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A review by missprint
Linked by Gordon Korman
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
As in many of his other works, Korman does a great job introducing a variety of kids' voices through chapters that change POV, with some characters featured more than others. He goes after a weighty subject in "Linked" - the Holocaust and antisemitism, along with racism/hate crimes in general, and how people react and relate to incidents in their communities.
While I felt the messaging was a little heavy-handed at times, I think he did well in how he chose to navigate these topics with a younger audience. I loved the inclusion of the scene where the kids have a Zoom with a group of survivors, and I really appreciated that the book didn't forget to talk about how the Holocaust affected non-Jewish groups as well. (In particular, one of the recurring POV characters, Michael, is BIPOC and talks about his strong emotional response to the hate symbols, even though it's a traditionally antisemitic symbol, since he's part of a minority group.)
Overall, I think it's a book very much worth giving to kids (I'd say 10 - 14 as a target age). There aren't very many middle grade books that deal with contemporary antisemitism, or even racially-motivated hate crimes in school beyond maybe anti-Black racism, so it's an important one.
While I felt the messaging was a little heavy-handed at times, I think he did well in how he chose to navigate these topics with a younger audience. I loved the inclusion of the scene where the kids have a Zoom with a group of survivors, and I really appreciated that the book didn't forget to talk about how the Holocaust affected non-Jewish groups as well. (In particular, one of the recurring POV characters, Michael, is BIPOC and talks about his strong emotional response to the hate symbols, even though it's a traditionally antisemitic symbol, since he's part of a minority group.)
Overall, I think it's a book very much worth giving to kids (I'd say 10 - 14 as a target age). There aren't very many middle grade books that deal with contemporary antisemitism, or even racially-motivated hate crimes in school beyond maybe anti-Black racism, so it's an important one.