an extremely tough book to read - important, obviously, but still pretty hard to get through. both in the subject matter and - as silly as it feels toan extremely tough book to read - important, obviously, but still pretty hard to get through. both in the subject matter and - as silly as it feels to complain about this - the hand lettering.
i had no idea the book was so much about how we tell stories. i thought the inclusion of the photographs in part 2 was very well done....more
this was such a good book to read in little bits before bed. absolutely my kind of nonsense. i do think that there is some issue in the curation of ththis was such a good book to read in little bits before bed. absolutely my kind of nonsense. i do think that there is some issue in the curation of the letters - both in how often certain people appear, certain people being included at all, and some letters just not being worth including - but i still really enjoyed my experience. ...more
this book didn't do much for me, unfortunately. however i will always applaud a story that is willing to show uncensored breasts.this book didn't do much for me, unfortunately. however i will always applaud a story that is willing to show uncensored breasts....more
This was a much stronger showing for Kanani - which was refreshing coming off of her abysmal first book.
It touches upon a lot of the same themes as boThis was a much stronger showing for Kanani - which was refreshing coming off of her abysmal first book.
It touches upon a lot of the same themes as book 1, it just... does them much better. It does feel like it's retreading old ground a bit, though.
Pika is everything that Wayne from Maryellen's series ought to have been. It never felt like he was specifically bullying Kanani - he was just an annoying pest in general, and she was able to give it as good as she could take it. And his turn to his more sympathetic side just felt a lot more realistic. He was a highlight.
Another highlight: the Akina parents! It was really subtle, but I LOVED what the Dad did at the start of this book. He listens to his daughters idea, and says "hey, it's a good one - if you can prove to me that you actually understand the logistics behind this and can give me a business plan, you can do it". He's making sure that she can actually follow through, while also supporting her....more
i don't have much special to say about this - very good, but it did feel a little less cohesive then kirsten's world. i don't have much special to say about this - very good, but it did feel a little less cohesive then kirsten's world. ...more
This book... hm. It was entirely focused on friendship drama - which I don't find to be within AG's strengths. And the friendship dra2.5 rounded down.
This book... hm. It was entirely focused on friendship drama - which I don't find to be within AG's strengths. And the friendship drama itself was... weird. Rachel was either giving microaggressions or she was just having valid complaints which got retconned away.
Rachel is uncomfortable sleeping in a room with a dog (she's just like me for real!!), but Kanani insists upon bringing the dog with them as they hang out. A couple of chapters later, suddenly Rachel wishes she had a dog too.
Rachel makes it clear she doesn't like the ocean or swimming. But then Kanani decides to surprise her with... an ocean-related activity. But don't worry it turns out she REALLY LIKES this one so it's okay that Kanani tried to cheer her up with something that, by all accounts, she really shouldn't have liked.
And the diary thing at the end... if Kanani had been characterized as a dumb girl prior to this, then I guess I could forgive this sort of stupid plot contrivance. But she seems like a perfectly intelligent young girl. I just can't believe she'd do something THIS stupid.
I thought the setting was well done, at least, and the two illustrations we got were gorgeous. But overall I wasn't a fan of this one. ...more
**spoiler alert** Boy, I have some complicated feelings on this book!!
I'm going to primarily talk about the negative feelings I have for it, since I f**spoiler alert** Boy, I have some complicated feelings on this book!!
I'm going to primarily talk about the negative feelings I have for it, since I find that those are more interesting things to touch upon in a review. But I do want to make it clear there was a lot to like here. The story tackled race, ableism, trauma, grief and queer issues - and unlike so many other graphic novels I've read recently, it feels like it has time to fully talk about all of them. The only topics it touches upon which I think it didn't really handle with grace are body image and abusive relationships.
And the couple actually was interesting! They both felt like real people with complicated inner lives! They had fun personalities and a good dynamic! You might think that's a low bar, but the sapphic graphic novels I've been reading lately... I feel cursed.
Okay. So positives out of the way, I might as well get to the point: I feel a bit uncomfortable about this book as a bisexual.
It has a bisexual cheating in a relationship. That's like... I dunno man. That's bad bisexual stereotype number one. And if this was a story about messy relationship drama that'd be one thing. But while the girls have a lot of turmoil, the romance itself is pretty wholesome. It's never acknowledged that Gabby cheated on Josh.
And Josh did suck! That is also a part of the problem I have with this book! But it's like... I don't loveee the implication that you can cheat if the BF sucks.
And then on that BF sucking - where nearly everything else in this book is pretty nuanced, the BF is just a cardboard cutout of a terrible biphobic body-shaming BF. We're given no reason to understand why Gabby would have ever liked him in the first place.
And it's not like I want to victim blame Gabby...? In real life, plenty of wonderful people end up with a terrible abusive partner. But it just felt cartoony.
And then, within the Navigator Nozomi manga, the bisexual heroine has a crush on an abusive and terrible man, and then ends up with an awesome GF. And I dunno man! I dunno. I don't like that both of the narratives just have a bisexual with a terrible man and then a wonderful woman.
And I didn't really like the manga itself. It didn't feel like a love letter to the shoujo genre, IMO - it just kind of was... bad and felt like it misunderstood the tropes. It always took me out of the story.
please understand that there is no world where i try and tell you the YA novel where 5 teens work for the FBI as criminal minds profilers is "good". iplease understand that there is no world where i try and tell you the YA novel where 5 teens work for the FBI as criminal minds profilers is "good". i really don't think i'd claim that. admittedly perhaps i am harsher on this book because i picked up book 3 since it had a casino theme and for some reason i thought a magician was solving crimes in it. there is no crime solving magician :-( but i can't really blame the book for it.
but i mean. i don't know. it fascinated me. it was a fibonacci sequence themed casino murder mystery. i actually thought the twist of the culprit was pretty clever. sloane is such a weird character i loved her despite myself. every other teen FBI employee is like "oh she's good at detecting lies" or "oh they're criminal profilers". but sloane is like. "insanely good with numbers + knows ever random fact + can hack the fbi + is a kleptomaniac for some reason". what is her deal....more
3.5 rounded up. I'm continuing to really enjoy this series, but I'm worried about the pacing. Not much has happened yet, and I fear the series is goin3.5 rounded up. I'm continuing to really enjoy this series, but I'm worried about the pacing. Not much has happened yet, and I fear the series is going to keep spinning its wheels. But for now I'm still having fun with the ride.
Also i do not like the puppy character and I fear it will get more important LOL....more
its insane how much better this book is about representing native americans when comparing to the main series. its night and day.
this is AG at it's bits insane how much better this book is about representing native americans when comparing to the main series. its night and day.
this is AG at it's best. historical details explained in a way a 9 year old can understand. the ending peak into the future was also just... so sweet....more
an interesting read. the captions in a lot of the photos seem to imply they took the photos at a re-enactment community...? or something like that...?an interesting read. the captions in a lot of the photos seem to imply they took the photos at a re-enactment community...? or something like that...? i wish we had more context on that. are these people actually living as if in the 1850s or is this more like a ren faire situation. ...more
An incredibly enjoyable mystery - Kathleen Ernst is the author of a lot of AG's mysteries, and so she really excels when writing a mystery for a girl An incredibly enjoyable mystery - Kathleen Ernst is the author of a lot of AG's mysteries, and so she really excels when writing a mystery for a girl whose main series she also authored.
It is a little funny how the terrible decisions of book 6 haunt the narrative here. IIRC, that book ends saying that they can spare Caroline for a few *days* for Independence Day - and yet she spends weeks away from the farm in this one! It does bug me from a continuity perspective, but also I think it was the right choice, since Sackets Harbor just works so much better as a setting for Caroline.
This is one of the least-forced mysteries I've read from AG - oftentimes you have to suspend your disbelief to figure out how the heck this 10 year old girl is getting involved in this sort of drama. But the wartime setting of Caroline and her daring spirit makes her a natural fit.
I also really loved how nuanced this book was willing to be on wartime topics. It's not just "America good, Britain bad". In particular I'm glad this book discussed the treatment of Black sailors. (view spoiler)[Once Caroline learns that many Black sailors are being threatened with slavery when they serve on the American side, and that's why Hosea is helping people defect to the British for their freedom - it isn't just something dumped on her that she forgets. It comes up again in the rest of the book, as she continues to reassess her country and the circumstances around her. (hide spoiler)]
It does feel like the end of the book was a bit of a nothingburger, though. We don't see the final confrontation, and we have a clumsy return to status quo. Not enough to sour the story for me, though. ...more
and now after 5 books which - as much as i didn't enjoy the action focus on them - felt coherent and cohesive as a story... we end on Kirsten Lite Farand now after 5 books which - as much as i didn't enjoy the action focus on them - felt coherent and cohesive as a story... we end on Kirsten Lite Farm Life!
as many others have pointed out, it is such a BAFFLING choice. there was enjoyment to be found in the slice of life moments, but not as much as i'd like. and it's just such an unsatisfying and out of nowhere ending to the series.
also the peak into the past.... this is a post-Kaya world. why are you glossing over Native Americans like that. not to say it was good / okay in earlier books but....? huh?...more
this gets an honorary 5 stars, because i think like.. within the realm of AG books, it is a 5 star one. it's one of the only "'saves the day"" (even ithis gets an honorary 5 stars, because i think like.. within the realm of AG books, it is a 5 star one. it's one of the only "'saves the day"" (even if it wasnt titled that LOL) books which i thought actually worked. it has some really interesting stuff to say about the role of women in the society they lived in, and drawed upon a very specific historical event.
it only gets 4 stars from me because i dislike action sequences so much. and this book is full of them. it's just not for me. but it's still a really well-done book. ...more
like the rest of Caroline's series, I think this does some really interesting things with the AG formula. unfortunately it's a super action-focused selike the rest of Caroline's series, I think this does some really interesting things with the AG formula. unfortunately it's a super action-focused series. which like. this isnt me saying "young ladies shouldn't read about adventure". i think it's awesome that this exists. but also i just don't like reading about action adventure stuff.
this one is odd, because i think it does a lot of very deft and interesting things from a writing perspective. i really like how it's engaging with a this one is odd, because i think it does a lot of very deft and interesting things from a writing perspective. i really like how it's engaging with a lot of american girl cliches. unfortunately i also just did not enjoy READING the book. i hate action and peril in my AG books. and boy was there action and peril. this isn't even a saves the day!
but as i was saying... this book is really interested in carolines personal life. it's concerned with the dynamics she has - being "too young" or "too old" or "too ladylike" or "too unladylike" for certain activities . it's really fascinating. and when she displays some 10 year old typical brat behavior, the book pretty firmly calls her out on it - it states plainly she was more focused on doing something *she'd* like rather then thinking of what rhonda would like.
again - really cool stuff from a narrative perspective! but it just wasn't something i enjoyed reading....more
I was less impressed by this one. I'm not quite sure why... I think it might be that I just don't like very action-heavy AG books. And this one sure dI was less impressed by this one. I'm not quite sure why... I think it might be that I just don't like very action-heavy AG books. And this one sure did have action! Not that it makes it bad or problematic or anything. But it does make me less interested....more
Returning to the 6 book series... I've missed you dearly...
This was a fun one! Caroline feels like a very three-dimensional character, for lack of a bReturning to the 6 book series... I've missed you dearly...
This was a fun one! Caroline feels like a very three-dimensional character, for lack of a better word - we're shown both her strengths and weaknesses, and a wide variety of her hobbies and interests. Which is a bit of a basic thing to praise it for, but these books really do live and die by how good their Girl is.
the beginning of this graphic novel really didnt impress me - but i feel like it got more interesting towards the middle, and truly interesting right the beginning of this graphic novel really didnt impress me - but i feel like it got more interesting towards the middle, and truly interesting right at the end. which makes it a bit of a shame that most of the stuff i was interested in seeing occurs off-screen. i appreciate it trying to tackle body image and beauty standards, even if i'm not sure the book fully lands the messaging....more
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