books worth every minute.
For Class Retreat in particular, I loved the sense of friendship and teamwork. Seeing Sophie and her friends team up with the boys to take down a common threat was wonderful. No violence, just good, old-fashioned MG fun of dealing with the issue. Not to say the issue wasn’t real. Bullying and racism are serious, and should be addressed as such. Sophie and the gang show what’s really important—not giving bullies power, and it’s done in a way for kids to understand easily without being dark or too heavy.
Long story short, I enjoyed this a lot. As always, Ellis captures the preteen voice. I felt like I was back in sixth grade, getting excited for three days without class. I hope there are many more Sophie Washington books to come. I’ll read them all.
I feel like I say this every time I read one of these books, but this series just keeps getting better. Sophie is a joy to read about. Her friends are so much fun, and the challenges the kids face are nothing short of perfect. I always learn something from Sophie and her friends, and I’m certainly well above the target age range for this series. Also, owls can rotate their heads 270 degrees. I may have read that somewhere in middle school, but if so, I forgot, and this book reminded me. Fun facts, great characters, and real-life issues make these books worth every minute.
For Class Retreat in particular, I loved the sense of friendship and teamwork. Seeing Sophie and her friends team up with the boys to take down a common threat was wonderful. No violence, just good, old-fashioned MG fun of dealing with the issue. Not to say the issue wasn’t real. Bullying and racism are serious, and should be addressed as such. Sophie and the gang show what’s really important—not giving bullies power, and it’s done in a way for kids to understand easily without being dark or too heavy.
Long story short, I enjoyed this a lot. As always, Ellis captures the preteen voice. I felt like I was back in sixth grade, getting excited for three days without class. I hope there are many more Sophie Washington books to come. I’ll read them all.