mollysmith1313's reviews
130 reviews

The Wild Robot Protects by Peter Brown

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I absolutely do not care that this book series is aimed at children ages 7-10 years old. The Wild Robot series was delightful and insightful to read as audiobooks (4-5 hours each). The series tells a story of a robot named Roz “who becomes stranded on a remote island after a shipwreck. With no memory of how she arrived or her purpose, Roz must learn to survive and gain the trust of the island's animals. Roz's robotic nature contrasts with the island's wilderness, creating the book's central conflict.” The second book is about her being relocated to work on a dairy farm and having to escape, only to the avoid being hunted by both animals and other robots. The final book is about Roz attempts to save her island and essentially the entire ocean and its seashores from the “poison tide.” I highly recommend to anyone; I imagine these are great chapter books to read out loud as a family too. There is a movie, which I have watched and thought was very well animated. But I honestly didn’t enjoy it as much as the book—go figure. I feel like they cut out a lot of Roz’s character building and characters that taught her so much in the book. Still a cute movie though. 🤖 🌎 🪿

Glimmer of Hope: How Tragedy Sparked a Movement by The March for Our Lives Founders

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense

4.0

Unrig: How to Fix Our Broken Democracy by Daniel G. Newman

challenging informative slow-paced

4.0

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
Did not finish book. Stopped at 35%.

I actually didn’t finish this book, so I’m putting here for reference but not including it in the number of books I’ve read this year. I listened to 35% (3 hours) of the audiobook, and honestly completely lost interest. It didn’t hold my interest very well up to this point either. I only gave it a try because I’ve heard about the movie. Maybe if I watch the movie and like it, I’ll be more motivated to finish the book or start it over.

The Wild Robot Escapes by Peter Brown

adventurous emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

While I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as the first book in the series, I think it was a great follow up with new questions to consider for Roz and her purpose. This series may technically be a kids book, but even as an adult I’m drawn in by questions and themes present in “our” robot’s continued story. 

Ana on the Edge by A.J. Sass

emotional reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

adventurous funny hopeful medium-paced

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

4.0

The Wild Robot by Peter Brown

adventurous hopeful lighthearted relaxing medium-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

5.0

I don’t care that this book was written for middle school aged kids. As an adult, I found this book to be a great audiobook for a “cozy” but adventurous and thought provoking read. It’s a story about learning, adapting, friendship, and the harshness of the wild. The personification of the animals does eventually get very fictional, but that’s not necessarily a stern critique. It’s just an example of the reader needing to suspending disbelief in the name of some very good lessons to be learned and shared in this book. I’m actually really looking forward to reading the books that follow this one! 

Best Shot in the West: The Adventures of Nat Love by Fredrick L. McKissack, Patricia C. McKissack, Randy DuBurke

adventurous tense fast-paced

4.0

This was a really fun “Wild West” read. I would read it again when I get the kick to read about a legendary cowboy. It probably took me less than a couple hours to read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

Mentions slavery, alcohol, death, violence

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson

challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced

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

5.0

This book really tugged on my heart strings and made me grieve from all the tragedy. But what a great tribute to an overlooked little slice of US Kentucky history.