libscote's Reviews (6.4k)

I think the thing I enjoyed most about this book was the different ways it showed people improving their lives. Some were small, and some were large. 

A lot more academic than the normal fare I read, but I liked it. It made me look at Jurassic Park in a new way, which I really appreciated. 

This took me a while to get into, but then I did enjoy it. I liked how See explained the ways women pushed against the structures of their days while also showing which ways they were complicit in things we would find horrifying today. See also put a note at the beginning about Chinese medicine, and honestly it made me more curious about these methods, because they did seem to work. 

This is a great book to introduce kids to Billie Jean King and what women athletes went through to be accepted. Someone challenged it because it mentions that King is a lesbian, which seems very silly to me. I love this Ordinary People Change the World series.

I know I wrote informative above, but I kind of wish it was more informative. That may have been from an adult perspective though. If this is an introduction for kids (which I think it is intended to be) they may not question things like "who is Harvey?" and "why don't they show what symbol is hateful?" I do love the glittery cover.

An unnamed boy wants to sing a song for Andres, his best friend and romantic interest, in the style of serenades that is traditional in Mexican culture. What really makes this book for me is the back matter, where the author and illustrator explain why this book is so important to them. 

A child is worried because their family is different, but then they realize all families are different. This book does include foster parents, if that's something you are looking for. 

I really enjoyed this book, and I was sad I didn't read it earlier for North Star. It's about a girl dealing with the grief from the death of her best friend while her family has many complications. She's Iranian-American, and her father works and lives in Iran and visits for one month of the year. Her mom makes a lot of comments about her body, and her brother seems to get away with everything. On top of all that, Rana is a lesbian, and doesn't know how to tell her folks. I really enjoyed the way Etaat tells the story, how Rana is a complex character with complex friends and family. 

I'll admit that I didn't have high hopes for this book based on the cover. However, it's a good story about accepting your child and growing with them as they become their own person. 

Bob considers himself to be a boring bear, whereas his friend Jack is wild. Honestly, Bob made me laugh so much because he and Jack are both great!