betweentheshelves's reviews
2606 reviews

Weirdo by Tony Weaver Jr.

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emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

4.5

Thanks to NetGalley and First Second for an advanced copy of Weirdo by Tony Weaver Jr. to review! There have been so many great graphic novels coming out this year, both for teens and for middle grade. And this one just adds to the list! A graphic memoir, this relfects on Weaver's own experience in middle school, tackling difficult topics in a way that's easy for middle grade readers to digest.

I picked this one up specifically because it was illustrated by Jes and Cin Wibowo, who published Lunar Boy earlier this year. Which I loved! I think they're going to be a dynamic duo when it comes to illustratined graphic novels. Their art in this book as well fits the story so well, bring Weaver's writing to life. Between strong writing and beautiful illustrations, this will be a difficult book to put down!

If you're familiar with the middle grade graphic novel realm, you also might notice some easter eggs hidden throughout, which I always find fun. Weaver creates a balance in this book, with the heavy and the more lighthearted. The overall message is definitely one that's important for middle school readers. It's okay to be a little weird. 
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Review to come!
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Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell

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adventurous emotional funny medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I don't think this is my favorite book of the trilogy, but I love getting to see these characters in the US. It's so fun to see how their magic changes, and see the hijinks they get into in America. We also get to see how the trauma is informing their actions moving forward, which we get to see unpacked even more in the next book.
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Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

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adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I was just in the mood of a re-read of something, and reading Rainbow Rowell's new book put this in my head! Plus, I've never listened to the audio, and that's always a fun experience. Seeing how these characters are brought to life in the narration. And the narrator for this book is pretty good!

As per usual fashion, I finished this whole book in a day, and I love it each time I re-read it. This will be the first time I re-read it since the whole trilogy has been out, so I'm excited to see how they all read next to each other!
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Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell

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emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The format of this definitely reminded me of Colton Gentry's Third Act, weaving together storytlines from past and present. Since both are also YA authors, the high school/college age portions feel just authentic as the main storyline set when they're adults. That's not always easy to do, and I applaude them both for that!

I wasn't necessarily a fan of Shiloh at the beginning of this, but she grew on me thorughout the story. I liked getting to see her and Cary's relationship unfold throughout the book, with Rowell pulling things from their past to align with their present day. Rowell always excels at writing interesting characters and witty dialogue, and that is definitely true in this book as well.

Shiloh also explores her own sexuality in this book as an adult, but it is a small part of the story. You could make an argument for Shiloh being somewhere on the ace spectrum because of her conversation with Cary about sex, but it's never really exclusively named on the page.

All in all, not a bad adult romance from a favorite of mine! But reading this made me want to re-read Carry On, so I'm about to go and do that.
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Everything We Never Had by Randy Ribay

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emotional informative reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Multi-generational stories are always so fascinating to me. It's interesting to see how all of the threads of the family connect, how certain decisions affect later decisions. It's clear Ribay also put a lot of care in telling the story of this Filipino American story, reflecting the struggles of Filipinos throughout US history.

My only complaint is setting this during COVID. I know a lot of writers probably process things that way, but it's still too soon for me. The setting did help with the reconnection of family, though, even if it doesn't quite have the happiest ending. More of an open ending for you to interpret how you'd like. All in all, if you're a fan of multi-generational historical fiction, definitely give this one a try!
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Celestial Monsters by Aiden Thomas

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adventurous emotional funny medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Thanks to Feiwel and Friends and NetGalley for an advanced copy of Celestial Monsters by Aiden Thomas to review! Aiden Thomas is always an auto-read for me, and I was excited to jump back into the Sunbearer world. Especially with the cliffhanger that Thomas left us with in the first book! In this one, we got to see more of the world and more of the mythology that Thomas brought to life, which I really enjoyed!

In true Aiden Thomas fashion, the characters shine in this book. They have such a knack for writing characters that you will care about right from the beginning. In this one, we get to see more from Xio, which in turn, fleshes out the world that Thomas has already created. There are beautiful friendships as well as an adorable romance, and I always love to see that balance.

Teo and his friends also learn a lot about their world on the quest, realizing that maybe their world did need changing after all. If you like journey-type fantasies, this is definitely the fantasy for you! After this duology, I can’t wait to see what fantasies Thomas comes up with next. 
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Review to come!
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Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

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adventurous emotional sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I've seen this movie many times, but I've never actually read the book until now! Read it for banned book club, though of course it's not banned for the reasons you might think. I appreciated the way that this book deals with complex emotions for kids, both with grief and with just general friendship. And the movie is a pretty good adaptation of the book! Not a bad read all around.
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Not Nothing by Gayle Forman

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emotional hopeful medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Thanks to Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for an advanced copy of Not Nothing by Gayle Forman to review! Forman made the transition from YA to middle grade with ease, writing stories that will definitely tug at your heart strings. Notably, the heart of this story is that you can't always judge people by their actions and that you can find connection in the most unlikely places. I loved how Alex and Josey's relationship evolves throughout the book in that they both kind of needed each other.

Forman also nails the emotions in this story. working through grief about past actions and trying to figure out how to move into the future. In addition, we also get Josey's story from WWII nestled in what's happening with Alex, some of the emotions reflecting Alex's own struggles. Forman wove their stories together masterfully to create an emotionally satisfying story.

The side characters all play important roles as well; in a way, they all help Alex along his emotional journey. Honestly, if you're not reading middle grade right now, you should. There are so many great stories being published for that age group, this one included!

Finally, if you like books that don't shy away from the hard stuff, with a strong cast of characters and strong emotions, definitely check this one out later this month! 
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Review to come!
Adventures of Mary Jane by Hope Jahren

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adventurous challenging informative medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

There aren't many YA historical fiction books that are set in this era. so it's always nice to see something a little different. I'll admit, it's been a long time since I read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, so I honestly didn't remember who Mary Jane is. But I liked that Jahren gave her a whole backstory, eventually connecting this to that American classic.

You can tell that this book is thoroughly researched, with a lot of backmatter at the end explaining the real-life inspirations for the families in this book. It would work well as a companion piece to Huckleberry Finn and just talking about this era of the US, just before the Civil War. 

The book itself felt a little long, but other than that, if you like historical fiction, this is definitely a book to pick up!
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Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune

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emotional funny hopeful medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Thank you LibroFM for making this a free ALC for the month! Definitely one of my most anticipated books of the year, and it lived up to all of my expectations. I loved that we got to see Arthur's point of view in this one, getting a glimpse into what his past was truly like. Him and Linus together are so sweet, and I just love their little found family.

We get an addition to the family in this one, David the yeti, who fits right in with the other kids and is also a delight. Klune expands his fantasy world, and I enjoyed the additions that he made overall. There are emotional moments, happy moments, and everything in-between. You'll laugh, you'll cry, your heart will melt. 

With all the same cozy vibes at the first one, you'll definitely want to pick this one up!
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