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destdest's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-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? Yes
3.0
Pros
- The artwork is super cute. I love the coloring style and the overall cartoony look.
- Jackie’s family has financial issues while they’re waiting to be hired as full-time police officers, so they need all the children to work to contribute income. This will be relatable to kids who have a lot of responsibility on their shoulders and/or have to help out financially already at a young age.
- Jackie fails a lot, but she also gets back up every time! Very resilient!
- A boy gains character growth and stops bullying others (tho mostly because he gets a crush on the MC) and becomes a decent person.
- When a character is being bigoted, they get called out rightfully so and face consequences.
Neutral
- A lot of preteen drama (crushes, first loves, jealousy, miscommunication, etc).
- Like the first book, Older Jackie is recounting this story to her daughters. It’s still set in the 90’s, so the slang is goofy-sounding by today’s standards.
Cons
- During play auditions, one of the actors (butthole extraordinaire) makes racial remarks to Meredith (token Black best friend) and mocks Jackie’s stuttering. I believe this is to show kids “microaggressions,” but it comes off so heavy-handed. Only the boldest racist/bigot comes out plainly with what they’re saying.
- The parents tell the kids if they don’t work, they can’t afford groceries, which I understand... Some families don’t have the luxury of maintaining on one salary… But it’s a doggone shame to be depended on the kiddies to help out. Y’all couldn’t downsize or take on a second job? It’s different to teach kids the value of money or responsibility, then to forcefully need it. That part was not cute. Um, y’all are supposed to provide!
- How did y’all arrest someone off of hearsay???
connorslibrarycorner's review
4.0
Wonderful book.
Such a fun and easy read that dealt with a lot of serious issues too such as crime, racism, war.
Amazing series of books with excellent humour!
Such a fun and easy read that dealt with a lot of serious issues too such as crime, racism, war.
Amazing series of books with excellent humour!
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