3 stars A good collection of poems on a variety of topics formulated to follow a fairy tale arch. Topics covered include family, romantic relationships, breakups, love, self-harm, eating disorders, and abuse. There are a lot of hard topics in this book, but also many points readers can relate to and empathize with. For me,…
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5 stars An absolutely fantastic read. Right from the start, the story begins with a powerful basis. One that is sadly relatable for many in America. When presented with an assignment to “trace your roots” and draw the flag of her ancestral land, the narrator is unable to do so. She goes to her grandmother…
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5 stars Jaw-droppingly beautiful. A stunning, heartwarming story about family, love, and acceptance. This book was a pleasure to read. As soon as I finished, I wanted to pick it back up and do it all over again. I find when I really love a book, my review tends to be short. This is one…
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5 stars I don’t think anything I can write will do this book justice so I’ll keep this short. I loved this story. Yu perfectly balances self-aware humor with heartbreaking reality. Centered around identity, the story explores the way American society pigeonholes people of Asian decent, lumping them all into one group and a set…
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4 stars An adorably sweet, heartwarming book based on a true story. Told from Peter Mercurio’s point of view talking directly to Kevin, the book tells the story of how Kevin became Peter and Danny’s son. The book focuses on the positive aspects of finding and creating family, including the support system of those around…
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5 stars An absolute treasure. This is a phenomenal book. This wordless graphic novel tells the tale of a man immigrating to a strange new place and working to create a life for his family there. The fantastic world Tan creates allows all migrant stories to come together. It isn’t a story about immigrating to…
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3 stars For me, this one was just okay. There’s no doubt the artwork is amazing. There is so much detail and emotion packed into the settings and characters. Each page pulls the reader in and really sets the mood. The story itself is very character-driven, rather than heavy on plot. There are a lot…
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5 stars A powerful novel in verse that proves you are more than the hardships you have faced. I’d recommend looking at the trigger warnings before going in to this as there are quite a few traumatic events that occur. These include rape, food insecurity, homelessness, drug overdose, and police brutality. This book may not…
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2 stars I’ll start by saying I am unfortunately an adult and it’s possible my feelings about this book stem from that. I couldn’t relate to Raven. She mostly just annoyed me. But that may just be because I am no longer a moody teen (thank goodness!). I generally enjoy YA and children’s graphic novels,…
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4 stars A heartwarming and magical tale that explores family structures, fantasy versus reality, and self-discovery. Mystery, secrets, and magic combine to explore some of the complexities of growing up and coming into one’s self. The majority of the book is in black and white, which makes the full-color fantasy scenes even more magical. The…
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