I had to really sit with this book for a while to decide how I felt about it. I'll be completely honest, it was a lot to process, and I had to get a friend to read it after me to see someone else's feelings of it also.
I was torn between its beauty, its strangeness, and its sadness.
I instantly fell in love with the art style and illustrations. They are completely filled with intricate nuances and hidden gems that you don't see on first glance; the different textures overlapping in a kind of watercolour-collages reminded me of Jeannie Baker.

The opening page definitely threw me off at first. I understood its poetic nature, but it felt like a strange way to start the story. Looking retrospectively however, I'd say it fits the book pretty perfectly.

Spoilers from here:
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I was not prepared nor expecting the death of her grandfather. I sat on that page for a solid minute. There was just something so honest and blunt and beautiful about both the wording and the art on that page. It felt so purposefully poignant and different: Compared to the rest of the book so far that had been dedicated to the speedy, upbeat characters of Maia and her grandmother, even after her fall, it felt like a snippet of her grandfather's story. The change in the pace felt like a small piece of him and his personality that didn't truly belong here but fully deserved a space. I'm not sure what the specific intentions were of the authors but wow.

I'm still a little confused overall - something about the book as a whole just felt slightly odd or different, and the ending didn't really feel like an ending either. But I do know for certain that it was a 5 star read. I'd almost compare it to an abstract piece of art that I know looks beautiful to my eyes, but my brain isn't 100% sure what to think.
Although as with art, I guess that might just be part of the journey.

A new one for the all time favourites folder!

This is beautiful.
I already knew I loved Alvarez' illustration style but this is another level.
The grown up versions of the children (especially the ballet) made me positively gasp. The little faces the kids pull when they're concentrating, the realistic shapes of their bodies and hair in movement. Just perfect. Exactly my style.

Aside from its beautiful message of resilience, practice, and striving towards your goals, one of favourite parts of this book is its honest, beautiful and perfectly natural range of representation - both literally in its diverse range of characters, but also in its representation of who does what hobbies, and even the range of those hobbies themselves.

I needed this message as a child, and I certainly still need it now.
I will 100% have this on my shelf. I will use it in classes. And I will read it to myself when I need to remember.

Such a beautiful picture book.
Telling the story of Mary Walker, from her enslaved childhood through to her passing at 121 years old, it shows the journey of her determination through racial prejudice, and economic adversity.

The over-arching focus is of Mary's determination learning to read in the last few years of her life, after not having the time or access to learn.

I can see so many children relating to this for different reasons; whether the familiarity of the economic/family situation, the struggle to read and write, or whether of a cultural/racial representation (I try to stay away from books with a slavery focus when seeking this - they see enough of that - but of course I put this aside when it is a retelling of a real figure's story).

I especially love the way that the background text in the illustrations changes from squiggles to words once Mary gains her 'freedom' of language, completing the picture of her surroundings, and the ways that the collage pieces used in her clothing contain text and symbols from then on also.

I love this book, but I do think it could have been pushed a little further. It's such a great concept that it feels like it needs to be slightly longer.
I love the art, the colours especially and how they change with the child's feelings and circumstances.

I especially love Tom's note at the back of the book which I would definitely share with a class.

This is how you write a transgender novel for children.
I've read (and avoided) quite a few books with a transgender youth as the main character specifically around them coming to term with their identity, and coming out to those around them. Most are either not written by a transgender author, or focus around the individuals family members, the trauma/violence, or the stereotypes of transgender people.
Most that I've read have been either good, or terrible, but until now I've not come across one that feels /great/.

I listened to the audio book version narrated by Jamie Clayton (a well known Transgender actress who I absolutely adore), and the moment it began I knew what an excellent decision it had been to get her involved.
I truly believe that having the book read by her added something that even my own brain as a trans masculine individual couldn't have done.

(To any of my cisgender teacher friends reading - I beg you to listen to this particular version with your children or for yourself. I can't even truly explain how important it is to hear these words from the mouth of a transgender woman specifically. But it makes a difference.)

A new all time favourite, 5 stars.
Sidenote:
I've been following Alex Gino on twitter for a while now and am aware that they have struck a deal to change the title of this novel to Melissa. Every copy from now on will be printed with the new name, and they encourage people to print out the free alternative cover from their site, or to engage in some light, permission granted vandalism, using sharpies or stickers to cover the old name. I took a copy of the book from my uni library to read alongside so I will be returning it with a note of the website link for the librarians shortly.