Reviews

wow. powerful and in vernacular. i read it because of listening to one of her others, Bang!, and am wondering why i never bothered to pick one up before.

awhipp17's review against another edition

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challenging dark hopeful reflective tense fast-paced

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

4.0

i read this with my daughter for her school assignment. it was clearly that kind of book that is good to read as a class and discuss. i liked the topics that were raised, especially about liking who you are and being brave enough to be yourself. however, i felt the main character had done too many wrong and bad things to have things resolve so smoothly at the end. also, the bullies were not nice kids, but we clearly saw that they had a rough life and no one gave them any help or grace. again, im not condoning what they did, but they were also kids who clearly needed help.

posies23's review against another edition

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4.0

This short novel follows the life of Maleeka, a 7th grader dealing with bullies, family issues, and school. Her life gets even more complicated when a new English teacher comes to school -- one without any preconceived notions about who Maleeka is and what she's capable of.

Written in a compelling voice, this book has a lot to talk about, and it isn't nearly as "preachy" as some YA books that tackle similar topics.

Even though there aren't any car chases or explosions, I think most pre-teens and teens would get a lot out of this book, especially if they were able to discuss it with others.