missy_reading's reviews
981 reviews

If You Can Hear This by Faith Gardner

adventurous dark funny informative inspiring mysterious 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? Yes

4.0

In this story, we follow our main character Posey as she has moved to a small town after living in San Fransico. We follow her as she joins the local school's AV Club. One day their club advisor goes missing and things seem a miss and the club decides to investigate their teacher's disappearance. 

This was a fun read because it was so fast-paced and kept me on the edge of my seat. I will say that as an adult reader, some things annoyed me like Posey's dad being a reporter who is "always gone" so Posey can do all of these things that a normal teenager would not. I also thought that the male lead Sal who was living out of his van was portrayed well. I believe that the reveal was one that I did see coming but also that it was done well for the age group in which this book is intended. 

I hope that this is going to be a series because I would love to see more of these characters and what they do going forward. 

I want to say thank you to NetGalley and HarperTeen for allowing me to read this ARC.

The Last Kids on Earth by Max Brallier

adventurous funny hopeful fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Alias Anna: A True Story of Outwitting the Nazis by Susan Hood, Greg Dawson

adventurous challenging dark informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.0

Attack of the Black Rectangles by Amy Sarig King

challenging emotional inspiring reflective tense 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? No

5.0

This book is by far the best thing I have read this year. It handles the topic of censorship in such a fantastic way. I know that there are people who truly believe that they are trying to save children when they censor or ban books, but I think that this book will help adults who read it see just how much kids can handle. I think that the discussions within this book will be relevant for many years to come. 

A quote at the end of this book struck me: " When you get to death’s door, you regret all the things you could have learned but didn’t. "

And We Rise by Erica Martin

emotional informative sad tense fast-paced

5.0

I know that the school systems in America are not telling the whole truth about what happened during the Civil Rights period, but I was amazed at how much I wasn't aware of. This book was phenomenal and I would highly recommend reading it with the audio if you have the chance because I think that added so much to my reading experience. I think that this book is so important to share with everyone because if we do not learn from the mistakes of our past we are doomed to repeat them. 

Anglerfish: The Seadevil of the Deep by Elaine M. Alexander

adventurous informative slow-paced

4.0

This is a great book for those homeschooling with younger children who want a fun read-a-loud for a deep sea lesson. I think that this book has the potential to interest many young readers. 

Orris and Timble: The Beginning by Kate DiCamillo

adventurous funny inspiring fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This is the story of a rat who is just trying to live his nice quiet life when an owl comes and changes his world and starts an unlikely friendship. 
This book does a great job of teaching kids about doing the "kind" thing even when that scares them. I think that this story will get many young readers involved in the story and will make them want to discuss the lessons that are being taught. 

Heartstopper Volume 5 by Alice Oseman

emotional informative inspiring 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? Yes

5.0

Visitations by Corey Egbert

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This is the story of a teen who has to navigate the difficult world of his parents divorce and a journey through this young man's journey with his faith while struggling with hard things. 
I will say that this was hard to read as a mother because all I want to do as a mother is keep my kids safe, but there is a point if one is not taking care of themselves mentally and physically that a mother's protection can become hurtful to her kids. 
I thought that the discussion around faith was done well because as a parent raising kids within a belief system I know personally that I want my kids to be able to question their faith so that they can choose the faith themselves. This story does a great job of exploring the devotion that our main character has for his mother and his religion and how that got them into some sticky situations. 
While this book discusses some hard topics like homelessness, child abuse, and sexual assault I do believe that it was done in an age appropriate way. 
I want to thank NetGalley and  Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) for the opportunity to experience this story early so that I can share with others how impactful this book was for me. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Kidnapping, Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Child abuse

House of Beating Wings by Olivia Wildenstein
Did not finish book. Stopped at 10%.