Beautiful art accompanies the story of an absolute inspiration of a woman. I hadn't heard of her before I picked up this book, but she is a very worthBeautiful art accompanies the story of an absolute inspiration of a woman. I hadn't heard of her before I picked up this book, but she is a very worthy African woman to feature in Women's history displays....more
I read this book in one sitting. The pace was great and it seemed like every little chapter gave you some little clue to chew on and the overall mysteI read this book in one sitting. The pace was great and it seemed like every little chapter gave you some little clue to chew on and the overall mystery was tantalizingly dangled. I adored Anna's little family unit and her investigation could seem a little insensitive, but it is a question that definitely should have been answered long before this. The adults in the story are a mixed bag. There are lots of disappointments, but some really good ones. But they definitely should have been more involved from the beginning. I adored the way the story was laid out with emails, texts, notes, podcast transcripts, and short prose chapters. I was a little skeptical because some of the things weren't even available to the protagonist, but that was solved later. :)
This covered such an important topic for middle school in a very middle school appropriate way. This is something middle school students are acquainted with and the excuses of not wanting to make a big deal are things I've heard from them. I love how the topic is covered in the book and it even gives a little script to follow:
Do not touch me again. If you do, I'm going to report it. It's not funny, and it makes me extremely uncomfortable. Stop.
That was great. And there were lots of parts of the story that showed how often people use excuses to say that boys are just like that and no girl wants to be a drama queen. Sigh. It was nice to see all of those excuses followed by the clear truth that they weren't okay.
And this message that I wish every helicopter parent out there would absorb:
...Dad reminded me that life is full of Hard Things, and having to do hard things in school was just the beginning. "If you avoid all of your problems, you'll never be able to handle adulthood"
I thought Anna's parents did a good job balancing their help with helping their daughters solve their own problems.
Content note: discussions of stalking, sexual harassment by touching bums and bra straps ...more
I liked learning more about the Pinkerton detectives during the Civil War and the spying they did. I liked the first female detective being featured. I liked learning more about the Pinkerton detectives during the Civil War and the spying they did. I liked the first female detective being featured. I liked the spy vs. spy action. I didn't care for the romance angle (view spoiler)[ and the so-called 'happy ending' because it just seems like it is leading to disaster and a hanging and horribleness. (hide spoiler)] I liked the interactions between Pinkerton and Kate. Overall, I thought the beginning of the book dragged a bit and I had a hard time keeping at it. There are a lot of flashbacks throughout as we find out more about Kate's past and it breaks up the narrative too much. And the weird decisions made by the detectives while interrogating the widow irritated me. They are supposed to be smart. Kate goes on and on about people who live in their privates for a little too long.
some stories were written on us by others. ... That's all her words are: hateful graffiti scribbled across my exterior.
There is a lot of talk of prejudice in this book and the way humanity is divided into ever smaller segments who are all hateful and suspicious of the other groups. Kate speaks of others judging her immediately due to her dress, accent, looks, etc. Everyone in the novel judges others to some degree. Females are judged and underestimated. People are judged by their race, their backgrounds, the amount of money they have...
"Slavery is a think...It's a thing you can't know and then unknow. Nothing you do is innocent again. If you're not fighting it, you're accepting it. People think they're innocent because they live in New York or Chicago or don't own a slave. No one is innocent."
I thought the way Kate had trouble as she grew to know and sympathize with the widow she was interrogating was interesting. She ended up with a reverse Stockholm syndrome. That widow was an excellent manipulator! She was a Southern lady and was on the side of slavery, so Kate was predisposed to hate her, but hate is difficult when you spend time with someone and see their soft sides. That theme runs through this book. Hate vs. love and how you are supposed to change the world--fighting or loving.
What is it that drives such hate into us? Drives us to divide ourselves into light skin and dark skin. North and South, Yank and paddy, woman and man, lady and pseudo-woman? Smaller and smaller divisions from which we debate and decide each other's worth. Is it our natural state? Or are we pressed into such divisiveness by education and culture and self-interest and all the other noise beating down into our hearts all day long?
I really enjoyed being a part of this lovely friendship. I'd never heard of Mrs. Bethune before and I am very eager to learn more about her. I didn't I really enjoyed being a part of this lovely friendship. I'd never heard of Mrs. Bethune before and I am very eager to learn more about her. I didn't know much about Eleanor Roosevelt before this either. I thought the decades-spanning friendship between the two was enlightening and so very tender. They needed each other and helped uplift each other and were just a great example of friendship. There were several cultural things I didn't know about the time period and the realities of the Jim Crow laws and segregation. For instance, I have never thought about why some 'ethnic' foods are considered weird and gross by some people. The book shows that hog lips, pigs' feet, oxtails, etc. were the parts given to the lower classes and so they had to find ways to make them taste good and really just claimed them as part of the culture. I'd never put any thought into why that was. Very interesting.
My goodness, this is America. It's hard to keep track of all the horrible things white people say.
There were indeed some horrible things said and done by people in this book. (and real life, of course)
Raising colored boys in this country is not for the weak.
This is equally true today as it was then. This phrase comes at the end of Eleanor's thoughts about how her husband has changed from the idealist and good person that she married. She wonders where all his morals and enthusiasm for fighting for what is right went:
Or was it squeezed out of him one handshake at at time as he built up enough support to become president of the United States?
This sentence struck me as too true. Politicians seem to start mostly wanting to do good and save the world. But little by little, the politics required to get ahead seem to just cause them to make more and more compromises. The idealism is just squeezed right out of them.
But that doesn't mean that absorbing others' troubles and fighting for them doesn't take a toll. Especially when we're faced with such strident and merciless detractors in response.
Eleanor and Mary both seem to have bouts of melancholy. Mary tells Eleanor that the strongest of them can exhaust their mental resources and get the idealism beat out of them over time, but recovering is crucial! Eleanor seems to recover better than her spouse. And that is why we love her!...more
I read this book because of the gorgeous cover. The poems all try to connect fairy tales to real life in different ways. Some of the poems are great aI read this book because of the gorgeous cover. The poems all try to connect fairy tales to real life in different ways. Some of the poems are great and others I don't think I understood or connected with. I loved "If Tampons Were For Guys" and "Vindictive Punctuation" the most.
Content notes: Swearing, lots of references to eating disorders...more
If Amelia were alive today, she would be a social media star. I never knew how much of her life and image was owed to great publicity by her husband. If Amelia were alive today, she would be a social media star. I never knew how much of her life and image was owed to great publicity by her husband. Behind every good woman... he he he. She loved adventure and was afraid to be tied down as a wife and mother, and I'm afraid she died like she would have wanted--free and doing something awesome. I was pretty disappointed in how the reality stacked up against the mythology, but she is still impressive. I can't believe that she might have survived and made the trip if only she hadn't blown off her lesson with the radio specialist.
I liked how the book was arranged. It vacillated between the search and her life growing up. I thought it built tension and kept the pace perfectly.
She helped the cause of women by giving them a feeling that there was nothing they could not do.
This was said by her good friend, Eleanor Roosevelt. And it's true. When she was teaching, girls lined up to take her classes. She showed a whole generation of women that anything was possible. Her friendship with the Roosevelt's is certainly interesting and I couldn't believe they spent the taxpayer's money to build her an airstrip.
There are a great many boys who would be better off making pies, and a great many girls who would be better off as mechanics.
Amelia said this to an audience once. What a truth!...more
I read this book almost non-stop and was useless for everything else. It is paced just right and leads you from one revelation to the next in the bestI read this book almost non-stop and was useless for everything else. It is paced just right and leads you from one revelation to the next in the best way. I am a fan of historical fiction and this was a story that needed to be told and was told well. ...more
I've been trying to get this book read for months. It was so long and I kept losing interest and then coming back out of sheer doggedness. The feminisI've been trying to get this book read for months. It was so long and I kept losing interest and then coming back out of sheer doggedness. The feminist message was stately strongly, but the girls didn't really do much to make the reader think they were worthy of spear-heading that movement. They kept making silly decisions that got other people killed. The series should have ended with her honoring her promises in the second book....more
I think this was my favorite so far. The monster was just awful and scary. The stakes were very high. Edward and his misfit backup group were interestI think this was my favorite so far. The monster was just awful and scary. The stakes were very high. Edward and his misfit backup group were interesting. I find myself liking Edward as a character more and more. He is such a fun psychopath. This one was mostly vampire politics-free, which helps me
I'd told Doctor Evans we were the good guys, but if Edward and I were on the side of the angels, then what was left to be on the other side?
Anita is still worried about becoming a monster and wants to take a vacation, but she should know that you can't take a vacation from yourself. ...more
I didn't know much about Ann Richards before reading this book. I loved how there was a recurring "Just wait, you'll see..." as you turned pages. And I didn't know much about Ann Richards before reading this book. I loved how there was a recurring "Just wait, you'll see..." as you turned pages. And I found myself really respecting Ann and the strides she made in life against all expectations. There is more chicken neck wringing than I'm used to seeing in picture books. And there are some colorful southern phrases that were fun to read. "faster than a prairie fire with a tailwind" was a new one for me. :)...more
Anita and co. managed to be in mortal peril for the entire book and kept winning by the skin of their teeth. I am worried about the rest of the books Anita and co. managed to be in mortal peril for the entire book and kept winning by the skin of their teeth. I am worried about the rest of the books since I don't know how the author is going to keep upping the stakes (stakes, he he he) for 20 more books! I guess the trio are finally realizing that they can't be a triad with a love triangle and are going toward a throuple after all. ...more
I love the young protagonist in this book. She wants to be a journalist and goes about making her own newsletter with a passion and joy that is just gI love the young protagonist in this book. She wants to be a journalist and goes about making her own newsletter with a passion and joy that is just great. :) Of course, being 12, she makes a few mistakes and it is really great that she looks for a mentor to help her improve. The story is a bit rushed at times and I'm not sure most middle grade student will know who Edward R. Murrow is. I liked that it paralleled what happened with Flint, Michigan and showed how important it is for people to question things and speak up when something isn't right. I read this because it was on a list of books that had been challenged and I wanted to know why. I still find it fine for middle school.
Content notes: the first newsletter she writes reports on penis graffiti and she talks about the penis graffiti with a friend who calls it a meaty subject. The graffiti is shown being painted over and only parts are visible so it wouldn't be recognizable as a penis without the previous discussion. Discussion of a girl kissing a boy and one on-screen peck....more
I loved the second book of this series more than the first one. There was some satisfactory Jean-Claude time, great moments of woman power and an awesI loved the second book of this series more than the first one. There was some satisfactory Jean-Claude time, great moments of woman power and an awesome ending. I can't wait to see what happens to our characters next. :)...more
I loved this sequel! If the first book of this series is like a darker retelling of Beauty and the Beast, then this one is the even darker sequel wherI loved this sequel! If the first book of this series is like a darker retelling of Beauty and the Beast, then this one is the even darker sequel where all the characters have PTSD from their horrifying experiences and we find out that happily ever after is just not a thing. I totally loved how we got to find out more of what Rhysand was thinking during the first book and how Tamlin turned out to be a bit less of a Prince Charming than expected. We get to find out more about 'normal' fae society as well and I added a feminist tag because there are so many strong females who are living in a society that just doesn't value them and have to fight for respect. And I loved hearing about the back stories--even if they were all just awful. I like how strong and confident Feyre becomes in this book after seeing how weak everyone wanted her to be in the first portion. Her defending Velaris made me say "Yaaas girl" for the first time in my life. :)
The issue isn't whether he loved you, it's how much. Too much. Love can be a poison.
A good quote for the theme of the book. All the characters who loved each other as family or mates or friends had to accept them for who they were and allow them to make their own choices--even at the risk of losing them. Loving too much and not being able to even face the idea of losing it made Tamlin unbearable to live with. ...more
This book is very important. Refugees have been in the news for as long as I've been alive, but the word is rarely tied to one specific person and tenThis book is very important. Refugees have been in the news for as long as I've been alive, but the word is rarely tied to one specific person and tends to evoke a faceless mass of people who are homeless and trying to find safety. After reading this, the refugees have faces and names. The stories come from all over the world and are moving for different reasons. I'm sure most readers will have heard of Malala, but after a condensed version of her story, the book goes on to feature many other refugees and people who help them. Refugee stories are not usually child-friendly, but these are written in a way that tells the story without being explicit.
Content notes: rape, murder, war are all mentioned, but explained explicitly so it is appropriate for readers in middle school. The topics are difficult and may shock or upset more sensitive readers. ...more
I got tickets to see A Doll's House 2 this month and I'd never seen the original, so I read it to make sure I was all caught up. It is kind of maddeniI got tickets to see A Doll's House 2 this month and I'd never seen the original, so I read it to make sure I was all caught up. It is kind of maddening and slow at first. The way Nora is treated is disgusting and hard to read. The end seems like it swung a bit too far the other direction. I'm interested to see the sequel to find out what happens to her after this one is over.
This play is a commentary on women's places and how they are little more than toys in a dollhouse as they had little power over themselves or their lives. Nora breaks some rules in good faith to help her family out and is roundly scolded for it by a thoughtless husband. That proves to be the last straw for her and she leaves her husband and children. ...more
I was glad to read more about Drest. She is such a little spitfire. It was a little less fun this time because the author had to do some unbelievable I was glad to read more about Drest. She is such a little spitfire. It was a little less fun this time because the author had to do some unbelievable plot gymnastics to keep her on her own now that her family is free. Drest does best when she is the underdog, though, and a gang of brothers and father wouldn't have made much of a good story. :)...more
I'm not usually a fan of blank verse novels, but I did enjoy this one. A member of my book club described it very well-- each poem was like looking atI'm not usually a fan of blank verse novels, but I did enjoy this one. A member of my book club described it very well-- each poem was like looking at a snapshot of little Jackie's life. That is exactly how it felt to read--like flipping through a photo album. I enjoyed the snippets of history from the POV of a little girl who didn't know the wider goings-on of the world.
And when I sing to him, I'm not just to the left of the key or right of the tune He says I sing beautifully.
He says I am perfect.
Jackie's relationship with her Grandfather Gunnar was lovely. And I love the description of her singing as to the left of the key or the right of the tune. :)...more
This is a biography picture book of Caroline Herschel, the first professional female astronomer. I've read books for adults with her mentioned and thiThis is a biography picture book of Caroline Herschel, the first professional female astronomer. I've read books for adults with her mentioned and this was a good picture book version. It was inspiring how she fought to be paid for her work by the King instead of staying as her brother's servant. She was a product of her times and we see her worked as a maid in her own family and then serving as housekeeper and assistant for her brother, but then she is able to stretch from that position and be called a scientist in her own right. The art is watercolor and pretty detailed....more
After reading Refugee, I was eager to read more of Alan Gratz's work. This one did not disappoint. There are two separate stories being told alternateAfter reading Refugee, I was eager to read more of Alan Gratz's work. This one did not disappoint. There are two separate stories being told alternately throughout the book. One protagonist lives in New York and is in the World Trade Center when it is hit and the other lives in Afghanistan. The stories are both very stressful and I was eager to keep reading! This is a winner and I recommend it to anyone who is interested in 9/11 or adventure stories.
Content notes: gun violence, violent death/injuries due to terrorism...more
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