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popthebutterfly 's review for:
Etta Invincible
by Reese Eschmann
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: Etta Invincible
Author: Reese Eschmann
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 5/5
Diversity: Black hard-of-hearing/Meniere’s Disease MC, ASL used a little, Columbian character
Recommended For...: middle grade readers, fantasy, magic trains, comic books hybird, graphic novels hybrid
Publication Date: July12, 2022
Genre: MG Fantasy
Age Relevance: 9+ (racism, anxiety, lost animal, animal kidnapping, violence, scary moments)
Explanation of Above: There is some racism mentioned in the book in regards to medicine and how hard it is for Black people to be treated adequately by the healthcare industry. There are some showings of anxiety. There is a dog who gets lost and then found to be kidnapped in the book. There is some very slight showings of violence in the book. There are a couple of scary moments that could be a bit hard for younger or more sensitive readers, but this would be a great bonding book for younger children and their guardians, especially if you want to show them characters who are hard of hearing.
Publisher: Aladdin
Pages: 368
Synopsis: A girl with hearing loss and a boy adjusting to life in a new country connect through their love of comics and get entangled in their own fantastical adventure.
Twelve-year-old Etta Johnson has Loud Days where she can hear just fine and Quiet Days where sounds come from far away and she gets to retreat into her thoughts. Etta spends most of her time alone, working on her comic book about Invisible Girl, the superhero who takes down super villain Petra Fide and does all the things Etta thinks she can’t.
But when Louisa May Alcott, a friendly Goldendoodle from across the street, disappears, Etta and the dog’s boy, Eleazar, must find their inner heroes to save her. The catch? LMA has run onto a magical train that mysteriously arrived at the station near Etta and Eleazar’s houses. On-board, they discover each train car is its own magical world with individual riddles and challenges that must be solved before they can reach the engine room and rescue LMA.
Only, the stakes are even higher than they thought. The train’s magic is malfunctioning and spreading a purple smoke called The Fear through the streets of Chicago. Etta and Eleazar are the only ones who can save the city, save Louisa May Alcott—and save each other.
Review: I think my favorite this about this book is that the MC is hard of hearing and the way that this aspect of her life is written in the book and pops up frequently in terms of writing, ASL, understanding one another, etc. is beautifully done in my opinion. I am not considered hard of hearing, but I do have what might be an auditory processing disorder or some other sort of hearing issue, so sometimes it is really hard for me to understand what is being said even if I’m looking at someone and paying as much attention to them as I possibly can and even if I can see their lips moving. I have to use captions when watching shows and stuff and I sometimes ask someone to repeat themselves or speak slower for me. So I understood to a degree how Etta felt when that aspect of her life came up. I also thought that the book was genius when it came to showing how Etta and her friend communicated even though he was more comfortable speaking Spanish and she hasn’t learned that yet. They used a translator and it really shows the ingenuity of children who will always find ways to play and interact with each other regardless of any language barriers. I also loved the comic aspect of the book, but wish that there were more panels in the book. I would also consider this a great HP replacement read if you are looking for those like I constantly am. Lastly, I thought the world building and character development was well done and the book was well paced.
The only real issue I had with the book is that I thought it would be better split up into multiple books or that it didn’t incorporate the comic book aspect enough, but otherwise it was really well done.
Verdict: I loved this book! Highly recommend!
Book: Etta Invincible
Author: Reese Eschmann
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 5/5
Diversity: Black hard-of-hearing/Meniere’s Disease MC, ASL used a little, Columbian character
Recommended For...: middle grade readers, fantasy, magic trains, comic books hybird, graphic novels hybrid
Publication Date: July12, 2022
Genre: MG Fantasy
Age Relevance: 9+ (racism, anxiety, lost animal, animal kidnapping, violence, scary moments)
Explanation of Above: There is some racism mentioned in the book in regards to medicine and how hard it is for Black people to be treated adequately by the healthcare industry. There are some showings of anxiety. There is a dog who gets lost and then found to be kidnapped in the book. There is some very slight showings of violence in the book. There are a couple of scary moments that could be a bit hard for younger or more sensitive readers, but this would be a great bonding book for younger children and their guardians, especially if you want to show them characters who are hard of hearing.
Publisher: Aladdin
Pages: 368
Synopsis: A girl with hearing loss and a boy adjusting to life in a new country connect through their love of comics and get entangled in their own fantastical adventure.
Twelve-year-old Etta Johnson has Loud Days where she can hear just fine and Quiet Days where sounds come from far away and she gets to retreat into her thoughts. Etta spends most of her time alone, working on her comic book about Invisible Girl, the superhero who takes down super villain Petra Fide and does all the things Etta thinks she can’t.
But when Louisa May Alcott, a friendly Goldendoodle from across the street, disappears, Etta and the dog’s boy, Eleazar, must find their inner heroes to save her. The catch? LMA has run onto a magical train that mysteriously arrived at the station near Etta and Eleazar’s houses. On-board, they discover each train car is its own magical world with individual riddles and challenges that must be solved before they can reach the engine room and rescue LMA.
Only, the stakes are even higher than they thought. The train’s magic is malfunctioning and spreading a purple smoke called The Fear through the streets of Chicago. Etta and Eleazar are the only ones who can save the city, save Louisa May Alcott—and save each other.
Review: I think my favorite this about this book is that the MC is hard of hearing and the way that this aspect of her life is written in the book and pops up frequently in terms of writing, ASL, understanding one another, etc. is beautifully done in my opinion. I am not considered hard of hearing, but I do have what might be an auditory processing disorder or some other sort of hearing issue, so sometimes it is really hard for me to understand what is being said even if I’m looking at someone and paying as much attention to them as I possibly can and even if I can see their lips moving. I have to use captions when watching shows and stuff and I sometimes ask someone to repeat themselves or speak slower for me. So I understood to a degree how Etta felt when that aspect of her life came up. I also thought that the book was genius when it came to showing how Etta and her friend communicated even though he was more comfortable speaking Spanish and she hasn’t learned that yet. They used a translator and it really shows the ingenuity of children who will always find ways to play and interact with each other regardless of any language barriers. I also loved the comic aspect of the book, but wish that there were more panels in the book. I would also consider this a great HP replacement read if you are looking for those like I constantly am. Lastly, I thought the world building and character development was well done and the book was well paced.
The only real issue I had with the book is that I thought it would be better split up into multiple books or that it didn’t incorporate the comic book aspect enough, but otherwise it was really well done.
Verdict: I loved this book! Highly recommend!