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pucksandpaperbacks 's review for:
A Galaxy of Sea Stars
by Jeanne Zulick Ferruolo
I was sent a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Overall rating: 3.5 stars
TW: PTSD, Islamophobia
Rep: Muslim, Czechoslovakian
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Izzy is dealing with a lot as she begins her first year of middle school. She learns that her childhood friends aren't who she thought they were and grows apart from them. In particular, her friend Zelda was a brat and I really disliked her, but I understood why the author wrote her. However, I wish Zelda had learned from her behavior and that the school administration had taken things more seriously involving islamophobia, even though the student who did participate in an Islamophobic act was suspended, I would've liked to see the school and adults in the novel be more assertive and pre-cautious.
Sitara and her family move into Izzy's apartment and she learns many lessons from Sitara. I really enjoyed Sitara's character and her message of bravery. I learned a lot about living in Afghanistan and being Muslim from her character alone and as a middle grade, I felt that this topic was super important for children to read. The author explains halal food and why it's important for Sitara to wear her hijab. As well as Izzy's perspective on dealing with her father coming back from serving in the Iraq war post-9/11 and dealing with PTSD. I thought that was a relatable topic that children or anyone could relate to. She's also dealing with her parent's separation.
I wished the characters would've had more depth. I wanted to see more of Izzy's artistic side rather than just her mapping. But, I did like her passion for boating, sea stars and creating sounding data maps of the ocean. Honestly, I learned a lot about sea stars from this book, haha.
I felt like this book was mediocre and I would've liked this book to be #ownvoices. But, the author did do her research and explains it here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2901107858?book_show_action=true&from_review_page=1
It does have a great message and theme. I would recommend it based on that alone!
Overall rating: 3.5 stars
TW: PTSD, Islamophobia
Rep: Muslim, Czechoslovakian
____________________________________________________________
Izzy is dealing with a lot as she begins her first year of middle school. She learns that her childhood friends aren't who she thought they were and grows apart from them. In particular, her friend Zelda was a brat and I really disliked her, but I understood why the author wrote her. However, I wish Zelda had learned from her behavior and that the school administration had taken things more seriously involving islamophobia, even though the student who did participate in an Islamophobic act was suspended, I would've liked to see the school and adults in the novel be more assertive and pre-cautious.
Sitara and her family move into Izzy's apartment and she learns many lessons from Sitara. I really enjoyed Sitara's character and her message of bravery. I learned a lot about living in Afghanistan and being Muslim from her character alone and as a middle grade, I felt that this topic was super important for children to read. The author explains halal food and why it's important for Sitara to wear her hijab. As well as Izzy's perspective on dealing with her father coming back from serving in the Iraq war post-9/11 and dealing with PTSD. I thought that was a relatable topic that children or anyone could relate to. She's also dealing with her parent's separation.
I wished the characters would've had more depth. I wanted to see more of Izzy's artistic side rather than just her mapping. But, I did like her passion for boating, sea stars and creating sounding data maps of the ocean. Honestly, I learned a lot about sea stars from this book, haha.
I felt like this book was mediocre and I would've liked this book to be #ownvoices. But, the author did do her research and explains it here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2901107858?book_show_action=true&from_review_page=1
It does have a great message and theme. I would recommend it based on that alone!