libscote's reviews
6213 reviews

Whatever It Takes: Women on Women's Sport by Joby Winans
Did not finish book.

It needed to go back due to the ILL service shutting down :(

Women of Sports: The best of the best in basketball by Rachel Rutledge

3.0

The Fire, the Water and Maudie McGinn by Sally J. Pla

emotional hopeful medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

Maudie lives with her mom, who wants her to keep secrets, to shove everything down. Her favorite time of year is when she summers with her dad. This summer is different: there are wildfires in northern California, and they have to flee the cabin her dad built with his bare hands. Can Maudie keep all the secrets inside while her life is in upheaval? This is another strong book for the MSBA list, as well as being yet another one that made me cry. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse and Bullying

Minor: Fire/Fire injury

Drawing Blood: The Story Behind The Stories (Vol 1: Spilled Ink) by David Avallone, Kevin Eastman, Ben Bishop

3.0

not my usual cup of tea. I was more intrigued after I learned about Kevin Eastman and the Ninja turtles.

A Strange Loop by Michael R. Jackson

challenging emotional

3.0

I didn't go into this play knowing a lot about it and it kind of shocked me! I guess I'm not used to plays that are that explicit. It was definitely an out-of-comfort-zone read for me.

World Made of Glass by Ami Polonsky

emotional informative sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.25

This book made me cry so many times. What we did to AIDS patients in the 1970s and 80s was unconscionable. Iris's journey to activism is believable and makes sense. I have a hard time thinking of the 1980s as historical fiction, as this all feels so current to me now still, but this book is worth reading.

Good Different by Meg Eden Kuyatt

emotional informative medium-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

Selah has so many rules about how to be normal. She's trying so hard to hold it all in. One day, she snaps and lashes out, and everything changes. I thought this story did a good job of illustrating how "easy" it is for women-identified autistic people to pass as "normal" and how hard it can be for them to get diagnosed. I also think it illustrates some issues with schools and accommodations. I wanted to make some comments about charter versus public, but I'm not sure it's that simple. 

A Wrinkle in Time: The Graphic Novel by Hope Larson, Madeleine L'Engle

inspiring mysterious medium-paced

3.5

I don't think that this book is bad, but it didn't work as well as the original text for me. I went in with very high expectations, though.

Vivian Lantz's Second Chances by Kathryn Ormsbee

funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Vivian Lantz has a history of horrible first days of school, but this year is going to be different. She's going to have the perfect style and get her crush to notice her. It all goes wrong that first day, but then she miraculously gets a do-over. And another. And another. Before she knows it, she's in a loop!  She can get the perfect first day, but can she also get out again?

I love the way Vivian reacts to the different situations. They aren't all perfect, but they feel real and very middle-school appropriate. My favorite reactions were the ones where she forgot that she learned information in a different loop and so the person wouldn't know what she was talking about. A cute read.

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Bullying

A First Time for Everything by Dan Santat

emotional funny lighthearted reflective medium-paced

4.5

Santat's memoir about his trip to Europe in middle school is hilarious and also a bit eye-opening, as I cannot imagine some of the kids being allowed to do what they did today. It's totally relatable to anyone who has been through middle school and a good read for all.