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lilysmith 's review for:
Sincerely, Harriet
by Sarah Winifred Searle
3.5/5
This was short and sweet AND also featured representation of a chronic illness and non-traditional family.
Our main character, Harriet, is a half-Hispanic girl with multiple sclerosis, her mom is a bartender in a band, and her dad is going back to school to be a nurse. After moving from their small Indiana town to Chicago, Harriet spends her summer days at home alone until she unwilling befriends their elderly downstairs landlady, Pearl (who is a retired librarian!!!). Harriet is also a bit of a storyteller by nature, coming up with startling thoughts on the mailman and neighbors--she's got an active imagination! I loved all these aspects and they made for a really enjoyable read.
The main problem I had with this book was that it seemed like some of the subtle references towards the diversity included (chronic illness, biracial family, possible LGBTQ main character) would completely go over younger reader's heads. I often feel that adults can underestimate how much kids pick up on, so this isn't me underestimating kids but realizing that I didn't pick up on a lot of these little references either. I also understand how powerful it can be to include characters of differing abilities, races, sexualities, etc. without making it some big part of the plot (I eat that stuff up!). That being said, I think that as this is for young elementary students, this could be their first introduction to chronic illnesses such as MS. So I am in full support of not making it part of the plot and the main focus, but I would have liked to see a bit more incorporation.
I so enjoyed Harriet's imagination and Pearl's book recommendations to her (once a librarian, always a librarian). What I loved most was the relationship that built between Harriet and Pearl--as well as the Pearl's son who also developed a chronic illness after having polio in the 50s (not an actual character in the book, but someone that Harriet identifies with).
This was short and sweet AND also featured representation of a chronic illness and non-traditional family.
Our main character, Harriet, is a half-Hispanic girl with multiple sclerosis, her mom is a bartender in a band, and her dad is going back to school to be a nurse. After moving from their small Indiana town to Chicago, Harriet spends her summer days at home alone until she unwilling befriends their elderly downstairs landlady, Pearl (who is a retired librarian!!!). Harriet is also a bit of a storyteller by nature, coming up with startling thoughts on the mailman and neighbors--she's got an active imagination! I loved all these aspects and they made for a really enjoyable read.
The main problem I had with this book was that it seemed like some of the subtle references towards the diversity included (chronic illness, biracial family, possible LGBTQ main character) would completely go over younger reader's heads. I often feel that adults can underestimate how much kids pick up on, so this isn't me underestimating kids but realizing that I didn't pick up on a lot of these little references either. I also understand how powerful it can be to include characters of differing abilities, races, sexualities, etc. without making it some big part of the plot (I eat that stuff up!). That being said, I think that as this is for young elementary students, this could be their first introduction to chronic illnesses such as MS. So I am in full support of not making it part of the plot and the main focus, but I would have liked to see a bit more incorporation.
I so enjoyed Harriet's imagination and Pearl's book recommendations to her (once a librarian, always a librarian). What I loved most was the relationship that built between Harriet and Pearl--as well as the Pearl's son who also developed a chronic illness after having polio in the 50s (not an actual character in the book, but someone that Harriet identifies with).