Reviews

The Apartment House on Poppy Hill by Nina LaCour

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smdavis1495's review

Cute story about a (very AuDHD coded) girl who lives with her moms in an apartment building
Queer adults
Multiple adults of color
Basically 3 first chapter books put together
Fun black and white illustrations

kelkelkelhart's review

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funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

uranaishi's review

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funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

mldavisreads's review

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lighthearted

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

Children's realistic fiction early chapter book. Ella is a nine-year old girl who has lived in the Apartment House on Poppy Hill her whole life. She lives with her mothers and knows a lot about the building and its tenants. When a new couple moves in downstairs, Ella gets so excited about welcoming them that she overwhelms them instead. They sheepishly come up to her shortly after to find out what exactly is the trick for the stove she mentioned? The residents are introduced through Ella's eyes, the couple that lives with their two dogs, the single woman who likes to play her homemade instrument every night at dusk, and the mysterious older couple who live on the top floor.

This story is divided into vignettes, each with its own chapters, which makes the individual chapters a very approachable length. There are some black and white illustrations, ranging in size from small partial page to full two-page spread. It's a very sweet slice-of-life story with casual inclusion-- Ella's parents are both female and the couple with the dogs is made up of two males. I also appreciated the age inclusion with the Robinsons upstairs, and their tendency to be aware of everything but not actually present was quite amusing. A fun story and I look forward to reading more in this series.

caseythecanadianlesbrarian's review

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funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Apparently there is no age group Nina LaCour can't write for? (In the last few years, she's written a novel for adults and a picture book, both of which were fantastic, in addition to a bunch of YA novels under her belt). This transitional chapter book for ages 7-10 was very cute and charming, with a realistic feisty little 9-year-old protagonist named Ella.

Ella is the self-imposed expert on the apartment house in San Francisco (and its inhabitants) where she lives with her two moms. When a new couple moves in, she shows them everything that they need to know, despite their initial reluctance. When her family or neighbours need help -- walking their dogs, modeling for a painting -- Ella is there, even if it means she has to put off her appointment to have tea with kooky Matilda in one of the other apartments. Then Ella finally gets to meet the elderly couple who live on the top floor, even though they are very shy and sneaky. It turns out they might give her a run for her money on being an expert on the house and the people who live there.

Lovely depiction of community and queer parents! Sweet illustrations as well.