amwright's Reviews (272)

In a Time of Distance: & Other Poems

Alexander McCall Smith

3.25

reflective fast-paced

The Trees Grew Because I Bled There: Collected Stories

Eric LaRocca

3.0

dark tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Swamp Monsters

Mary Blount Christian

4.0

lighthearted fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court

Mark Twain

3.75

adventurous funny informative lighthearted reflective sad fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

The Dragonet Prophecy

Tui T. Sutherland

3.75

adventurous lighthearted fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Dateline: Troy

Gwen Frankfeldt, Paul Fleischman, Glenn Morrow

3.25

dark informative tense fast-paced

Princess Max Conquers the World

Kevin Cripe

2.5

hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Good message and cute story. Nandi is a real one. Although, as a girl who played basketball on teams all through my youth, I truly don't understand the one girl minimum in court and girls can only guard girls. For practicalities sake, what if a team choses to have multiple girls on a court and the other team only has the 1. Now who guards the extra girls? Also, a good portion of plays and defensive teamwork is rotating and switching players when guarding both in zone or 1-to-1. If an offensive player sets a good screen to block a defensive player then the defensive player who was guarding the screener needs to then pivot and transition to the player with the ball. If you want a gender-neutral basketball tournament, then make it so. But the system in the story makes girls seem like the token female that has been allowed to exist on a male dominated court out of the goodness of the organizer's helicopter-swinging dicks. Those are my thoughts on the basketball section.

Parents feel a little stereotypical to the situation in the way of the author said "How Californian-hippy-dippy, liberal hang-loose dude-ing snowflakes, do you want me to make them?"

I'm a bit mixed in regards to the art. Certain objects and clothing have volume and texture but then skin tone and body parts look really flat. Not my favorite style but it may be appealing to kids.