A review by rara2018
Molly Moon Stops the World by Georgia Byng

5.0

What does the first half of a children’s book from 2003 and the 2016 presidential election have in common? An evil business man turned politician who keeps literal children in cages while working closely with his adult children and celebrities and a catchy campaign slogan focused on the word America. That being said, this is genuinely one of the funniest books I’ve maybe ever read. I was laughing alone in my bedroom at the marvelous curiosity that is Molly Moon herself. No one else is brave enough to drink pure grenadine neat, dissociate in the car, come up with the Birds Aren’t Real movement, and tackle the entire institution of capitalism and the hideous car-centered cities that come with the fact. She’s a girlboss who wishes she had a gun and supports working class rights. I found myself taking extensive highlights nearly every chapter because there was always something just so funny. There were also some tremendously profound moments, with Rocky creating his own religious experiences centered on love and kindness, Molly and Forest having a deep conversation in celebrity in our culture and the pure luck that catapults them above the rest of us, who are simply “stardust” not “stars”, and Molly realizing she is an independent person outside of her parents and the rest of the world and she can be whoever she wants. Molly is such a plucky and earnest protagonist who makes it impossible not to love her and everyone else she loves. This will be a hard book to top in this series, but I’m looking forward to continuing it.