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whatsthestorywishbone's review against another edition
3.0
This was such a cute story with so much going for it. The main character builds computers his best friend likes dance and theater, they try to balance things like their personal wants and needs with helping others. There is lots of talk about people with disabilities and respecting others. The morals and values in the story are strong and well done so A+ there. It IS a perfect story for a young kid, but I found it entirely too repetitive. They exposed the ghost pretty much the same way to at least 4 groups of people and that was just too much. There is a LOT of sauerkraut talk too, so much so that Reid was making jokes about it. Would have been perfect at about half the length.
lmasondcroz's review against another edition
5.0
I loved how the author subtly snuck in important themes and messages into a fun ghost story. Themes I noticed: biracial families, mental health, learning disabilities, boys and girls breaking gender norms, and the list goes on! Well done!
droar's review against another edition
4.0
3 stars for me personally, four for the true audience feels. A very cute middle school read. It's got some very good things to say about taking time for yourself as well & not letting someone else steamroller over your dreams (even accidentally). This is a sweet book, but possibly too sweet for my tastes. The almost total lack of conflict felt vaguely unsatisfying as an adult reader, but I'm not the audience for this book. I would (& will) absolutely recommend this to 6th grade-ish teens & tweens, especially those (parents) looking for good role model main characters who still feel relatable.
TLDR: Cute family ghost story w/ little to no conflict & a male protagonist. Middle grade aimed, but could easily skew younger.
TLDR: Cute family ghost story w/ little to no conflict & a male protagonist. Middle grade aimed, but could easily skew younger.
heathersbike's review against another edition
5.0
This is a delightful book. It occasionally gets a little after-school-special-y but nothing too awful. Highly recommend for a light, fun, informative read.
fyziksgirl's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This book was disappointing to me. I LOVE the author's other work for this age, so maybe my standards were too high, but this one fell short for me.
Pros: Great, non-toxic masculinity, a little good talk about setting boundaries, lots of diversity of all kinds, including aggressive acceptance of accommodations for disability, talk of computer building for those interested, silliness from situations that come from having a ghost around, parents who are present and involved and an involved, supportive community
Cons: Despite the talk of setting boundaries there was very little of it actually done. The main character always felt he should "help," even when it was to his own detriment or he actively didn't want to, and boundaries were only set when an adult stepped in to set and enforce them for him while he was grateful. The happy ending of this theme is even that he gives up his big goal he's been working towards for months to help someone else. His help wasn't even NEEDED, it just would possibly make things better for them while ruining his personal goal (though he did end up managing to do both. There was really no growth about this, which I found sad.
I found the whole ghost storyline a bit odd and unresolved. It always felt off and I kept waiting for the scene or information that would make it click and it never did for me. I also found it weird that the whole book they talked about her "leveling up" (moving on) at the fair and then she didn't and the book just ended with her there. It ended suddenly in the middle of an event I thought might make her "level up" but we never see the outcome. No one really talks about this change to what they'd been waiting for the whole book. It felt very unresolved to me.
There's a lot of focus on building computers, which is something I have negative interest in, so those parts were painful to read.
I just didn't love the main characters. I wanted to, but they all annoyed me.
Overall I wouldn't not recommend it, it's not bad, I just also didn't really enjoy it.
Pros: Great, non-toxic masculinity, a little good talk about setting boundaries, lots of diversity of all kinds, including aggressive acceptance of accommodations for disability, talk of computer building for those interested, silliness from situations that come from having a ghost around, parents who are present and involved and an involved, supportive community
Cons: Despite the talk of setting boundaries there was very little of it actually done. The main character always felt he should "help," even when it was to his own detriment or he actively didn't want to, and boundaries were only set when an adult stepped in to set and enforce them for him while he was grateful. The happy ending of this theme
I found the whole ghost storyline a bit odd and unresolved. It always felt off and I kept waiting for the scene or information that would make it click and it never did for me. I also found it weird that
There's a lot of focus on building computers, which is something I have negative interest in, so those parts were painful to read.
I just didn't love the main characters. I wanted to, but they all annoyed me.
Overall I wouldn't not recommend it, it's not bad, I just also didn't really enjoy it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
A main character is a ghost who is sad much of her family is dead, including her grandson who she remembers as a child.renatasnacks's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this! I loved how many affirming details there are that will make this story relatable for a lot of tweens/teens--specific references to Black Panther and other comics, access to library makerspaces, etc. I loved HD being inspired by seeing other Black geeks and realizing he's not alone, and I love how it goes into enough detail about HD's maker projects to be inspiring without being boring. Also the haunted sauerkraut crock is hilarious but also touching. Love it!
jennybeastie's review against another edition
4.0
This is a fabulous "what-if" book -- what if you were cleaning out your uncles' basement as a summer job and discovered the ghost of your great great great grandma in a sauerkraut jar?
Loved it. Loved the wonderfully supportive family, loved their ability to care for each other and set boundaries, loved the STEM focus, the conversations about being from a mixed-race family, the thoughtful moments that take on mental health and accommodations, the references to how many things Mom and Dad learned in their military service, the close connections with elders, and of course, the goats!
There are a few moments that feel a bit didactic -- I mean, there's a lot of teaching that goes on in this book (see list of the lots of things going on!) and sometimes it reads like an idealized version of how super emotionally mature people deal with the world. What that ends up doing for the book, though, is presenting people who tackle problems by taking a deep breath and thinking them through, rather than behaving dramatically, and I think that's a pretty nice version of the world. Also, it's funny, and the characters are easy to like.
Advanced reader's copy provided by the author.
Loved it. Loved the wonderfully supportive family, loved their ability to care for each other and set boundaries, loved the STEM focus, the conversations about being from a mixed-race family, the thoughtful moments that take on mental health and accommodations, the references to how many things Mom and Dad learned in their military service, the close connections with elders, and of course, the goats!
There are a few moments that feel a bit didactic -- I mean, there's a lot of teaching that goes on in this book (see list of the lots of things going on!) and sometimes it reads like an idealized version of how super emotionally mature people deal with the world. What that ends up doing for the book, though, is presenting people who tackle problems by taking a deep breath and thinking them through, rather than behaving dramatically, and I think that's a pretty nice version of the world. Also, it's funny, and the characters are easy to like.
Advanced reader's copy provided by the author.
erine's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked her [b:Unusual Chickens|22926534|Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer (Unusual Chickens #1)|Kelly Jones|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1409597870l/22926534._SX50_.jpg|42139665], and this was similarly delightful. I loved the friendship between Eli and HD, the goats, the maker element, and the intergenerational friendships. But the Great-Grandmother ghost who haunts the pickle pot was fantastic.
Also included, fairly seamlessly, were reminders about self-care even when helping others and setting healthy boundaries.
Also included, fairly seamlessly, were reminders about self-care even when helping others and setting healthy boundaries.
amdame1's review against another edition
4.0
HD is a bi-racial kid (Black and German) who likes to make things. The next thing he wants to make is his own computer, but he doesn't have enough money to buy the components yet. He has to earn it by cleaning out the many, many boxes of stuff from his grandma's house that were moved to his uncle's basement. While cleaning, he finds an old pickling crock that is haunted by the ghost of his great-great-grandmother who wants him to help her make sauerkraut. He and his best friend Eli set out to help her while also completing their own summer to-do list: building an obstacle training course for goats, getting Eli ready for a dance competition, and building HD's computer from scratch.
Lots of humor, family, and fun - even some science and library love in here. My one quibble - and I *ADORE* Kelly Jones, but as far as I know she is not bi-racial, although she might have bi-racial kids, but I feel like this might not be an authentic #ownvoices work...
Lots of humor, family, and fun - even some science and library love in here. My one quibble - and I *ADORE* Kelly Jones, but as far as I know she is not bi-racial, although she might have bi-racial kids, but I feel like this might not be an authentic #ownvoices work...
divineblkpearl's review
4.0
We first meet the main character of Sauerkraut, Hans Dieter Schenk, on the back cover of the book — he “is a maker-an inventor, someone who builds cool stuff.” Once we get into the pages of this novel, we learn that H.D. is a boy with brown skin, brown eyes, and naturally curly hair set in short locs. He’s Kikora’s son, Asad’s big brother and “that Black kid with the white dad and the weird name — the older one”. He’s a biracial kid, living as a German-American in the U.S. while also aware that the world very much sees him as a Black boy. He’s likeable, a thinker, a planner, a builder and so much more. H.D. is the perfect personality to bring you into his world. Oh, and he wants to make sauerkraut with the help of his Oma’s ghost.
An extraordinary kid, H.D takes initiative, cherishes his friends young and old young at heart and has a fun and fresh look at all things weird that happen in life. I loved his first interactions with the ghost in the pickling crock that is revealed to be his great-great grandmother. H.D. is also a kid who is concerned about being polite–even to ghosts–even if there is no true protocol. He’s keen on research, talking trips to the library and carrying out scientific experiments. He knows the importance of repairing his relationship with his best friend. He’s not afraid to ask for help. With posters of Miles Morales, Wakanda, and even NASA astronaut Leland Melvin (YES. That astronaut who famously included his dogs in his NASA portrait) on his walls, our boy is at that age where he’s striking off to start to make his own identity. H.D. is tired of being “Kikora’s son, Asad’s big brother and ‘that Black kid with the white dad and the weird name — the older one'”. He wants to stand out on his own and have people recognize him for his own talents and qualities.
H.D.’s world is very like our own, a place populated with people of color, young people learning new things and older persons living full, capable lives helping out the young folks here and there. H.D. frequents his local library and makerspace. (In the Los Angeles Public Library System, we have the new Octavia Lab that has everthing from 3-D printers to laser cutters to audio/video analog-to-digital conversion machines). There’s a librarian who looks like H.D. He talks up the latest comics with him and wears novelty bow ties. There’s local businesses with folks working who are veterans and they aren’t all male, white or old. There’s a parent with a prosthesis who is not described as lacking in any way–a person busy with a family and their own business and hobbies. In the autobody shop of H.D.’s father, there is a female mechanic working and existing, busy with work in a male-dominated field that’s not so male-dominated anymore.
Read the rest of my review here: https://blacknerdproblems.com/sauerkraut-review/
An extraordinary kid, H.D takes initiative, cherishes his friends young and old young at heart and has a fun and fresh look at all things weird that happen in life. I loved his first interactions with the ghost in the pickling crock that is revealed to be his great-great grandmother. H.D. is also a kid who is concerned about being polite–even to ghosts–even if there is no true protocol. He’s keen on research, talking trips to the library and carrying out scientific experiments. He knows the importance of repairing his relationship with his best friend. He’s not afraid to ask for help. With posters of Miles Morales, Wakanda, and even NASA astronaut Leland Melvin (YES. That astronaut who famously included his dogs in his NASA portrait) on his walls, our boy is at that age where he’s striking off to start to make his own identity. H.D. is tired of being “Kikora’s son, Asad’s big brother and ‘that Black kid with the white dad and the weird name — the older one'”. He wants to stand out on his own and have people recognize him for his own talents and qualities.
H.D.’s world is very like our own, a place populated with people of color, young people learning new things and older persons living full, capable lives helping out the young folks here and there. H.D. frequents his local library and makerspace. (In the Los Angeles Public Library System, we have the new Octavia Lab that has everthing from 3-D printers to laser cutters to audio/video analog-to-digital conversion machines). There’s a librarian who looks like H.D. He talks up the latest comics with him and wears novelty bow ties. There’s local businesses with folks working who are veterans and they aren’t all male, white or old. There’s a parent with a prosthesis who is not described as lacking in any way–a person busy with a family and their own business and hobbies. In the autobody shop of H.D.’s father, there is a female mechanic working and existing, busy with work in a male-dominated field that’s not so male-dominated anymore.
Read the rest of my review here: https://blacknerdproblems.com/sauerkraut-review/
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