Highly recommend this middle grades historical fiction set in SC. Centers around Gullah-Geechee traditions and the turmoil of the early 1960s.

Read in two sittings, it's excellently paced and the characters are well developed.

It is one of the scarier middle grade books I've read in a few years and if you have a reader who is frightened by ghosts, ghouls and things of that nature, this may be one to skip.

Really enjoyed this, one of the most well rounded books I've read in 2021.

Navin's storyline seems to fall apart more with every volume unfortunately. Still following for the main thread of the story. Artwork continues to be great as usual.

4.5 stars (why aren’t half stars a thing yet?)

Terrific middle grades fiction. Perfect for kids interested in geology and astronomy but also has a fully formed plot and some nice characterization. Takes place in Maine but has a tie-in to the NYC Natural History Museum so would be a fun addition to a field trip visit. I just happen to be going to the museum today and I know I am now super excited to see a meteorite I had no idea existed three hours ago!

Really sub-par. Narrator's voice didn't feel authentic, little bit cringy in fact. Had higher hopes because it's a neat premise.

Liked this fairly formulaic middle grades book that touches on themes of immigration, neurodivergence, and animal rights.

The middle gets bogged down with a lot of discussion about animal poop and I kept wondering if it was going to go somewhere. Alas no, just poop talk.

This book scarred me for life as an impressionable reader. I hadn't thought about it in a while but "I Am The Cheese" came up on a list of YA books and a lot of memories came back. Robert Cormier had a knack for writing really uncomfortable books about real things teens go through.

This is definitely less off the rails than Volume 6 but I continue to not really care about Nevin's storyline. Will see this one through to the end because the last volume is being published so soon.

One of my friends told me to read this as less of a novel and more of a thought experiment and that really helped. This was such a fascinating concept to me and the contrast between the Foundation and the civilizations which surround it was super interesting through the progression of time. It's extremely dialog driven, which felt tedious in the last installment.

Talk about a book that absolutely bombs the Bechdel test though. Whew. One female character in the entire book and she's a shrill wife with about four lines.

3.5 stars, prob being generous because it's a classic (shouldn't do that, I know). I cannot wait to see the TV treatment of this.

I just love this series. It walks a fine like between being silly and still educating the reader about more complex topics like losing a parent or the nuances of Orthodoxy. Sadly, we only carry two volumes at my library, going to have to order in the rest.

I try to only review picture books my kids get a lot out of. Those Shoes is one that really made an impact on them. I sit on a chair and read to them while they’re in bed and they both got out out of bed to listen and see closer. The overall message of needing versus wanting is something they struggle with and they really understood what the Grandma was going through. They also caught on to the main character’s dilemma, especially when he wanted to wear the cool shoes that were too small for him. Highly recommended!