michellebelle4 's review for:

The Adventures of Na Willa by Reda Gaudiamo

4.5

adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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this is such a cute Indonesian childhood book and I learned new things about their culture! Willa reminds me of Junie B Jones with her spicy temper and how she processes the world around her as a kindergartner. it touches on racism from a child’s perspective which felt really accurate as to how we understand it as kids. I didn’t care for the way adult punish kids but I understand that is an old school parenting tactic commonly seen in stories of the past. I would have loved her strong but tender personality as a kid but I love it as an adult too.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse

Moderate: Racism

Minor: Ableism