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amandagstevens's reviews
1237 reviews
The Black God's Drums by P. Djèlí Clark
4.0
What a ride! I must read more P. Djeli Clark!
Nebula, Hugo, Locus nominee--all for good reason. This little book is overflowing with a developed post-Civil War steampunk culture, epic stakes, mythology, history, and two understated characters fated to change each other's life.
I almost took a star off because so much happened in roughly a hundred pages, so much worldbuilding and character building and just so much much, I finished it with the feeling that it should've been a full-length novel. But a day later, no, this is too strong for three stars. Somehow nothing is missing. I don't need to see the next scene, because I know Creeper and Ann-Marie are going to stick together and they're going to be okay.
Nebula, Hugo, Locus nominee--all for good reason. This little book is overflowing with a developed post-Civil War steampunk culture, epic stakes, mythology, history, and two understated characters fated to change each other's life.
I almost took a star off because so much happened in roughly a hundred pages, so much worldbuilding and character building and just so much much, I finished it with the feeling that it should've been a full-length novel. But a day later, no, this is too strong for three stars. Somehow nothing is missing. I don't need to see the next scene, because I know Creeper and Ann-Marie are going to stick together and they're going to be okay.
The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes
4.25
Oh yes, this Newbery Honor is worth it. What a surprising little story, more melancholy than I expected, with such a strong message to kids about the ways they can use their voice for the vulnerable. Most books "with a message" to kids tend to annoy me, but this one is perfectly organic, heartfelt, a great read to prompt questions. What could Maddie have done differently? What can she do next? The open-endedness works so well here. This one really did take me by surprise in the best way.
The River That Flows Beside Me by Charlotte Guillain
5.0
I would have worn this book out as a nature-loving kid who was especially into lakes, ponds, and rivers. Brimming with information my little science-loving heart would have eaten up! The text teaches new terms (levee, delta, ox-bow lake, floodplain, etc.) as well as identifying all sorts of wildlife who make their homes in and near the river. The art is really lovely, impressionistic yet accurate enough that one could identify the many duck species based on these drawings alone.
The bonus kids will love: the entire book folds out of the covers, so they can trace the course of the river without having to flip any pages! (There is of course also the option to keep the pages within the covers and read the book that way.)
I've decided in my 40s that, while I'm not a parent, there's absolutely no reason I can't collect children's books that I love. This one is going into my little collection as a nod to the "junior animal investigator" I once called myself and because it is a delight for grownups too.
The bonus kids will love: the entire book folds out of the covers, so they can trace the course of the river without having to flip any pages! (There is of course also the option to keep the pages within the covers and read the book that way.)
I've decided in my 40s that, while I'm not a parent, there's absolutely no reason I can't collect children's books that I love. This one is going into my little collection as a nod to the "junior animal investigator" I once called myself and because it is a delight for grownups too.
Sitti's Secrets by Naomi Shihab Nye
5.0
A gorgeous combination of poetic writing and mixed-media art that compels you to pause on every page and study the intricate beauty of both. The story of Mona's visit to Palestine to see her sitti (grandmother) is quiet and sweet, with a slight tonal shift toward the end. Mona's letter to the President is likely to be more deeply moving to adults than to the target audience, but it's a good introduction for young readers to the idea that they're not too young to be heard, even by those with much more power.