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vineyivy's reviews
775 reviews
The Island of Beyond by Elizabeth Atkinson
5.0
Delightful! The protagonist, Martin, was real and likable, and I found myself cheering for him as he transitioned from his orderly, safe world into one of messiness and self-discovery. I loved the way the characters (including the island itself) developed from Martin's point of view from mysterious and odd to enfolding him in empowering support (but still wonderfully odd!).
Paper Things by Jennifer Richard Jacobson
5.0
The story and characters were so compelling that I couldn't stop reading. I hadn't planned to read the whole book at once, but that's what happened! I wanted to see if Ari (main character) could find her way through her challenges somehow.
I love this quote from the book, an example of the outlook that carries Ari through some very tough times:
"Ever since I can remember, I've had this theory that when each person is born, he or she is given an imaginary sack with the same number of happy moments, the same number of horrible-news moments, same number of please-let-me-die-now embarrassments. So while some people may have a bunch of bad moments all in a row, in the end, we'll all have experienced the same number of ups and down. We'll all be even."
I love this quote from the book, an example of the outlook that carries Ari through some very tough times:
"Ever since I can remember, I've had this theory that when each person is born, he or she is given an imaginary sack with the same number of happy moments, the same number of horrible-news moments, same number of please-let-me-die-now embarrassments. So while some people may have a bunch of bad moments all in a row, in the end, we'll all have experienced the same number of ups and down. We'll all be even."