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floralmay's review
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I am not what anyone would say a “godly person” I never have been and probably never will be. So typically when I pick up a book and I find out it has religious undertones I end up putting the book down because it feels very forced upon me.
Not with this book though. Back to the Bright before is a story about two siblings who borrow a chicken and steel a pony, looking for a long lost treasure that happens to be a coin that was hidden by a monk.. it has Catholic undertones, but it’s not in your face about it.
This book will be classified as magical realism. However to a religious reader, it will read as something even better, a story of miracles.
Which I think is great if you’re trying to teach your children about faith and miracles .
But if you’re not, and you’re just there for the story. Katherine Nolte Gives you the choice. It’s wonderous to read a story where faith saved you from dying in a rain storm and hope overcame the darkest evil! But If you’re like me and you want to see it as magic... that's ok too. The author gives you the choice. And that’s how I wish more religious tales were told.
Overall this was a great read 🙂 when I think would be really cute to read at bedtime or just to read in general. It’s a quick and light read and I think adults as well as kids could benefit from it. It’s the type of book that I think will take a piece of your heart and leave a story behind.❤️
Book acquired from Sweet Home Books!
Not with this book though. Back to the Bright before is a story about two siblings who borrow a chicken and steel a pony, looking for a long lost treasure that happens to be a coin that was hidden by a monk.. it has Catholic undertones, but it’s not in your face about it.
This book will be classified as magical realism. However to a religious reader, it will read as something even better, a story of miracles.
Which I think is great if you’re trying to teach your children about faith and miracles .
But if you’re not, and you’re just there for the story. Katherine Nolte Gives you the choice. It’s wonderous to read a story where faith saved you from dying in a rain storm and hope overcame the darkest evil! But If you’re like me and you want to see it as magic... that's ok too. The author gives you the choice. And that’s how I wish more religious tales were told.
Overall this was a great read 🙂 when I think would be really cute to read at bedtime or just to read in general. It’s a quick and light read and I think adults as well as kids could benefit from it. It’s the type of book that I think will take a piece of your heart and leave a story behind.❤️
Book acquired from Sweet Home Books!
jkonersease's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Cute book! The main villain felt a little flat to me and the heroine didn’t really grow as a character much, she started off brave and spunky and ended that way. But the adventure was cute and the nuns were great.
librarygxrl's review
3.0
This was a cozy middle grade about a young girl and her brother on a quest to find a coin that they believe will help their family return to the "bright before", before their father was injured. I really enjoy fantastical adventures because children are immersed in a world where they have total autonomy to visit unknown worlds and be the heroes of their own stories.
I mostly enjoyed the tone of this story. Again, it was cozy, and the main character was warm and friendly. Her belief in her ability to help her father and her childlike worldview of the issues in her family and how to solve them was comforting and inspiring. My main critique of this story was that it sort of felt like I was reading a completely different story towards the end- for example, when they were helped by the giant. I couldn't quite decide if this was a fantasy novel at times, however it mostly read as a fable. The plot also hinges on a financial problem that Pet manages to solve, which is not realistic for most children to help with, and doesn't send a hopeful message. I don't think this necessarily disqualifies the book from being worth reading, but it is something to think about.
I mostly enjoyed the tone of this story. Again, it was cozy, and the main character was warm and friendly. Her belief in her ability to help her father and her childlike worldview of the issues in her family and how to solve them was comforting and inspiring. My main critique of this story was that it sort of felt like I was reading a completely different story towards the end- for example, when they were helped by the giant. I couldn't quite decide if this was a fantasy novel at times, however it mostly read as a fable. The plot also hinges on a financial problem that Pet manages to solve, which is not realistic for most children to help with, and doesn't send a hopeful message. I don't think this necessarily disqualifies the book from being worth reading, but it is something to think about.
jennyp0208's review
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
katie_bookey's review
2.0
It is hard to say why I did not enjoy this book, but I have a couple of thoughts.
The first is that I would not like my middle grade readers reading such a dramatized portrayal of parents who are either so depressed they won't talk to the children or chronically stressed to the point of only scolding and yelling when they talk.
The next thing is the responsibility that Pet (our main 11-year-old girl) takes on to fix the problem. I know that's a common theme but no one corrected her in her faulty thinking and a young person reading this might come away thinking it is okay to feel responsible for their parents' issues.
I was also uncomfortable with all of the obstacles Pet and her brother, Simon, experienced. They were really terrifying and each scenario has probably shown up in my own nightmares at one point or another. The scary scenes were terrifying because they were too realistic. If they would have been more a part of the fantasy world, it would have been better in my opinion.
Lastly, I was disappointed in the way that Pet's problem was resolved. I would have preferred money was not a part of this story, and SPOILER: would really rather money had not been the reason all of her problems were solved. END SPOILER
The ending could have gone in a different direction without hurting the rest of the story. I am sad to say that this book is not one I would like my own young readers to read.
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
The first is that I would not like my middle grade readers reading such a dramatized portrayal of parents who are either so depressed they won't talk to the children or chronically stressed to the point of only scolding and yelling when they talk.
The next thing is the responsibility that Pet (our main 11-year-old girl) takes on to fix the problem. I know that's a common theme but no one corrected her in her faulty thinking and a young person reading this might come away thinking it is okay to feel responsible for their parents' issues.
I was also uncomfortable with all of the obstacles Pet and her brother, Simon, experienced. They were really terrifying and each scenario has probably shown up in my own nightmares at one point or another. The scary scenes were terrifying because they were too realistic. If they would have been more a part of the fantasy world, it would have been better in my opinion.
Lastly, I was disappointed in the way that Pet's problem was resolved. I would have preferred money was not a part of this story, and SPOILER: would really rather money had not been the reason all of her problems were solved. END SPOILER
The ending could have gone in a different direction without hurting the rest of the story. I am sad to say that this book is not one I would like my own young readers to read.
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
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