I continue to enjoy the graphic novel adaptations of the Babysitters Club books. I think this one did a really good job diving deeper into the characterization of Dawn and what life might be like as the child of divorced parents who live on opposite coasts. I know that when I read these novels as a middle school student myself, I really identified with Dawn because of the fact that her parents are divorced as well as her having the California connection that they always wanted to live in California, where my mom grew up. I look forward to the next adaptation.
Kekla Magoon does such a great job with this story, crafting and narrative out of a horrific yet all too common tragedy. Additionally, not many authors can weave so many perspectives together so beautifully. I continue to enjoy every book that I have picked up from her.
I have to admit that I was a little bit nervous before going into this read. Sometimes when middle grade books venture into thriller-esque stories, they end up becoming more silly than serious. Kemper did a really good job threading that needle. They also kept the narrative moving at an appropriate pace, not dragging things out and also not rushing through. I definitely recommend this book.
I struggle with how to review this book. Unlike other popular fantasy/romantasy books that I have read this year like the Gravewood, I think this book is written fairly well. Roth certainly has skill. She also has solid world building and compelling character, motivations, not letting the romance over shadow the seriousness of the events in the story. That being said, I do not feel compelled to finish the story and also struggle with the categorization of this book as dystopian (which I have seen in some places). A dystopian novel should not simply take place in the world after an apocalypse; it should have critiques/commentary on the system that led to the downfall and/or the systems erected in its place. This book really did not have much of that, even though Roth made her name as an author with a dystopian series. I rated the book 3 stars simply because I could not get myself to care more about it.
This graphic memoir is poignant and well executed. The author tells his own story mixed with the story of his grandmother who raises him. He weaves these stories together with care and compassion. I definitely teared up a little bit at the end when he talked about the fact that quite recently he and his brother were together at their grandmother‘s side as she passed suddenly from pancreatic cancer. I definitely recommend this memoir.
I have to admit that my experience with this book was tainted a bit by a less than stellar audiobook narrator but I pushed through. This is an interesting sociological study of the immigrant/refugee condition around the turn of the 20th to the 21st century. The author talks primarily about refugees and thus centers that immigrant experience, although she does not distinguish between the refugee and general immigrant experience. This work is definitely of its time and I would be highly interested to see an updated version of this with notes added by the author to provide context for situations in today’s immigrant/refugee experience in the United States. While not directly applicable to today’s situation, this definitely showcases the ridiculous complexity of the immigration system in the United States and just how complicated “doing things the right way” actually is. While I would not wholeheartedly recommend this book because it is dated, I appreciate the perspective it provides.
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