This book was a lot younger than I had initially expected. The MC is in fourth grade, and I was pretty bored for most of the sorry. It was a cute book though, with some important messages. I’m sure younger children would love it, and the illustrations are very cute. They’re probably 80% of why I liked it, honestly! Ryan is just so cute! I really liked her character, and think she would be a great figure for a lot of little girls. It’s hard for me to rate this because I haven’t read enough for this target audience to adequately judge its quality.

3.5

This was a delightful little book that I zipped through in a couple of hours. I would have loved it as a younger child, that’s for certain! Magic, witches, mice, adventure, and more, this tale is a wild ride. There were a few mildly problematic elements that make me hesitate to give it a higher rating, however—maybe I read too much like a teacher already! The book is meant for pretty young readers, however, so some potentially harmful messages would likely pass over childrens’ heads. I couldn’t help but be a bit concerned by the ending. And Bruno’s character was pretty shallow and fat-shaming (making all larger children out to be children that just eat all the time and don’t think of others). Not that this is what Dahl meant by any means, but it would have helped if both the main character and Bruno were a bit better developed.

Again, maybe I’m reading too critically and being to hard on this little tale. Overall, it was another delightful story by Roald Dahl and is a whimsical way to pass a couple of hours.

Great, comprehensive guide to finishing a novel for beginning writers. I proofread this early, and it was such a great refresher for me. I can’t wait to give copies to my young writer friends!

This book! This was one of the most unique books I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. All the characters were intriguing and fun, and the whole premise was super dope. I loved Tristan—his bravery and his fear, his relatability. He was a great MC to get behind, and I know a lot of children will deeply connect with him. It ended in a very satisfying way, but still set up the sequel really well. I can’t wait for it to come out in October!

One other important aspect of this book were the themes it explored. Not only was it written by a POC from a young black boy’s perspective, but it also dealt with struggling with fear and self doubt, guilt, and grief, as well as a bunch of other really important topics. I could feel the grief not only in the MC over the death of his best friend (not a spoiler—this happens before the book begins) but also in the whole story world. The horror of what is happening is tangible and heartbreaking, and historical. But, like Mbalia discusses toward the end of the book, just because it’s awful doesn’t mean we shouldn’t talk about it. And Mbalia sure does talk about it, in both overt and covert ways.

So, if you want a diverse, POC book that’s rich and fun and raw and real, grab this up and join the (often sticky, often dangerous) ride.