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lawbooks600's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Trigger warnings: N/A
Score: Six and a half out of ten.
I didn't have much choice other than to read J.R. Silver Writes Her World by Melissa Dassori. I only heard about this book a few days ago when I picked it up when the novels I wanted were all gone. I glanced at the intriguing blurb, and I headed in with high expectations considering the ratings, but it was only okay.
It starts with Josephine Rose 'J.R.' Silver recounting her life as a 6th grader, presumably somewhere in America, and nothing is going well according to her, as her friend, Violet, and parents distanced themselves. That is until her teacher, Ms Kline, assigns her some tasks, prompting her to write short stories based on magazine covers from a series called Gothamite (that looks familiar.) Sounds intriguing? It seems so, until I see how Dassori executes the premise. Let's start with the positives, the pacing is enough to keep the plot going, with the length being around 250 pages, and the writing style is mostly accessible except for a few more unfamiliar words that might put off the target audience, like wanderlust. Adding a glossary would help.
Unfortunately, I can only compliment the creation in so many ways, so now it's time to turn to the areas needing improvement, like the characters. The characters are hard to connect or relate with, lacking depth and development, but expanding on them would improve the reading experience. I only saw a glimpse of the character dynamics involving J.R. and her English teacher, J.R. and her parents and J.R. and her friends. I got to observe the first one the most, but I only wanted a deeper exploration. Dassori fumbled the climax as the payoff wasn't it. J.R. discovers the stories she writes come true like when she could score soccer goals, make her parents allow her to use her phone and even go on school trips, but her actions must have consequences, but they weren't there. Where were they? This is not it. The concluding pages weren't that engaging because of that. Also, why does the cover look like it wants to have a staring contest with me?
angiew23's review against another edition
5.0
This middle grade fantasy tells the story of a girl named J.R. who is adjusting to a new grade, and worried about losing her best friend. Over the course of the story she learns that writing is a great way to express herself and reflect on her world and the challenges she faces. When her teacher gives her a new writing assignment and she starts to notice that the things she writes end up coming true she must learn how to use this special magical power without getting out of hand. Even though her teacher is very inspiring and supportive, she is only with the class until Christmas break and it shows the impact that teachers have on students but also emphasizes the short time we have in which to connect with our students. There is also a bit of conflict and worries around a community bookstore potentially closing that is very hard on the characters and they plan to work together to solve the problem.
I noticed other reviewers commented on the book being anticlimactic, and I would agree, in general the book is a bit slower there is not a lot of problem resolution, but I think that younger middle grade readers wont mind that too much. My grade 3s write stories with no problems or resolutions all the time, I think that for this audience group large character arcs and too many problems to resolve actually gets complicated quickly. The book also has short chapters and some black and white illustrations which is really helpful for those beginning middle grade readers who are transitioning into longer chapter books. J.R. Silver Writes Her World also covers a lot of great middle grade themes including growing independence (but still needing parents!), appropriate use of technology, friendship, standing up for what you believe in. I would definitely recommend this book to parents and teachers of children in the grades 2-6 range. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.
I noticed other reviewers commented on the book being anticlimactic, and I would agree, in general the book is a bit slower there is not a lot of problem resolution, but I think that younger middle grade readers wont mind that too much. My grade 3s write stories with no problems or resolutions all the time, I think that for this audience group large character arcs and too many problems to resolve actually gets complicated quickly. The book also has short chapters and some black and white illustrations which is really helpful for those beginning middle grade readers who are transitioning into longer chapter books. J.R. Silver Writes Her World also covers a lot of great middle grade themes including growing independence (but still needing parents!), appropriate use of technology, friendship, standing up for what you believe in. I would definitely recommend this book to parents and teachers of children in the grades 2-6 range. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.
brandypainter's review against another edition
2.0
I was underwhelmed and deeply uninterested for the entirety of the book despite the mystery of the magical realism.
bibliophilicjester's review against another edition
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
this one is mostly contemporary with a bit of magic! contemporary really isn't my thing (in any age category), but this was enjoyable. the characters felt like they were actually their ages, and i always appreciate rep for attentive parents and good teachers = ) i also really love the met, though i haven't been there in waaaaaaaay too long...so it was unexpectedly lovely to spend some time there! really well written...just not exactly my thing. i'm glad i read it/it was included in the owlcrate junior = )
teaandspite's review against another edition
1.0
In terms of writing, this was fine. Interesting premise, decent enough main character, the prose wasn't awful.
Unfortunately, a story about friendships changing and friends growing into their own people requires that the potential cast of friends be worth keeping around. That was where Dassori failed.
JR is great as both a character and a kid. She's relatable in a way I think most any bookish kid will recognise. Her best friend, however, is not. It's clear from the beginning that Violet has no interest in truly continuing her friendship with JR. In the end, JR is the only one changing and making concessions to fit better into Violet's new life. That's not a story about growing up and making new friends, it's a story about learning to be a doormat in order to be included with the popular girls.
It doesn't help that all of the changes JR makes to her life seem to have little to do with her own interests and wants and everything to do with keeping up with the popular girls. Whatever happened to stories about kids--especially outsider kids--learning to find confidence in themselves and go against the crowd? What happened to moral fortitude and having a backbone? JR is pushed into behaving like a teenager at all of eleven years old with not a single adult suggesting that maybe it's fine to not want to be on TikTok or spend all day talking about boys.
It would be different if there were any indications that JR was curious about makeup or dating on her own. If she'd thought of a boy in her class as cute without anyone else mentioning it or considered a more grown-up Halloween costume without being pressured. Instead, every move toward adolescence is made only after she's been lightly shamed by the girls around her. It's like a parody of an after-school special. Even the one actively cruel girl in the popular girl group never gets more than a mild scolding before being happily accepted back into the group.
The end result is that the book's moral seems to be "follow the crowd without complaining or you'll be left behind". That's not a message any child needs to read.
Unfortunately, a story about friendships changing and friends growing into their own people requires that the potential cast of friends be worth keeping around. That was where Dassori failed.
JR is great as both a character and a kid. She's relatable in a way I think most any bookish kid will recognise. Her best friend, however, is not. It's clear from the beginning that Violet has no interest in truly continuing her friendship with JR. In the end, JR is the only one changing and making concessions to fit better into Violet's new life. That's not a story about growing up and making new friends, it's a story about learning to be a doormat in order to be included with the popular girls.
It doesn't help that all of the changes JR makes to her life seem to have little to do with her own interests and wants and everything to do with keeping up with the popular girls. Whatever happened to stories about kids--especially outsider kids--learning to find confidence in themselves and go against the crowd? What happened to moral fortitude and having a backbone? JR is pushed into behaving like a teenager at all of eleven years old with not a single adult suggesting that maybe it's fine to not want to be on TikTok or spend all day talking about boys.
It would be different if there were any indications that JR was curious about makeup or dating on her own. If she'd thought of a boy in her class as cute without anyone else mentioning it or considered a more grown-up Halloween costume without being pressured. Instead, every move toward adolescence is made only after she's been lightly shamed by the girls around her. It's like a parody of an after-school special. Even the one actively cruel girl in the popular girl group never gets more than a mild scolding before being happily accepted back into the group.
The end result is that the book's moral seems to be "follow the crowd without complaining or you'll be left behind". That's not a message any child needs to read.
noelle_penny's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I liked this book because of how the character grew and I liked the plot
therearenobadbooks's review against another edition
5.0
Do you feel your best friend found other friends and you don't know why you're being left behind?Do you love books and want to be a writer? This is the perfect book.
Jr Silver Writes her World is the perfect novel gift for young readers who want to become writers. Because it's also a powerful middle-grade novel it addresses several issues that Jr faces as a 6th grader such as: getting more independence from her parents, keeping up with her friend's world, dealing with loneliness, and abandoning fixed ideas or concepts about something or someone without getting to know the truth first.
Jr misses her only best friend Violet very much, but Violet wants to have other friends and do things on her own too. Not just lonely, Jr feels the lack of confidence to reach out to others and say how she feels. But a new teacher appears with a set of magical magazines that helps her find her voice not only as a person but as an author.
It's set in New York and full of great cultural, local, and art references.
The first chapters aren't very focused and precise on what is happening or what the story will be about, but once we're focused on the magazines' powers we get excited to see what she can do with them not only to help herself but to help others too.
We get to accompany close Jr ups and downs. Sometimes she has a very adult perspective of the world around her. This challenges middle graders who love to read about older, clever, and knowledgeable characters whom they aspire to emulate. Also, older and more demanding readers will still be drawn to this book. As an adult and educator, I loved it. My favorite chapter was the sleepover. This challenges middle graders who love to read about older, clever, and knowledgeable characters whom they aspire to emulate. Also, older and more demanding readers will still be drawn to this book. As an adult and educator, I loved it. My favorite chapter was the sleepover.
I wish middle grades were a thing when I was younger to give me answers while I was growing up, but I'm glad they can help my students now. I recommend this book to librarians and educators.
Thank you, NetGalley and Christy Ottaviano Books for the ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.
Jr Silver Writes her World is the perfect novel gift for young readers who want to become writers. Because it's also a powerful middle-grade novel it addresses several issues that Jr faces as a 6th grader such as: getting more independence from her parents, keeping up with her friend's world, dealing with loneliness, and abandoning fixed ideas or concepts about something or someone without getting to know the truth first.
Jr misses her only best friend Violet very much, but Violet wants to have other friends and do things on her own too. Not just lonely, Jr feels the lack of confidence to reach out to others and say how she feels. But a new teacher appears with a set of magical magazines that helps her find her voice not only as a person but as an author.
It's set in New York and full of great cultural, local, and art references.
The first chapters aren't very focused and precise on what is happening or what the story will be about, but once we're focused on the magazines' powers we get excited to see what she can do with them not only to help herself but to help others too.
We get to accompany close Jr ups and downs. Sometimes she has a very adult perspective of the world around her. This challenges middle graders who love to read about older, clever, and knowledgeable characters whom they aspire to emulate. Also, older and more demanding readers will still be drawn to this book. As an adult and educator, I loved it. My favorite chapter was the sleepover. This challenges middle graders who love to read about older, clever, and knowledgeable characters whom they aspire to emulate. Also, older and more demanding readers will still be drawn to this book. As an adult and educator, I loved it. My favorite chapter was the sleepover.
I wish middle grades were a thing when I was younger to give me answers while I was growing up, but I'm glad they can help my students now. I recommend this book to librarians and educators.
Thank you, NetGalley and Christy Ottaviano Books for the ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.
neffcannon's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0