I really enjoyed this one! Percy now has to complete 3 quests to get recommendation letters to be admitted to the same university as his now-GF, AnnabI really enjoyed this one! Percy now has to complete 3 quests to get recommendation letters to be admitted to the same university as his now-GF, Annabeth.
We get to know some demigods who haven't been characters before, such as Ganymede, who has lost his chalice and must find it before Zeus throws another party.
Grover assisted with some of the tasks, but sadly, there was no Tyson.
There was some great character development, and you can see them all growing up and preparing for adulthood.
This was a fun short story collection of adventures and extra stories for the characters that I have gotten to know in the Percy Jackson and the OlympThis was a fun short story collection of adventures and extra stories for the characters that I have gotten to know in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series.
Bessie is the best character in this one. Grover was important, but man was he annoying.
I did want more details regarding Artemis's interpretation of Bessie is the best character in this one. Grover was important, but man was he annoying.
I did want more details regarding Artemis's interpretation of her Hunt. There was some lesser-known lore that could have come to light here. Hopefully we can see that in the future.
Dionysus made himself slightly useful while Chiron was mostly absent. Poseidon somewhat grows his relationship with Percy.
The second standout character I would have never expected was Annabeth's dad!
Another great adventure in the Percy Jackson series.
I haven't read this one on my own ever. I remember having it read to me when I was younger, so it was great to come back and revisit it! I was thrilleI haven't read this one on my own ever. I remember having it read to me when I was younger, so it was great to come back and revisit it! I was thrilled to find this edition at a local used book store. It's a beautiful cover to go in my library.
If you want the entire tale, not the Disney version, check out this one.
Wow, this was heavy from the beginning, especially for the younger audience. Perhaps that's why it is not as well known.
The book opens by talking aboWow, this was heavy from the beginning, especially for the younger audience. Perhaps that's why it is not as well known.
The book opens by talking about Artemisia the horse's miscarriage of a previous foul and goes into a bit of detail about this before talking about her new fear. Calling the rest of the herd's horses a harem is a strange way to describe this for a middle-grade group.
Maya has lost both of her parents and lives with her grandmother, who blames May's mother's love of horses for the death of Maya's father. All photos of the mother are cut or removed from the home. A new housecleaner is out to get Maya in trouble in order to stay in the grandmother's good graces.
While this book has a lot of beauty, it would have found a likelier audience in the Young Adult crowd that was more likely to cope with such a plethora of trauma in a single novel.
Of over 100 books read so far in 2023, this is by far my least favorite. My first 1 star of 2023 at book #118.
I do not recommend that book unless youOf over 100 books read so far in 2023, this is by far my least favorite. My first 1 star of 2023 at book #118.
I do not recommend that book unless you want to read bigoted and damaging racist views of Native Americans; it was hard to stomach it. I wanted to DNF so hard it made me sick to read.
It is one thing to make characters for readers to hate, I get that. I love Stephen King, he has some despicable characters, for sure.
However, this book is geared toward a middle-grade and teen audience, AND it won awards! Not only is its portrayal of Native Americans disgusting, but it's also not even well-written in terms of dialogue and story flow. Also, being written by a female author somehow makes it worse.
The main character is a self-righteous little jerk that finds himself lost and helped by Native Americans. Then he feels like they all OWE him something, and how dare he be bothered to teach the ignorant and unkept Natives how to read. Their speech is horrendous. How could they have any intelligence at all without a proper little white boy to teach them?
The American Indian characters in this book are portrayed as lazy, dirty, and intellectually lacking, almost to the point of mental handicap. This is further reinforced through the use of broken pigeon English in the majority of the dialogue, while the lost affluent white boy uses words well beyond his years.
I get that this was published in the 1980s, but wow, this portrayal was LAUDED! These are its accolades: Newbery Medal Nominee (1984), Scott O'Dell Award (1984), Young Hoosier Book Award Nominee (1983), Vermont Golden Dome Book Award Nominee (1985), Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis Nominee (1), Boston Globe-Horn Book Award (1984), California Young Readers Medal Nominee for Intermediate (1987), Best Children's Books of the Year (Bank Street College of Education) (1983); meaning this was peak literature to give to CHILDREN!!! I was born 1 year after this was written, and I was NEVER taught to think like this about Native Americans; this would have been gross to my parents at the time as well, having been born in the 1960s.
The most positive thing I can say about this book is that thank goodness, so many people have learned from better literary portrayals and have continued to DO BETTER 30-40 years later.
I feel like I need to burn this book and cleanse myself of its taint. No child should read this unless it is an example of how literature and racist portrayals of characters can HARM an entire group of people, and show these feelings that we have grown as human beings at least in some ways.
1 star. Only because I can't give it negative stars....more
The stories were mostly more humorous as the grandkids were younger, but there were still awesome quotable passThis book was great and made me laugh!
The stories were mostly more humorous as the grandkids were younger, but there were still awesome quotable passages to help teach Chicaho history and make it relatable to teens.
Grandma Dowdel is a hoot! Most of the wisdom comes from Joey.
Worth the read! I'm going to have to re-read it now with my tween!
Some of the many quotes that made me laugh "Even from a distance, he looked like somebody you didn't want to know better."
"About the only thing Vandaylia and Junior had going for them as a couple was that they weren't cousins."
“Never trust an ugly woman. She's got a grudge against the world,' said Grandma who was no oil painting herself.”
The first 2/3 of this book were VERY well done. I was invested, and it was very well written. This book was pretty dark and jacked up at its core thouThe first 2/3 of this book were VERY well done. I was invested, and it was very well written. This book was pretty dark and jacked up at its core though
Once the gang of boys is introduced, things are less enticing. The ending was a bit rushed and wrapped up a bit too nicely and quickly. I also had an issue that these characters are all Hispanic, and the nicknames and most of the vocabulary are VERY white American—it seemed a bit out of place for the setting.
The idea of the clones and harvesting was interesting; it reminded me of a middle-grade cartel version of the movie: The Island.
I wasn't really sure what to expect when I went into this, but it was much better than I anticipated. I like the overall mystery, even if the family iI wasn't really sure what to expect when I went into this, but it was much better than I anticipated. I like the overall mystery, even if the family is a bit terrible to one another.
The pacing was good, and overall, nothing was glaringly wrong mechanically. I am a bit nervous about reading on when each both has a different author.
I will have to check it out and see if the next book is as good as this one was.
I love this concept. I even like the characters, but the pace is sometimes so erratic. I think the audio narrator is boring me, and I would have enjoyI love this concept. I even like the characters, but the pace is sometimes so erratic. I think the audio narrator is boring me, and I would have enjoyed this a lot more in a physical format.
Overall, I still like the story. I am primarily sick of the bland narration. Why would an older man be chosen to narrate a middle-grade novel with many MCs?
The adventure is great, and the world-building and politics are well-down. I wish I would have enjoyed it more.
I wish I could have read this one when I was younger because it would have been RIGHT up my alley. I LOVED books like this when I was in school.
ReadinI wish I could have read this one when I was younger because it would have been RIGHT up my alley. I LOVED books like this when I was in school.
Reading it for the first time as an adult leaves a bit to be desired, but I can still appreciate it being intended for the target audience.
I got a bit annoyed by some of the characters, which contributed to losing the star. Again, this was age-specific, and I hesitate to rate it based on my enjoyment when I get why the author's wrote the characters that way.
Excellent paranormal series for teens; some horror may not be appropriate for younger kids in the middle-grade age group. There is also a lot of selfish behavior and meanness towards a disabled sister that was harder to read as an adult.
These narrative story poetry novels are killing it! Rajani LaRocca brought her "A" Game to this one.
Reha was SO well done, and I was hurting right theThese narrative story poetry novels are killing it! Rajani LaRocca brought her "A" Game to this one.
Reha was SO well done, and I was hurting right there with her as she grew up the best way she could, torn in a world where she felt that she didn't fit in anywhere and had to go through so many familial issues.
Many huge immigration issues are touched upon without making the book based on them. This was a beautiful way to raise subtle awareness of issues such as the aunt encountering a problem getting a visa, etc.
Sunny's albinism makes her a target for attacks no matter where she resides, especially as she starts school in Nigeria after her family moves back frSunny's albinism makes her a target for attacks no matter where she resides, especially as she starts school in Nigeria after her family moves back from America. Sunny cannot back down from a challenge, harming and helping her in equal measures.
Nnedi Okorafor did a brilliant job showcasing cultural differences in the treatment of children at a younger age in Nigeria as opposed to America. The additional freedoms and responsibilities made this story more plausible for younger characters (12-13 years old). While struggling some, Sunny is able to navigate this change by barreling through with strength and tenacity. She has found her most effective method to be confrontation and a show of force. However, she was able to identify friend from foe without blanket aggression, as showcased in the incident with the switch. I wondered what kind of a difference stepping into the accepted physical environment was. I know she was born in Nigeria but seemed to have spent her elementary years primarily in America. Obviously, she would have had some understanding on the cultural differences from how strongly her parents felt about her knowing her Nigerian heritage. Having a son at this age, it made me wonder how he would act out with such a drastic change in her shoes.
I loved the magical elements and can see how the meshing strengthened the story. Parallel worlds blend through interesting veiled passageways from present-day Nigeria to a society of Leopard people. Leopard people possess magical abilities in different shapes and forms. I liked the different ability levels and the books that were described.
The comparison to Harry Potter felt quite minimal to me. If it gets you to pick up this book, great. Otherwise, the only small notes I could even grasp were that there are magical books and shops, the age of the characters, and the veiled crossing between dimensions/realms/worlds. Otherwise, this tale stands uniquely on it's own and had more of an intimate feel surrounding the four MCs, while HP was more of a broad expanse of Hogwarts and beyond.
I genuinely liked the portrayal of pretty much all of the characters. I honestly wish it would have been longer, because I wanted more about the world. And I wanted there to be even more descriptions of the settings.
We follow a 9-year-old boy named Brandon as he was in one of the two towers when a plane crashed into it The dual narration was well done in this one.
We follow a 9-year-old boy named Brandon as he was in one of the two towers when a plane crashed into it on 9/11. The crash separates Brandon and his father, and they struggle to get to one another before it's too late.
We also follow Reshmina, an 11-year-old girl in "current" (now past) Afghanistan. Her story was a bit more powerful for me. Her family ends up harboring an injured American soldier. She must combat her twin brother when he tries to go to the Taliban to let them know they have the American.
This was a more demanding read for a younger audience but enjoyable at an older age.
I have been missing out on Jen Wang! This book was beautiful. I freaking cried! I loved this so much!
This was perfectly told to span across the ages. I have been missing out on Jen Wang! This book was beautiful. I freaking cried! I loved this so much!
This was perfectly told to span across the ages. I loved Moon's quirky little self. The art is fantastic, and the narrative is even better. The sequential art went together perfectly; I got completely caught up in it.
Do yourself a favor and pick up this gem about friendship and cultural boundaries.
Loading...
