Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.55 AVERAGE
4.55 AVERAGE
‘Hazel Hill Is Gonna Win This One’ by Maggie Horne will make readers feel equally angry and empowered. When Hazel hears stories from Tyler about the girls he likes and how they've snubbed him and the like, she shrugs them off and doesn’t think much of them. She’s just someone who Tyler confides in, but she soon realizes that this is not the case, and she begins to feel like she is somehow “less than” since he won’t speak to her other than when he uses her as his “diary”. It really begins when she becomes friends with Ella Quinn, a popular seventh grader who seems to really like Hazel, even though Hazel has always looked at Ella as nothing more than her competition in the speech contest held at the school each year. It comes out that Ella is being harassed by Tyler on an anonymous online app, and Hazel isn’t having it.
The problem is that when they try to do something about it, the teachers and administration don’t seem to believe them. Worse yet, they don’t want to even talk to Tyler about it. Their plans keep going up in smoke as they try to reveal the truth about Tyler and the terrible way he’s treating Ella. They reach out to other girls to find out if they’ve been treated poorly by Tyler as well.
It is infuriating that the way in which they are sidelined and treated as if they, as girls, are merely trying to ruin a boy’s life, is so horribly indicative of the way in which so many women are treated on a regular basis in real life. The story cuts to the core of the poor treatment that so many women and girls have to deal with, even when they come forward telling nothing but the truth. They just have to discover a way to make people hear them, and Hazel discovers she has just the way, as the book comes to its satisfying conclusion.
Hazel, Ella Quinn, and their friend Riley are great role models for their peers. They stand up for what they believe in, don’t let themselves end up being walked all over, and create opportunities where it doesn’t seem there are any. They are our future, and more kids should take their acts as an example for how to be kinder, prouder, more thoughtful individuals who work to serve not only their own needs, but the needs of others.
Beth Rodgers, Author of ‘Welcome to Chanu-Con!,’ a Children's Picture Book, and ‘Freshman Fourteen’ and ‘Sweet Fifteen,’ Young Adult Novels
*Review originally posted at YABooksCentral.com*
The problem is that when they try to do something about it, the teachers and administration don’t seem to believe them. Worse yet, they don’t want to even talk to Tyler about it. Their plans keep going up in smoke as they try to reveal the truth about Tyler and the terrible way he’s treating Ella. They reach out to other girls to find out if they’ve been treated poorly by Tyler as well.
It is infuriating that the way in which they are sidelined and treated as if they, as girls, are merely trying to ruin a boy’s life, is so horribly indicative of the way in which so many women are treated on a regular basis in real life. The story cuts to the core of the poor treatment that so many women and girls have to deal with, even when they come forward telling nothing but the truth. They just have to discover a way to make people hear them, and Hazel discovers she has just the way, as the book comes to its satisfying conclusion.
Hazel, Ella Quinn, and their friend Riley are great role models for their peers. They stand up for what they believe in, don’t let themselves end up being walked all over, and create opportunities where it doesn’t seem there are any. They are our future, and more kids should take their acts as an example for how to be kinder, prouder, more thoughtful individuals who work to serve not only their own needs, but the needs of others.
Beth Rodgers, Author of ‘Welcome to Chanu-Con!,’ a Children's Picture Book, and ‘Freshman Fourteen’ and ‘Sweet Fifteen,’ Young Adult Novels
*Review originally posted at YABooksCentral.com*
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
"A great speech can change the world. If you have something to say, and you say it well, you might find it's the perfect way to get a point across. Even if it scares you"
TW : Online bullying and sexual harassment.
Hazel Hill is the perfect student. Great grades, no complaints from anyone and she's amazing at delivering speeches. Ella Quinn is her academic nemesis. But when Tyler, a kid who thinks he can get away with anything he wants, starts to sexually harass girls online, Hazel and Ella, along with Ella's friend Riley, come together to put a stop to it.
Even though this is a book for middle grade readers, I truly think everyone can and should read this one. I was laughing and being angry and crying with Hazel, Ella and Riley. The fact that none of the adults, whose responsibility it is to keep children safe and feel safe, took them seriously when they tried to raise awareness of such an important issue made my blood boil. I read with tears how Mrs. West talked to Hazel and Ella in a condescending tone and how dismissive she was to their concerns. I was furious to read how Tyler's mother thinks of her son as "perfect" and let's him get away with everything because "they're boys", as if that makes it okay.
TW : Online bullying and sexual harassment.
Hazel Hill is the perfect student. Great grades, no complaints from anyone and she's amazing at delivering speeches. Ella Quinn is her academic nemesis. But when Tyler, a kid who thinks he can get away with anything he wants, starts to sexually harass girls online, Hazel and Ella, along with Ella's friend Riley, come together to put a stop to it.
Even though this is a book for middle grade readers, I truly think everyone can and should read this one. I was laughing and being angry and crying with Hazel, Ella and Riley. The fact that none of the adults, whose responsibility it is to keep children safe and feel safe, took them seriously when they tried to raise awareness of such an important issue made my blood boil. I read with tears how Mrs. West talked to Hazel and Ella in a condescending tone and how dismissive she was to their concerns. I was furious to read how Tyler's mother thinks of her son as "perfect" and let's him get away with everything because "they're boys", as if that makes it okay.
Got an arc from work!
I follow this author on Twitter so when we got this at work I snagged the copy!
I am so decidedly not the target audience for middle grade so I try to judge it by how much I would’ve appreciated it as a kid.
I wish I’d had this book in middle school, because I’m sixth and seventh grade some members of my friend group got really shitty, and I got told “well boys will be boys, have you tried NOT getting in his personal space to the point where he tries to hurt you?”
And I would’ve felt so validated if I’d had this at that age, so I can only imagine how some other kid is gonna feel getting this now
Thank you
I follow this author on Twitter so when we got this at work I snagged the copy!
I am so decidedly not the target audience for middle grade so I try to judge it by how much I would’ve appreciated it as a kid.
I wish I’d had this book in middle school, because I’m sixth and seventh grade some members of my friend group got really shitty, and I got told “well boys will be boys, have you tried NOT getting in his personal space to the point where he tries to hurt you?”
And I would’ve felt so validated if I’d had this at that age, so I can only imagine how some other kid is gonna feel getting this now
Thank you
*I received a copy from the publisher via Netgalley in return for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion of the book.*
Hazel Hill keeps her head down and her eyes on the ball. This year’s goal? Win this year’s speech contest, and nothing can bring her down, not even last year’s mistake where she accidentally mispronounced hyperbole. And not even Tyler Harris, who made it his life’s mission to talk Hazel’s ear off about every crush he’s ever had, can distract her. Until he says, Ella Quinn has a crush on her. And suddenly, she’s all that she can focus on, and Hazel discovers that the girls in her school are being harassed, and she finds herself amid a plan to take the harasser down.
This was a surprisingly fun read. I never thought to pick up Middle-Grade books nowadays. Still, after being enticed by the adorable cover, I did not expect to find myself reading a powerful story about three girls standing up against sexual harassment. There is so much to say about this story that it is hard to put my thoughts into words. After reading this, I felt a sense of happiness, knowing that a book like this will be going into the hands of young kids. When the New York Magazine can publish an article defending a seventeen-year-old boy who was ostracised for showing nudes of his girlfriend at a party as a childish mistake, stories like Hazel Hill will be crucial for the younger audience. Inspired by the author’s own experience as a child, she has perfectly captured the spirit of a young girl navigating school life alone who suddenly finds herself defenceless when her classmate Tyler Harris is revealed to be terrorising most of the girls in the school. All the adults she was told to trust brush off his remarks and begin to pin the blame on the girls for acting in such a way. Hazel Hill discusses sexual harassment in a way that I can see be a great tool for younger audiences to understand the topic without going into too much detail.
Hazel Hill is Gonna Win This One is a story of empowerment and standing proud. An incredible tale with great bouts of humour that was a pleasure to read. Tackling an experience most girls will sadly face in their lives, this book will, in no doubt, foster discussion in a healthy way.
Hazel Hill keeps her head down and her eyes on the ball. This year’s goal? Win this year’s speech contest, and nothing can bring her down, not even last year’s mistake where she accidentally mispronounced hyperbole. And not even Tyler Harris, who made it his life’s mission to talk Hazel’s ear off about every crush he’s ever had, can distract her. Until he says, Ella Quinn has a crush on her. And suddenly, she’s all that she can focus on, and Hazel discovers that the girls in her school are being harassed, and she finds herself amid a plan to take the harasser down.
This was a surprisingly fun read. I never thought to pick up Middle-Grade books nowadays. Still, after being enticed by the adorable cover, I did not expect to find myself reading a powerful story about three girls standing up against sexual harassment. There is so much to say about this story that it is hard to put my thoughts into words. After reading this, I felt a sense of happiness, knowing that a book like this will be going into the hands of young kids. When the New York Magazine can publish an article defending a seventeen-year-old boy who was ostracised for showing nudes of his girlfriend at a party as a childish mistake, stories like Hazel Hill will be crucial for the younger audience. Inspired by the author’s own experience as a child, she has perfectly captured the spirit of a young girl navigating school life alone who suddenly finds herself defenceless when her classmate Tyler Harris is revealed to be terrorising most of the girls in the school. All the adults she was told to trust brush off his remarks and begin to pin the blame on the girls for acting in such a way. Hazel Hill discusses sexual harassment in a way that I can see be a great tool for younger audiences to understand the topic without going into too much detail.
Hazel Hill is Gonna Win This One is a story of empowerment and standing proud. An incredible tale with great bouts of humour that was a pleasure to read. Tackling an experience most girls will sadly face in their lives, this book will, in no doubt, foster discussion in a healthy way.
Such a necessary book - I wish it weren't but it is.
Hazel and Ella and all the other girls' experiences are what we see in schools, on social media and on the streets every single day. The 11 year olds in my tutor group can give me multiple examples, each, of things they have heard, seen, or have been written to/about them.
This is a book I would put in every single school library - Y6 +. Though I worry that ever younger girls are being more and more exposed to this.
Thanks to the publisher for an ARC copy.
Hazel and Ella and all the other girls' experiences are what we see in schools, on social media and on the streets every single day. The 11 year olds in my tutor group can give me multiple examples, each, of things they have heard, seen, or have been written to/about them.
This is a book I would put in every single school library - Y6 +. Though I worry that ever younger girls are being more and more exposed to this.
Thanks to the publisher for an ARC copy.
Loved it!
Thanks to Storygram Kids Book Tours for the gifted copy.
Thanks to Storygram Kids Book Tours for the gifted copy.
This felt like Moxie for middle grade. Sexual harassment, not being listened to, and continuing to fight.