Why have I only just discovered the genius that is the partnership between author Davide Cali and illustrator Benjamin Chaud? This book takes you on a tour of one of the coolest schools ever! I could easily see kids graduating from this school and then moving on to finish their high school years at Hogwarts. That is the level of cool we’re talking about here!
Henry’s teacher asks him to give the new girl a tour of the school. Henry, fully decked out in his pinstriped suit with coordinating socks and tie, proceeds to show the new girl around his “there really isn’t anything to see here” school.
Henry nonchalantly climbs the ladder to feed the class pet fish, a ginormous jellyfish. The pair wander past the school’s music room, art room and math corner before taking a peek at the secret science experiment that’s almost finished.
The shortcut to recess takes them through a twisty clear tube reminiscent of the one that ended Augustus Gloop’s tour of Mr Wonka’s factory. Henry’s fellow classmates are playing in a tree that includes a very ho-hum roller coaster.
Between recess and lunch they drop in on some more classes, and after lunch they check out the school library and wonder what the teachers get up to in the teacher’s lounge. After a few more stops the pair make it back to their classroom just in time to go home. Now that was good timing! There’s even a surprise at the end of the book that I certainly didn’t see coming and made me chuckle.
This kid’s book is so imaginative. There’s such a disconnect between the boredom of showing the new kid around school and the wild illustrations that show just why this school is so unbelievable. Unbelievably awesome, that is! The illustrations are detailed and funny.
While kids will love the illustrations and marvel at all of the incredible things they wish their school would have on offer, adults will probably even appreciate them ever more.
I was delighted to come across some fun allusions to Creature from the Black Lagoon, Smaug, Pippi Longstocking and The Phantom of the Opera. Once you’ve read the book I’d encourage you to carefully check each illustration as there are some scattered clues to the surprise ending for you to find.
I got to the end of this book and then immediately subscribed myself at the publisher’s website, went to order everything my library has from this duo and told Mum she’s going to love this book. I need to either recreate or move in to this school’s library!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
Beware of … this school?! Henry is taking his new classmate on a whirlwind tour of their school. Mysterious inventions lurk, the cafeteria requires ninja skills, and some teachers may be monsters! Is this fantastical school to be believed? Or is there an even more outrageous surprise in store?
Celebrated international author-illustrator team Davide Cali and Benjamin Chaud – the duo behind Junior Library Guild selections I Didn’t Do My Homework Because … and The Truth About My Unbelievable Summer … – are back with yet another rollicking tale about truth, lies, and … school!
Wait! What? Outlive?! You won’t see Jeff Probst’s cheeky smile or hear his cheerful jibes at contestants in this game of Survivor! In this game the stakes are high and so are the potential rewards.
10 teams! 5 people per team! 3 days! £1 million each to the winning team!
When Lizzie finds details online about Iron Teen, hosted by multibillionaire Marcus Gold, founder of Gold Foundation, she eagerly tells her friends Ben, Grady, Carmen and Will about this exciting opportunity. The five have previously completed the Duke of Edinburgh together so they’re confident they have a good chance of winning Iron Teen and taking home the cash.
On the verge of adulthood and with dreams of university, starting a business or helping out their struggling family at the forefront of their minds, the five friends decide that this opportunity is too good to miss.
Furnished with their initial instructions and backpacks filled to the brim with supplies (I’m looking at you here, Grady), they think they have everything they need to complete the unknown challenges awaiting them on Aikenhead, Gold’s private island. They’re confident that between them they have the brains, brawn and endurance required to succeed.
In this game teams need to race around the island to find locked boxes that contain the coordinates to the next location, clues to solve the puzzle that will grant them access to the next locked box and a geocache box. They will need to take whatever is in each geocache box and replace it with something “of equal or greater value at each checkpoint.”
The winning team will be the ones with the quickest time who bring all of their collected items with them to the final checkpoint. Lizzie’s team are excited for a challenging but fun adventure that has the potential to set them up financially so they can live their dreams.
Once on the island our five adventurers learn that the game is not what they expected. The terrain can be treacherous and there’s no one to help them other than their teammates. Oh, and the other teams are hunting their fellow competitors for body parts. There will be no escape until the game is over because the crossing between the island and the safety of the real world is only raised every three days.
The characters, action, pacing, gore and backstories combined made for a book I didn’t want to put down. While there was plenty of action and at times I felt breathless when I realised I’d held my breath during a scene, there were also times of connection between the teammates as well as suspense as the characters and myself waited for the next horror to unfold. I’ve read plenty of books with gore in them so the descriptions here were certainly not the most graphic or gross that I’ve come across, but in terms of a young adult book it would rate quite high on the ‘Eww!’ meter.
The characters’ personalities and voices were distinct and memorable. I loved Grady’s wacky conspiracy theories. I enjoyed Car’s sassy remarks and Lizzie’s enthusiasm. Ben’s sensitivity was so sweet, as was his not so secret love for Lizzie. Will’s character was particularly interesting and while Grady was my favourite character, Will came a close second.
I particularly loved the exploration of the relationship between the two brothers, Ben and Will. The flashback scenes of their childhood experiences added a depth to a story that could easily have simply become a gore-fest. I didn’t expect the sensitivity of the portrayal of the mental illness within their family.
Through flashbacks and their current circumstances the dynamics of this family is examined. We not only get to witness the effects that mental illness has on each individual; we also see its impact on the relationships between family members. I definitely understood and empathised with the protector role.
What delighted me above all was that I was surprised by both characters and events at the end. I was surprised by certain actions of two characters and the actions of a third, while I saw it coming, had me rethinking whether I still liked them or not. Usually young adult books, while entertaining, are generally fairly predictable. I had some ideas of where the plot was heading but I not only didn’t guess the end, it was also better than anything I’d come up with myself.
Another unexpected bonus was that this story got me to thinking about what I’d do if I was in any one of the character’s places. Black and white moral questions greyed for some characters and in most situations I could understand where they were coming from. I loved the questions this book made me consider for myself:
What would I be willing to do to win £1 million?
What sacrifices would I be willing to make?
How much is my integrity worth to me?
Would £1 million cover the therapy bills I’d need to pay if I compromised my morals enough that I did what I had to in order to win?
Is there a point of no return where the end justifies the means and what type of person is willing to cross this line?
If you hurt me, does that then entitle me to take revenge on you?
I had just one unanswered question at the end of this book and while it’s possible I missed the explanation, it is bugging me. Why was team 10 disqualified?
I need to go find some more of Bryony Pearce’s novels. If this novel is any indication of her talent her back catalogue is going to be making its way to my Kindle fairly soon.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Stripes Publishing, an imprint of Little Tiger Group, for the opportunity to read this book. I knew from having already read Charlotte Says that I was interested in reading more Red Eye books. Now I’m convinced I need to read them all!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
When reclusive millionaire Marcus Gold announces that he’s going to be staging an “Iron Teen” competition on his private island in the Outer Hebrides, teenagers Ben, Lizzie, Will, Grady and Carmen sign up – the prize is £1 million pounds … each. But when the competition begins, the group begin to regret their decision. Other teams are hunting their competitors and attacking them for body parts. Can the friends stick together under such extreme pressure to survive? When lives are at stake, you find out who you can really trust …
A Red Eye horror novel for teens, this gripping YA thriller story is full of fast-paced action.
I grew up with the Peanuts gang. I read the comics and knew all of the TV specials by heart. I loved It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown and watched A Charlie Brown Christmas every year. I have a Peanuts book with black and white comics that I read to death as a kid. While its pages are yellow with age, they’re thankfully all intact. I know I’ll never part with it.
One of the first stuffed toys I ever received was Snoopy and I have photos of me sitting holding it before I was a year old. I still have that Snoopy, although he kind of doesn’t have a nose anymore. It wasn’t me! 😇 Oh, who am I kidding? I’m sure it was me. It’s not like I have any siblings to blame. I even completed a cross stitch as an adult of Lucy sitting at her psychiatry booth, which is as cute and funny as it sounds.
So, that was a long winded way of saying that it basically feels like the Peanuts gang grew up down the road from me, so reading I’m Not Your Sweet Babboo! felt like I was catching up with my childhood friends. I knew a lot of the stories already so they felt like the gang and I were reminiscing about the good ol’ days. I was also excited to find some comic strips I’d never encountered before (I guess I wasn’t home those days and they had adventures without me).
”If life were a camera, I’d have the lens cap on.”
Charlie Brown
Charles M. Schulz created such a wonderful cast of characters. There are just so many smiles in this book. Peppermint Patty is excited that she doesn’t have to go to school anymore because she’s just graduated. Snoopy is her attorney when the public school wants evidence of her graduation. She has graduated – from dog obedience training. Peppermint Patty and Marcie learn how competitive golf can be when they become caddies at the Country Club. Marcie calls Peppermint Patty ‘sir’ all of the time, as usual.
Snoopy and Woodstock have some talks with ‘World War II’, the mean cat next door, who doesn’t talk so much as bowl Snoopy over every chance it gets. Snoopy also meets the beagle of his dreams, plans his wedding and invites his brother Spike to be his best man.
Charlie Brown waits by the mailbox for Valentines, chats to the kite-eating tree and learns why you can’t trust 3’s. Sally welcomes the new school building.
Schroeder plays the piano and Lucy fawns over him, and naturally, Linus and his blanket hang out. I would have liked Franklin and Pig-Pen to show up but I’m sure they’ll make appearances in other collections.
“No, ma’am, I wasn’t daydreaming … I was conceptualising!”
Peppermint Patty
I adored this book, particularly the comic strips that were new to me. Having mostly read black and white Peanuts comics I loved that this collection was in colour. Because these kids were a significant part of my childhood, nostalgia will always play a huge role in how I look at any of the characters but from my point of view Mr Schulz’s characters have stood the test of time.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for this wonderful trip down memory lane.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
Pick up a glass of milk, curl up with your security blanket, and enjoy the timeless brilliance of Peanuts in this new collection of comic strips!
Everyone’s favorite classic characters are back: Peppermint Patty enrolls in a private school to end her academic troubles – only to discover she’s just graduated from obedience school. Linus finds himself entangled in a love triangle (and stuck on top of a snow-covered roof). And Charlie Brown runs away from the law and becomes a vagrant baseball coach.
The Peanuts crew is lovable, popular, and charming, but please whatever you do, don’t call Linus “My Sweet Babboo!”
I’ve followed Stacey’s career from fashion loving teen travelling to India through to the professional journalist she is today, watching and rewatching every documentary each time they’ve aired on television. When I first heard she was releasing a book I was so keen to get my hands on it ASAP. I read the blurb and immediately thought of DVD Special Features. I imagined Stacey’s book as a combination of Deleted Scenes and Director’s Commentary, but it was so much more.
What I love about Stacey’s work with social issues women face around the world is that she gives you information about emotionally loaded topics in a thoughtful and respectful way. You don’t just get to hear her opinion; you learn about people whose lives that issue directly effects as a victim, their family and friends, along with any officials in the area or perpetrators that are willing to be interviewed.
Stacey and her team focus on some locations and issues that I was vaguely familiar with and others that sadly I had practically no knowledge of. In this book Stacey delves into issues relating to prison, immigration, drugs, child abuse, femicide, high-end to low-end prostitution, trans prostitution, abortion, child sexualisation, murder, war and survival. Your heart will be broken and warmed by the womens’ stories. For women who have had to survive such horrendous circumstances in their past and oftentimes present as well, their courage and resilience are extraordinary and inspirational. It’s up to you as the reader to form your own opinions about what’s presented to you and whether that will change your mind or not, but you cannot walk away uninformed. I hope you also walk away with your empathy enlarged.
Whenever someone starts talking politics my brain goes into standby mode so I was really surprised that Stacey could explain political issues to me, including what Obama stood for versus Trump, and I not only heard her but I understood what she was saying. Don’t get me wrong; I’ll never understand American politics. However Stacey explained policies and the way people are affected by them in such a down to earth way that I knew what she was talking about and if she’d done nothing else in this book, she’d deserve a medal for that alone!
Having seen most of the documentaries that Stacey refers to in On the Front Line with the Women Who Fight Back I could picture the people and scenes she was referring to, as well as hearing her voice in my head as I read. I was enjoying reliving some of my favourite documentaries with additional information and insights, yet wondered how well this book would translate to readers who have been living under a TV-less rock and hadn’t seen any Stacey documentaries.
Then I came across a chapter featuring [Shock! Horror!] a documentary I had never seen before! In hindsight I’m pleased about that because not only do I have a documentary to watch in the very near future 😃 but it also gave me another perspective on this book. I found it didn’t matter that I didn’t have previous knowledge of this documentary. The writing sucked me in and in a way I felt like I was watching along as Stacey described what was happening. I understood the need for a documentary on that topic to be made in the first place, the experiences of the people interviewed, information about the political atmosphere at the time in that country and Stacey’s own view.
While watching the documentary prior to reading each chapter is certainly not a prerequisite it is nice to be able to put faces to names. If, like me, you find gaps in your documentary viewing experience I expect that you’ll come away with a viewing list to complement what you’ve read. While there are currently some of Stacey’s documentaries available for viewing on the BBC website I would love to see (if it doesn’t already exist) all of the documentaries mentioned in this book available for viewing at a central location.
I found I liked the same things about Stacey’s approach in her writing that I do when I watch her on television. She’s so down to earth. There’s at once a sweetness and strength to her manner. She knows what she believes but isn’t close minded when she hears opposing opinions; she’ll weigh them against her own to determine if what someone else thinks changes her mind or strengthens her own views. Whether she agrees or disagrees with someone she treats them with respect. She asks the questions you want the answers to but aren’t sure if anyone will have the guts to ask.
She gets to the heart of the issue and the people she’s interviewing. You can tell she has a genuine fondness for the girls she encounters and her friendliness appears to open people up to having real conversations with her about difficult and painful things. Scared or not, she gets on with it. As a viewer and now a reader there’s just something innately likeable and relatable about this woman and when you watch her documentaries it’s easy to think, ‘Yeah, I reckon Stacey and I could be mates if we ever met’.
While you may see the problems presented in this book and feel overwhelmed by their enormity, ultimately this book is a call to action. You are left to consider the power that you have to make a difference. To borrow some of Stacey’s words, what she’s doing in this book and her documentaries is raising awareness and presenting “what’s going on in the world so that people can make up their own minds about how best to fight back.”
Thank you so much to NetGalley, BBC Books and Penguin Random House UK, Ebury Publishing for the opportunity to read this book. I’m left feeling inspired!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
Put yourself in their shoes.
In 2007, Stacey Dooley was a twenty-something working in fashion retail. She was selected to take part in the BBC series Blood, Sweat and T-Shirts which saw her live and work alongside Indian factory workers making clothes for the UK High Street. This sparked her series of hugely popular investigations, establishing her as one of BBC3’s most celebrated presenters.
Through the course of her documentary making, Stacey has covered a variety of topics, from sex trafficking in Cambodia, to Yazidi women fighting back in Syria. At the core of her reporting are incredible women in extraordinary and scarily ordinary circumstances – from sex workers in Russia, to victims of domestic violence in Honduras.
In her first book, On the Front Line with the Women Who Fight Back, Stacey draws on her encounters with these brave and wonderful women, using their experiences as a vehicle to explore issues at the centre of female experience. From gender equality and domestic violence, to sex trafficking and sexual identity, Stacey weaves these global strands together in an exploration of what it is to be women in the world today.
I Have Lost My Way is one of those books you need to savour. At the beginning of this book I didn’t know any of the characters, just as Freya, Nathaniel and Harun didn’t know one another. Yet as their stories unfolded I saw myself in each of them and began to feel like one of their people. I don’t think it matters with this book if you can relate personally to any of the character’s specific circumstances and why they find their lives colliding that day.
What matters is that all three have lost their way. I want to tell you all about their individual stories but it’s best you gradually get to know each character as you read. Told from all three perspectives, this is a story of love, friendship and discovering who you really are.
They each feel invisible in their own way. They all feel alone in their lives, whether they’re surrounded by adoring fans, a large family or no one at all. Their stories shine a light on the lengths we can go to in order to try to fit into the mould that others have created for us when we know deep down our shape looks nothing like that of the mould. Freya, Nathaniel and Harun share one fear: ‘if people knew the truth about me I would truly be alone’ so they hide parts of themselves from the world. I don’t know about you but this aching loneliness resonated with me.
I’m sure they and I aren’t the only ones who have ever felt this way, and that’s one of the strengths of a Gayle Forman novel. You feel. You feel for her characters and ultimately your glance turns inward and you examine yourself. There’s a feeling of inclusion in Gayle’s novels and as her characters slowly let others in and in doing so expand their lives, you feel a corresponding expansion of your own. You may begin reading with little or no understanding of where a specific character is coming from, and you may even find yourself judging them preemptively, yet as they bare their soul your heart opens.
There are some things I’ve noticed in all of Gayle’s novels. Regardless of the overall theme I get sucked into the story almost immediately, generally by the end of the first page. There’s at once a simplicity and complexity to her writing; easy to read yet with a depth you fall into without realising. I fall in love with her characters, idiosyncrasies and all, and find myself thinking about them long after I finish reading their stories. They have the ability to change me from the inside out.
Favourite Passage (of many!):
“To be the holder of other people’s loss is to be the keeper of their love. To share your loss with people is another way of giving your love.”
Best Description of Books Ever: “little empathy-delivery devices”. 💕
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster (Australia) for reminding me why I love everything Gayle writes and reigniting the need to devour her entire back catalogue while I wait for her next empathy-delivery device to imprint itself on my heart.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
A powerful display of empathy and friendship from the #1 New York Times Bestselling author of If I Stay.
Around the time that Freya loses her voice while recording her debut album, Harun is making plans to run away from home to find the boy that he loves, and Nathaniel is arriving in New York City after a family tragedy leaves him isolated on the outskirts of Washington state. After the three of them collide in Central Park, they slowly reveal the parts of their past that they haven’t been able to confront, and together, they find their way back to who they’re supposed to be.
Told over the course of a single day from three different perspectives, Gayle Forman’s newest novel about the power of friendship and being true to who you are is filled with the elegant prose that her fans have come to know and love.
Anh Do can do no wrong in my eyes! I love both his WeirDo and Hot Dog! series, and his new series, Ninja Kid, is even more fun. Nelson Kane is a nerd. He lives on a junkyard with his Mum, Grandma Pat and cousin Kenny.
His Mum works as a cleaner because the junkyard isn’t doing that well and given the amount of food cousin Kenny can put away in his ultra skinny frame, he’s probably eating for five. Nelson’s Dad was a fisherman who sadly was lost at sea.
Grandma Pat is one of the coolest grannies around. She’s an inventor whose inventions work really well – sometimes. It’s handy that this grannie lives in a junkyard because all of this random stuff, including the kitchen sink, is at her disposal when she’s in invention mode, which seems to be all the time.
She looks to me like a caricature of actress Linda Hunt. She’s the school principal who at 1.45m (4’ 9”) stands up to Arnie with her, “I’m watching you!” in Kindergarten Cop. I love that movie! You may know her from something slightly more recent, like NCIS: Los Angeles.
Anyway, imagine a mad scientist grannie with a lab coat, fluffy bunny slippers, a tooth (yes, just the one that I saw), hair up in a messy bun with a wrench poking out in one spot and a critter that may well be the Loch Ness Monster poking out somewhere else. I’m sure Nessie will be identified in some later book as a mouse or something to that effect, but until it’s identified I want it to be Nessie.
So, nerdy Nelson wakes up on his tenth birthday to a spider perched on his nose. He proceeds to jump/fall out of bed and instead of falling flat on his face like he usually would, he does some impressive acrobatics and lands on his feet. 🤔 Then he realises he no longer needs his glasses as he can see perfectly without them. 🤔🤔
As luck would have it today is the day he finds out he’s a ninja, likely the only one on the planet, and that’s going to come with some responsibility. But, shh! Don’t tell anyone because it’s a secret right now! 🤫
Before this book is over you’ll encounter a bully, plenty of bananas, more bug spray than you’ve likely ever seen and a giant thong. Oh, for those of you wondering what a thong is doing in a kid’s book, in Australia thongs are what you call flip flops, not what you were thinking of.
Jeremy Ley’s illustrations are so, so brilliant! The cover image gives you a preview of what’s to come. There are pictures on most pages and they’re simply awesome! The story comes alive in them and their humour mirrors that of the story. I don’t know how much interaction authors and illustrators have but these guys are on the same page in this book (in all possible ways).
As usual Anh Do’s writing has funny bits suitable for kids and adults, the family has interesting quirks, the story hooks you straight away and you finish the book wishing you had the next one beside you to start reading immediately.
Reader Beware: You will encounter a cliffhanger. While technically you could finish this book and be done you won’t want to be. If Anh’s other series are anything to go by there won’t be a dud among them and I can’t wait for the next one!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
Nelson is a nerd! Unfit, uncool … totally awkward! But when he wakes up on his tenth birthday, he discovers he is a NINJA! THE LAST NINJA ON EARTH! How is he going to save the world when he cannot even get his undies on the right way?! With the help of Grandmas inventions and his wild cousin Kenny, can Nelson master his new ninja skills AND save Duck Creek?
To get into the spirit I went through my stack of Grug and Clifford books to see which one would be most suitable for Mum today. I came across Grug Learns to Cook and thought there was a chance Grug would learn to cook pie 🥧 so went with that one.
Grug tries three recipes from his Bush Food Cookbook: tea-tree soup, gum-leaf rolls and carrot cake. So no pie, but it’s the thought that counts, right?
It turns out Grug is as good at cooking as I am and he likes to sample cake batter too. Grug gets an ‘A’ for effort. The results? 🤔
Well, besides the batter splatter which results in my favourite illustration, Grug does wind up with some edible ingredients, if not edible cake. Which brings me to my favourite part:
”Grug baked the rest of the mixture, but it came out burnt and black. He put carrots on the top to make a carrot cake.”
In context and with the accompanying illustration this bit earned a giggle from me. I’m fairly confident that my culinary masterpieces were the inspiration behind Grug’s marvellous food creations in this book. At least Cara hadn’t been invited over for dinner. I’m not sure there would have been enough left at the end of the lesson to feed two.
You’ve got to give Grug credit. He’s always willing to try new things, he tries his best at everything and when things inevitably don’t go quite to plan he doesn’t get upset. He makes the best out of the situation, salvages what he can and goes to bed so he can be ready for his next adventure. I can’t wait to find another excuse to give Mum another Grug book soon! 😃
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
Try some scrumptious gum-leaf rolls prepared by Grug!
This classic Aussie hero is back from the bush to enchant a new generation of youngsters!
You know those books that leave you without words? I don’t, which is why this review has been so hard to write. I’m one of those people that has so many opinions that I’ve got opinions about my own opinions. Seriously!
I finished reading Written on the Body: Letters from Trans and Non-Binary Survivors of Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence almost two weeks ago and the stories have been resonating within me ever since. I started this book thinking about my own experiences with sexual assault and domestic violence.
I wondered if I would have the courage to write a letter to one of my body parts. What body part would I choose? What would I want or need to say to it? Would I have the courage to write the letter anywhere but in my mind where no one could accidentally stumble across it? If I did manage to write that letter who would I trust to show it to? Regardless of your history I’d encourage you to think about those questions for yourself. It’s really quite a daunting prospect, isn’t it?
I thought about experiences shared with other sexual assault and domestic violence survivors over the years and how we’ve connected over shared thoughts and feelings, regardless of the legal terminology of what was perpetrated against us. The survivors I’ve had the opportunity to share with so far have been cis women and men, and they’re some of the bravest people I know.
I wondered if I could ever claim to understand what a trans or non-binary sexual assault or domestic violence survivor has experienced. While I’m fairly confident there’d be aspects of their story that I could relate to based on my own experiences, as a cis woman I can’t and won’t claim to understand what it’s like to be trans or non-binary. To be trans or non-binary in today’s society and then compound that with (in so many survivors) countless experiences of abuse by multiple perpetrators? I can’t even begin to imagine.
We need books like this one to open our eyes to the pain of those who’ve experienced the unthinkable and the incredible ability people have to overcome what was intended to destroy. While you can never really walk in someone else’s shoes, by reading this book you have the honour of being granted permission to truly see aspects of people that are usually hidden by façades.
You’ll likely feel practically everything in your emotional range while reading and due to the content I’d advise against reading it all at once. Different writing styles and content provide varied reading experiences throughout the book. Some letters were poetic. Others were visceral. There’s so much heartbreaking trauma content, yet there’s also so much strength and hope.
While considering the courage of the people who have contributed to this book, a quote from Brené Brown’s I Thought It Was Just Me came to mind. Brené explains eloquently what I cannot:
”Courage is a heart word. The root of the word courage is cor – the Latin word for heart. In one of its earliest forms, the word courage meant “To speak one’s mind by telling all one’s heart.” Over time, this definition has changed, and today, we typically associate courage with heroic and brave deeds. But in my opinion, this definition fails to recognize the inner strength and level of commitment required for us to actually speak honestly and openly about who we are and about our experiences – good and bad.”
To the survivors who have contributed to this book, there are so many things I want to say to you, amongst which are … I hear you. I believe you. Thank you so much for sharing your story. I am in awe of your courage. You are extraordinary!
If I could choose just one really powerful quote from this book:
“What they didn’t know is that I’m trying to heal from what happened to me; I’m not trying to heal from who I am.”
Lexie Bean
How do you rate a book like this? I don’t think you can rate someone’s experience so instead I’m rating the courage, the heart, of the people who have not only looked within themselves to come up with words that reflect their experience but have also had the bravery to shine a light on them. To me that deserves nothing less than ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Jessica Kingsley Publishers for the opportunity to read this book. I feel honoured to have read it.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
Written by and for trans and non-binary survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, Written on the Body offers support, guidance and hope for those who struggle to find safety at home, in the body, and other unwelcoming places.
This collection of letters written to body parts weaves together narratives of gender, identity, and abuse. It is the coming together of those who have been fragmented and often met with disbelief. The book holds the concerns and truths that many trans people share while offering space for dialogue and reclamation.
Written with intelligence and intimacy, this book is for those who have found power in re-shaping their bodies, families and lives.
I love this book! Written with 4 to 8 year olds in mind but empowering for all ages, this warrior goddess is a young girl with gorgeous red flowing hair. The reader is taken through her day from morning when she greets the sun to bedtime.
Our warrior goddess is connected to nature and keeps her body and mind strong. She’s loving and fierce. She helps others and is a leader. She’s self reliant and confident.
My favourite illustration is of our warrior training her mind for battle in her school library. She’s surrounded by books and is in her own world as she reads. She has this serene, blissed out look on her face that mirrors how I feel when I’m happily held captive by book world.
Favourite Sentence –
“I fill my heart with kindness, the most powerful weapon there is.”
This is the type of book I wish I’d had in my grabby book hands as a kid. I would have wanted to read it every day. While there aren’t many words in this book they’re awesome ones.
I particularly adore that this isn’t a “when I get older I’m going to…” book. No. This book is about the here and now, about what kids can do today to make a positive impact in their world. I feel empowered after reading it and would recommend it to all warrior goddesses regardless of age.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
You don’t have to be a grownup to be a hero! I Am a Warrior Goddess shows how in the empowering tale of a little girl with big aspirations. Through the clever play between illustration and text, readers see that each day is full of opportunities for little people to make a big impact with ordinary actions. As our heroine connects with the earth, takes care of her body, and finds strength in kindness, she discovers her inner warrior goddess and inspires young girls everywhere to do the same.
This was a reread for me. I love Megan McDonald’s Stink and Judy Moody series. We first meet Judy as she’s about to begin third grade in Mr Toad’s Todd’s class at Virginia Dare School. Judy is in a mood because she didn’t go anywhere special during the vacation and she just knows that everyone else will be wearing a rare (Judy slang for cool) shirt from whatever theme park or other enviable destination they visited.
While Judy is hoping to sit near her best friend Rocky in class, she is certain she’ll be forced to sit near Frank Eats-Paste Pearl. Naturally she’s correct and she has to sit at the front of the classroom too. When it looks like her mood couldn’t get any worse Frank, who has pestered and irritated her every school year, invites her to his birthday party three weeks away and she has to try to find a way to get out of it.
One of the only good things that happens that day is a school assignment where each student needs to make a collage all about themselves which they will later be presenting to the class. Judy thinks this sounds like fun but of course that doesn’t match her mood so she won’t tell anyone she’s looking forward to working on it.
In Judy Moody Was in a Mood we also get to meet Judy’s parents and her younger brother Stink who became so popular he got his own spin off series. Both series are entertaining, funny and usually wind up with the kids learning something that makes them better kids than they already are. Judy is mean to Stink and plays a trick on him in this book but overall the siblings look out for one another.
I really enjoyed this reread. I discovered Judy Moody and Stink at my local library (yay libraries!) almost a year ago and have read all of each series that my library owns. While I do have a few favourites in each series there hasn’t been a single one I haven’t enjoyed. Starting from scratch again with Judy reminded me how much fun these books are and I’m now keen to reread them all.
Peter H. Reynolds’ illustrations are always wonderful and this book introduces the reader to what the Moody family look like (including their cat called Mouse) and how expressive they all are. My favourite illustration in this book is Judy’s finished collage.
Amongst other interesting tidbits you get to find out that she’s a member of the exclusive T.P. Club. T.P. doesn’t stand for toilet paper but as it’s a secret club I can’t tell you any more. We also discover throughout the book the worst and funniest things that have happened to Judy and are introduced to her various rare collections. Incidentally I can personally blame this book for my own obsession collection of cute and quirky bandaids.
Need to Eat – Rainforest Mist ice cream. I have no idea what rainforest mist tastes like but apparently it’s blue and I’m intrigued.
Need to Buy – Glow in the dark bloodshot eyeball bandaids. 👁
My first read was ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. The reread, now that I know the characters so well and am itching to retrace the whole adventure to date, was definitely worth ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Candlewick Press for the opportunity to read this book.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
The mercurial Judy Moody will delight any kid who’s known a bad mood or a bad day – and managed to laugh anyway.
“Judy Moody was in a mood. Not a good mood. A bad mood. A mad-faced mood.”
To start, Judy Moody doesn’t have high hopes for third grade. Her new desk won’t have an armadillo sticker with her name on it. Her new classroom will not have a porcupine named Roger. And with her luck, she’ll get stuck sitting in the first row, where Mr. Todd will notice every time she tries to pass a note to her best friend, Rocky. An aspiring doctor, Judy does have a little brother who comes in handy for practicing medicine, a cool new pet, and a huge Band-Aid collection.
Judy also has an abundance of individuality and attitude, and when Mr. Todd assigns a very special class project, she really gets a chance to express herself! Megan McDonald’s spirited text and Peter Reynolds’s wry illustrations combine in a feisty, funny first chapter book for every kid who has ever felt a little out of sorts.
Schizanthus Nerd 