The Places We Sleep*The review below is being done on a Netgalley Advanced Reader's Copy of The Places We Sleep. This review is my own, and I have written it in my honest opinion. Caroline Brooks Dubois' debut novel in verse, The Places We Sleep, is set during the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center in New York. Our character Abbey must deal with puberty, death, bullies, and her father being deployed- possibly into a war zone. Although these are all tough topics as is, Dubois merges them in a very realistic way that does not overwhelm the reader. Abbey's father is in the Army and she is already on her 8th school in her educational career; she was very lucky to have made a friend right away, but even her friend cannot protect her all the time from the bullies that whisper hurtful words her way. Abbey sees her fair share of bullying, but another new student, very similar to Abbey, has to deal with far worse just because she is culturally and racially different than the popular kids at school. Usually, this would be enough to cause a middle schooler stress, but what makes matters worse is that there was an attack on Americans, and Abbey's aunt is lost in the rubble that was the World Trade Center. Abbey's mother must return to New York, they are in Tennessee at the moment, to help her sister's husband take care of their two young kids. During this time, Abbey's father must stay at home, but as more information of the crashes emerge it is inevitable that he will be deployed. As I was reading this book I realized that I was about the same age as Abbey, give or take a year, when the Twin Towers were attacked. Reading this book did remind me of the emotions that I felt as I watched the news play out at school, but what made this book important was that it gave me a different lens to view what others felt and experienced during this time. As a collective country, we can all remember where we were when we heard the news; we remember the coverage and the emotions, but our experiences do not compare to those who lived through it. Dubois gives us an example of how young people at that time were trying to understand the ideas of death, loss, and imminent war in their generation. I know that this review has so much information in it, but I feel it is important to add that not only does Dubois include the above topics, but while her mother is away, Abbey gets her first period. This is an important piece to talk about because we do not see menstruation discussed literature. I find it very encouraging that she included this in her novel because it gives young female readers a glimpse at how scary it is to get your first period and you don't know what to do about it. It makes shows young girls that it is okay to feel scared if you do not know what to do; I feel that this part of the book can help many young girls find comfort in knowing that they are not alone. Dubois' novel was released today, August 25, 2020. You can pick up your copy below: Amazon Barnes and Noble Better World Books Powell's
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The Crossroads of Should and Must: Find and Follow Your PassionThe Crossroads of Should and Must was originally a recommendation that I got through watching YouTuber Morgan Long, who is absolutely amazing when it comes to reading and motivation. She, like me and so many others at this time, needed a motivational boost and found solace in this short but powerful book. The Crossroads of Should and Must is divided into sections that cover "The Crossroads," "Should," "Must," and "The Return." These sections were helpful because they forced me to reflect on what is important to me as an individual person, not just the roles I fulfill (daughter, sister, girl-friend, etc.). Activities are sprinkled into the book, and they allowed me to break down my thoughts and feelings into specifics such as fears, wants, needs, and misconceptions. Although I feel like there is so much to say about this book, I feel as if my mere writing will not do it justice. All I can say is that I found this book to be empowering when I needed it most. There have been times in my life where I feel obligated to be, act, or achieve in a certain way, and this book makes me feel okay knowing that I do not have to follow that path by any means. This book showed me that I am more than just the roles I have, it reminded me that I am an individual person who has a right to be what I want. If you feel like you need a reminder, you can pick up your copy below: Amazon Barnes and Noble Better World Books Powell's Showtime at the Apollo: The Epic Tale of Harlem's Legendary Apollo TheaterShowtime at the Apollo: The Epic Tale of Harlem's Legendary Theater is a graphic novel depiction of Ted Fox's original novel of the same name. His graphic novel goes on to share the many rises and falls of the Apollo Theater, and it is divided into the different eras that marked important parts in its history. One interesting fact that came from the book is that the book itself would not have been written without the help of Dionne Warwick who deeply loved and praised the theater. It was through her push, Fox was able to interview other famous Apollo alumni. This book does include a lot of information and it does cover some important topics such as: -the race of the owner (how that impacted the audience and the performers) the riots that would take place in the area and how that influenced the acts inside the building -the economic impact the theater provided to the community Although I loved learning the history of the Apollo, at times it would feel overwhelming and rushed. I would have liked the information to be spread out on the page since it is a graphic novel. I am sure they wanted to include as much information as they could, but many of the pages seemed bursting with text. I do recommend this book if you enjoy history and culture, especially during a time where we are still trying to gain attention and justice for our fellow citizens. You cannot imagine how much the Apollo theater has done for the community it is in, and how much of an impact it has created in the history of music. Keep in mind that you can also find this in novel format if graphic novels are not your cup of tea. You can buy your copy here: Amazon Barnes and Noble Better World Books Powell's Kind of a Big Deal*The review below is being done on a Netgalley Advanced Reader's Copy of Kind of a Big Deal. This review is my own, and I have written it in my honest opinion.
The first time I read Shannon Hale was in middle school, my book of choice- Princess Academy. I must admit that other than that series world I have not kept up with Hale, so when I got the opportunity to read Kind of a Big Deal I was excited at the prospect. Kind of a Big Deal revolves around Josie Pie, a popular high schooler who has her heart set on Broadway, not to mention the voice to get her there. When Josie drops out of high school to take her shot on Broadway, she realizes that she may not be cut out for that life after all. In order to avoid returning to her hometown in Arizona, Josie becomes a nanny and moves to Missouri with her new employers. We follow Josie on her journey as she tries to overcome loneliness, heartbreak, and shame. This book has so many things that I want to discuss because I feel that it has a lot of potential, so please keep in mind that although the small summary I gave in the previous paragraph sounds like it is a Realistic Fiction book, it actually falls into the Fantasy genre. What I didn't mention earlier was that Josie Pie tries to take up reading as a hobby, but as she tries to read a book she ends up going into the actual story, literally. As she continues to story-jump she finds that it is becoming harder and harder to return to the "real world." I really wanted to love this book, but I had a hard time staying engaged with the story. The plot line became very repetitive in that Josie would get sucked into a story, she would see familiar faces playing the characters, and then she would try to get back home. This cycled at least three or four times even though the genre of the book would change. In addition to the repetitiveness, Josie was a very difficult character to love because for the majority of the book she didn't grow as a character; she was stuck in the mindset of "I'm kind of a big deal," and "I shouldn't be going through this setback." As much as I tried to sympathize for her, I just couldn't feel bad for Josie because I felt she created those conflicts for herself. Finally, the ending of the book felt very rushed because Josie was battling her demons head on in one moment and then before you knew it, the story ended. (I know this sounds vague, but I do not want to give spoilers). I feel that a character should have flaws, and believe me Josie does, but the way the flaws combine with the story make it very frustrating to get through. I am still a fan of Shannon Hale's, but this was not one of my favorite books of the year. Kind of a Big Deal will be released on August 25, 2020. You can pre-order your copy below: Amazon Audible Barnes and Noble Powell's Cut and RunCut and Run is an Audible Original that I got free a few months back, and it was completely unexpected. To be fair, it does say "A Light-Hearted Dark Comedy" in the title, but I have never seen or read one before, so it was surprisingly enjoyable. It is fairly short, no more than a few hours, and the cast also makes the time seem to fly by as you listen. Basically our two main characters are friends who steal kidneys from unsuspecting "bad" people. When they steal a kidney from a questionable man, who may or may not be married, it just doesn't feel right. When they realize that they may have made a mistake, the Mexican government, a powerful, corrupt family, and the FBI are searching for them to set everything right. In the beginning I felt it was trying to be a little comical, it reminded me of what an old time radio show may have sounded, but before long the tone of the audiobook grew on me and I enjoyed it. The topic is a little dark, but as a whole the audiobook fit together and it didn't seem so far fetched after all. To get your copy go to: Audible |