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emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
A few pages into this book: Okay Bug doesn’t like girlie things and is going to learn that it’s okay to not like girlie things. Meh but I’ll finish it anyway.
After the dress scene: ARFKM no, no, no, no! Don’t dim this kid’s sparkle! Also what is up with these ghosts?
After the surprise party *crying happy tears*: that was exactly what I was expecting from pretty early on but it’s still so heartwarming to see.
My only concern is that everything goes a little too smoothly as Bug starts middle school but that’s MG fiction for you.
After the dress scene: ARFKM no, no, no, no! Don’t dim this kid’s sparkle! Also what is up with these ghosts?
After the surprise party *crying happy tears*: that was exactly what I was expecting from pretty early on but it’s still so heartwarming to see.
My only concern is that everything goes a little too smoothly as Bug starts middle school but that’s MG fiction for you.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
emotional
hopeful
sad
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
Beautifully written story about discovering one’s true identity. First half actually reads a bit like horror, but things make sense in the second half. I did feel a bit that a 11-12 year old child would not narrate like that, it felt like an older person projecting their adult thought onto a child.
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-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
Private user's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
i liked this book better than i thought. it was a little chunky at times, for lack of better word, but it is. a middle grade book and it was a pretty good read
The not-scary haunted house book I read in October. (White Smoke was the scary one.)
A summer with Bug, who is mourning her dead uncle and experiencing terrible dreams. This is a compact book with a lot of feelings. Well done.
A summer with Bug, who is mourning her dead uncle and experiencing terrible dreams. This is a compact book with a lot of feelings. Well done.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
this was so beautiful. the writing was superb, and so real and perfectly and cleverly encapsulating the feelings that bug is going through with metaphor and imagery. i loved how this talked about grief and losing someone but still feeling their presence - it was spooky and frightening at times but still comforting and magical. i just think this book was so cleverly done and was so touching. bug was such an amazing character to read from, their voice was unique and whimsical and honest. would highly recommend this gorgeous story
It’s clear to me that Kyle Lukoff is a former school librarian! He knows we need more middle-grade novels with < 200 pages and without a long list of characters to confuse growing readers. And kids always reach for stories with ghosts! A beautiful coming-of-age novel worthy of being named a National Book Award finalist.