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jenmangler's review against another edition
4.0
Erin Entrada Kelly really knows how to break my heart. This is the 2nd book of hers I've read, and the second time my heart ached for her wonderful characters. I loved the time I spent with Sol and Ming, the "forgotten girls." And I'm so glad that by the end of the book they know they're not forgotten, that there are people who love them and will always have their backs.
mariahistryingtoread's review against another edition
5.0
Erin Entrada Kelly has done it again. I feel like I start every review of a book by her with something to this effect, but what do you expect when she always strikes it out of the park? I might be setting myself up for a fall considering how high a pedestal I keep putting her on. I don’t care because even her ‘worst’ output so far has been leagues above a lot of books I’ve seen get critical acclaim.
What she excels at is capturing the messy dynamics of human relationships. While there are always antagonists, there aren’t always villains. Awful individuals have people they care about, people they’d make exceptions for, people who if you asked would swear up and down that the person you think is the devil incarnate is actually a bastion of kindness. As hard as it is to admit, awful people are still at the end of the day still people.
I can’t stress enough how much I appreciate her commitment to seeing a plot through to its conclusion. Many middle grade books want to tackle heavy themes, but are scared of leaving readers with potentially ‘bad’ feelings so they twist the story in the eleventh hour into a puff piece that feels unearned. I like that she follows through on the realism she starts with. Realism doesn’t have to equal grimdark. It doesn’t have to leave you feeling miserable. I think there’s a comfort kids can derive from reading about other kids going through circumstances that they might also be going through and learning they’re not alone. It may not be the unabashed happy ending they deserve when it’s all over, but sometimes the happy ending comes after the story has ended and what you’re left with now is okay too because you know if they can get through it you can too.
Soledad is a beautifully complicated character. She steals. She talks back. She trespasses. She’s also a wonderful friend, a giving sister, and has immense guilt over a freak accident that wasn’t her fault. Her complexity added so much depth to the story. I adored her. Even when she was acting out, she never lost her appeal.
The Auntie Jove plot point created great tension. Whether or not she’s real is revealed fairly early on and you’re left on edge as it builds to the climax. Reading it I knew that whatever happened it was going to have major consequences and I was scared for Soledad dealing with the potential fallout.
Despite being an evil stepmother Vea was a multi-faceted antagonist. Her behavior was inexcusable, however, I can acknowledge that in her own way she was trying her best. I liked how she and Soledad reached an understanding by the end.
Bottom line, The Land of Forgotten Girls is a treasure. You won’t be disappointed. I’ve never been and don’t expect to ever be. Another high recommendation as per usual.
What she excels at is capturing the messy dynamics of human relationships. While there are always antagonists, there aren’t always villains. Awful individuals have people they care about, people they’d make exceptions for, people who if you asked would swear up and down that the person you think is the devil incarnate is actually a bastion of kindness. As hard as it is to admit, awful people are still at the end of the day still people.
I can’t stress enough how much I appreciate her commitment to seeing a plot through to its conclusion. Many middle grade books want to tackle heavy themes, but are scared of leaving readers with potentially ‘bad’ feelings so they twist the story in the eleventh hour into a puff piece that feels unearned. I like that she follows through on the realism she starts with. Realism doesn’t have to equal grimdark. It doesn’t have to leave you feeling miserable. I think there’s a comfort kids can derive from reading about other kids going through circumstances that they might also be going through and learning they’re not alone. It may not be the unabashed happy ending they deserve when it’s all over, but sometimes the happy ending comes after the story has ended and what you’re left with now is okay too because you know if they can get through it you can too.
Soledad is a beautifully complicated character. She steals. She talks back. She trespasses. She’s also a wonderful friend, a giving sister, and has immense guilt over a freak accident that wasn’t her fault. Her complexity added so much depth to the story. I adored her. Even when she was acting out, she never lost her appeal.
The Auntie Jove plot point created great tension. Whether or not she’s real is revealed fairly early on and you’re left on edge as it builds to the climax. Reading it I knew that whatever happened it was going to have major consequences and I was scared for Soledad dealing with the potential fallout.
Despite being an evil stepmother Vea was a multi-faceted antagonist. Her behavior was inexcusable, however, I can acknowledge that in her own way she was trying her best. I liked how she and Soledad reached an understanding by the end.
Bottom line, The Land of Forgotten Girls is a treasure. You won’t be disappointed. I’ve never been and don’t expect to ever be. Another high recommendation as per usual.
seashelfs's review against another edition
4.0
Sad and hopeful book. I just wanted a happier ending.
bunbunbunny's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
nahamiel's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
preciousbodle's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
jaij7's review against another edition
4.0
What a great story. Loved reading it and meeting Sol and Ming. What Imagination! Thank you, Erin. You do not disappoint. I can count on her to write great stories with beautiful characters.
kathythelibraryteacher's review against another edition
4.0
A little girl with a big imagination
The truth has a thousand voices.
Two little girls stranded in a dingy apartment with an evil stepmother make their way on stories inherited from their mother. Sol and Ming have very little in life but their imaginations and each other. Together they make their way in a poor area of New Orleans with good friends and one special neighbor and find hope for a better life.
The truth has a thousand voices.
Two little girls stranded in a dingy apartment with an evil stepmother make their way on stories inherited from their mother. Sol and Ming have very little in life but their imaginations and each other. Together they make their way in a poor area of New Orleans with good friends and one special neighbor and find hope for a better life.
brandypainter's review against another edition
4.0
Originally posted here at Random Musings of a Bibliophile.
Erin Entrada Kelly's Blackbird Fly was a book I really enjoyed last year. I finished it and knew that I would read whatever Kelly wrote next as soon as I could. I got an ARC of her new book The Land of Forgotten Girls and enjoyed it even more.
Soledad came to America with her father, sister, and newly acquired stepmom shortly after her mother's death. Soledad knows her stepmom only married her father for his papers bringing them from the Philippines to America. When her father returns to the Philippines for a funeral and never comes back, Sol and her sister are left in the care of their evil stepmother Vea. Sol works hard to protect her younger sister Ming from Vea's anger and bitter resentment. Sol tells her stories the same way their mother used to tell her-stories about a mythical world traveling aunt. Ming now believes that Auntie Jove will be there to rescue them shortly. She is packing and has the date set in her head. Sol struggles with whether she has hurt her sister more than helped her with the stories she tells.
With Soledad, Kelly and her editor have taken a risk that is seldom seen in MG fiction and given us a female main character who is incredibly unlikeable at first encounter. Too often female main characters in MG books have to be the girl strongly suffering injustice in silence. They are the bullied and not the bullies. They are loners who meet a friend who makes them feel special. Not Sol. She is prickly, abrasive, and angry. She has so much anger and it is a beautiful thing. I loved her. Ming is the one who is quiet and hides from the world. Sol attacks it. On behalf of herself and her sister, she is unafraid to face harsh realities. She has a best friend named Manny and the two of them together are not the most pleasant of teams. They steal ice cream from the corner store. They yell insults at the kids at the Catholic school. They throw acorns at one of the students who is albino. But Sol has a deep core of compassion running through her too. When she accidentally injures the girl she is throwing things at, she seeks her out to apologize and they begin a friendship. This was so well done and made sense for both their characters. The evolving relationship between the two and Manny is organic and develops exactly as middle school relationships often do. Sol is also pretty much willing to do anything for her sister and that is another place the book truly excels.
We all know I love a good sibling story, and this is an amazing one. Sol feels responsible for the death of their middle sister who died a year before their mom. Her zeal in standing between Ming and their stepmother is wonderful and heartbreaking. The shifting dynamic between the sisters as Sol tries to protect Ming from the fantasies she herself created and things start to spin out of control is displayed with heart, fairness, and even humor. Into this story, come several other members of the community and through them Kelly highlights how important friendship and community are. I was struck by how real and crucial even the minor characters were to the story being told.
Vea is a pretty terrible stepmom. She is not however painted as a villainous caricature. She is given nuance and I was able to understand her bitterness even as I was appalled at how she took it out on the children. The slow realizations Sol has about her and what she chooses to about those are an amazing demonstration in character growth from the beginning to the end of the story.
I really hope we continue to see books from Kelly. She is a wonderful voice to have in the world of children's literature. Her portrayal of the present day immigration experience is done so well in both of her novels thus far. As a Filipina American who grew up in Louisiana herself, she has the benefit of also being one of the best possible people to tell these stories, and she does it incredibly well.
I read an ARC made available by the publisher, Greenwillow Books, via Edelweiss. The Land of Forgotten Girls is on sale now.
Erin Entrada Kelly's Blackbird Fly was a book I really enjoyed last year. I finished it and knew that I would read whatever Kelly wrote next as soon as I could. I got an ARC of her new book The Land of Forgotten Girls and enjoyed it even more.
Soledad came to America with her father, sister, and newly acquired stepmom shortly after her mother's death. Soledad knows her stepmom only married her father for his papers bringing them from the Philippines to America. When her father returns to the Philippines for a funeral and never comes back, Sol and her sister are left in the care of their evil stepmother Vea. Sol works hard to protect her younger sister Ming from Vea's anger and bitter resentment. Sol tells her stories the same way their mother used to tell her-stories about a mythical world traveling aunt. Ming now believes that Auntie Jove will be there to rescue them shortly. She is packing and has the date set in her head. Sol struggles with whether she has hurt her sister more than helped her with the stories she tells.
With Soledad, Kelly and her editor have taken a risk that is seldom seen in MG fiction and given us a female main character who is incredibly unlikeable at first encounter. Too often female main characters in MG books have to be the girl strongly suffering injustice in silence. They are the bullied and not the bullies. They are loners who meet a friend who makes them feel special. Not Sol. She is prickly, abrasive, and angry. She has so much anger and it is a beautiful thing. I loved her. Ming is the one who is quiet and hides from the world. Sol attacks it. On behalf of herself and her sister, she is unafraid to face harsh realities. She has a best friend named Manny and the two of them together are not the most pleasant of teams. They steal ice cream from the corner store. They yell insults at the kids at the Catholic school. They throw acorns at one of the students who is albino. But Sol has a deep core of compassion running through her too. When she accidentally injures the girl she is throwing things at, she seeks her out to apologize and they begin a friendship. This was so well done and made sense for both their characters. The evolving relationship between the two and Manny is organic and develops exactly as middle school relationships often do. Sol is also pretty much willing to do anything for her sister and that is another place the book truly excels.
We all know I love a good sibling story, and this is an amazing one. Sol feels responsible for the death of their middle sister who died a year before their mom. Her zeal in standing between Ming and their stepmother is wonderful and heartbreaking. The shifting dynamic between the sisters as Sol tries to protect Ming from the fantasies she herself created and things start to spin out of control is displayed with heart, fairness, and even humor. Into this story, come several other members of the community and through them Kelly highlights how important friendship and community are. I was struck by how real and crucial even the minor characters were to the story being told.
Vea is a pretty terrible stepmom. She is not however painted as a villainous caricature. She is given nuance and I was able to understand her bitterness even as I was appalled at how she took it out on the children. The slow realizations Sol has about her and what she chooses to about those are an amazing demonstration in character growth from the beginning to the end of the story.
I really hope we continue to see books from Kelly. She is a wonderful voice to have in the world of children's literature. Her portrayal of the present day immigration experience is done so well in both of her novels thus far. As a Filipina American who grew up in Louisiana herself, she has the benefit of also being one of the best possible people to tell these stories, and she does it incredibly well.
I read an ARC made available by the publisher, Greenwillow Books, via Edelweiss. The Land of Forgotten Girls is on sale now.