sindri_inn_arsaeli's reviews
1120 reviews

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

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adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious 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

Opinions and Opossums by Ann Braden

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funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No

4.5

Beyond the Great Mountains: A Visual Poem about China by Ed Young

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emotional informative reflective relaxing slow-paced

5.0

I don't think I can say enough about the visual beauty of this book! Like an onion, the reader/viewer just keeps peeling back layers on each revisit. First there is the poem. Laid out on graduated cut pages so the complete poem is visible at once, it is a lovely poem, but then! Each page you turn exposes the illustration for a single line of the poetry, and the illustration is beautiful, darker muted earth tones in rice paper collage, and the pictures are evocative and soft edged and lovely. Each illustration is paired with one or two Chinese characters that pair with either the line of poetry or the way the picture illustrates the line, AND THEN! The illustrations suggest the characters shown for that page! You see how many stalks, or metal, is depicted in the character. I've been gushing about this book since I read it, and I would say anyone who loves art, China, written language, or just a good picture book, (your never too old for picture books!) should read this one!

My Antonia by Willa Cather

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challenging emotional hopeful inspiring sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

This Book Is Gray by Lindsay Ward

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funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This was a charming children's book about seeing the value in yourself even when you feel overlooked, and having the confidence to say so. It's a great story that can be relatable to a wide audience, as well as on multiple levels. Any kid can sometimes feel overlooked, but there's also a great point about representation, when Gray points out that they never get to see themselves in books, and they want it to just be their turn. Thank goodness children's books for this generation don't have as bad a problem with this as when I was a kid, but it is absolutely still a valid point that stands.

Wicked Plants: The Weed That Killed Lincoln's Mother & Other Botanical Atrocities by Amy Stewart

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dark informative fast-paced

3.75

John Adams by David McCullough

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informative medium-paced

4.0

100 Animals That Can F*cking End You by Mamadou Ndiaye

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funny informative fast-paced

4.0