libscote's Reviews (6.4k)

I read this book because it's being challenged in my local school district. Do I think it's a good book? No. Do I think it should be banned? No. 

Honestly, my brain had managed to put a lot of this out of my brain because I just couldn't deal with all the news all the time. Her story is very inspirational. I'm not 100% sure I agree with the idea that American foreign policy is the best foreign policy, but do I think it's generally better than Russia? Yes. I admire her resiliency. I honestly think that her family being able to attend the Kent School was also really fortunate. That's a nice private school. 

A good read aloud for younger children about the power of art and imagination. 

I don't know if I'm just out of practice with middle grade books or if this one just wasn't for me. I could see the appeal, but I just wasn't feeling it. The humor felt a little forced to me and things solved too easily. 

 Minni lives in Mumbai, in a part of the city that doesn’t have access to running water. Every day she (or someone in her family) has to wait in line to collect buckets of water, which then need to be boiled and strained before use. Minni does all this in addition to going to school. Then, her brother accidentally sees the water mafia and has to go live in the country to be safe, and her mom gets sick. Now Minni has to do even more work and worry about her family. When she discovers the identity of a member of a water mafia member, can she get anyone to listen to her? It’s hard for us to think that access to clean water is not a given for everyone in the world. This book helps to remind us of that, and what we can do to help.  

Not my favorite romance, but it was fun. I felt like the word "turgid" was used too often. 

 Dayshaun would love to be playing video games today, but his mom is making him volunteer in the community garden instead. He sort of understands why the garden and the part of Brooklyn he lives in are important, but it’s not until his grandfather’s hat takes him back to 1863 that he truly understands. Weeksville had been a free black community where they grew their own food since then. Dayshaun witnesses the aftermath of the New York City Draft Riots, which make him think differently about his home. I was not familiar with Weeksville, and I enjoyed learning more about this part of American History 

Beaton covers so much in her graphic novel. You think it might be just about her time in the oil sands, but it's not. It's about what those high-paying yet isolating jobs do to you as a person, as well as the environment and the people around. It's a lot to process, but she does it so well.

I enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would. I was excited to listen to it many times. It's an interesting meditation on time and life and other stuff. 

Pigs on an abacus. Reminds me of stories where the parent is trying to get out of telling a bedtime story and the child is just not having it.