How to resolve AdBlock issue?
X
Review Detail
Kids Fiction
234
Concern about family
Overall rating
4.0
Plot/Characters/Writing Style
4.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
N/A
Hazel lives on a farm with her two mothers and her older brother Rowan. They have a heard of goats that her Mom milks for her business of making soaps and other products, and Mimi is a lawyer in town. Because of a change in the train schedule, Hazel has to go to another middle school, leaving her friend Becca behind for 8th grade. Since a girl at her old school, Kristen, was always very mean, calling Hazel "goat girl" and making fun of her for crying, Hazel wants to make sure she flew under everyone's radar. This is rather lonely, but she eventually finds a table in the cafeteria where she can sit with Yosh, an outspoken boy with a colorful Mohawk who is in a wheelchair, and Carina. Carina went to Hazel's old school, but presented as a boy then. Hazel gets along well with her, and the two slowly become friends. When a school family tree project is assigned, Hazel struggles. She wants to include Lena and Miles, babies that Mimi had who both died before they were born, but doesn't want people to make fun of her. This is an especially sensitive topic because Mimi is pregnant again, and Hazel is beside herself with fear. Even Rowan, who just graduated from high school, took a gap year before going to college because he was concerned about his family coping. When there is a Health and Human Development project to carry around a bag of flour and treat it as if it were an infant, Hazel's concern deepens. It doesn't help that Becca has become a cheerleader, hangs out with Kristen, and doesn't often contact Hazel. When Mimi goes into premature labor, she must reach out to Becca's family for help, and she realizes that she has more support from all of her friends than she realized.
Good Points
It was interesting to see a character working on a small farm-- there is not much of that in literature. I also enjoyed Rowan as a supportive older brother. The friend drama with Becca was very true to life, and Hazel's general anxiety is on trend. It's nice to see Carina as a supporting character whose role is to be Hazel's friend and whose gender is not all that relevant. We need literature that shows all manner of characters, and Bigelow does a good job at this.
I think it is hard to understand but important for people not involved in the community to realize that LGBTQIA+ people sometimes surround themselves with other individuals in similar circumstances. There was an interview with Lisa Bunker that pointed this out, which was good for me to read because my feeling about her books was that there were a LOT of characters my students may never have met, and it might be confusing to them to have so many. This interview made me understand books with characters who might feel more comfortable with others like themselves. Is Hazel more accepting of Carina given her family background? Perhaps.
I think it is hard to understand but important for people not involved in the community to realize that LGBTQIA+ people sometimes surround themselves with other individuals in similar circumstances. There was an interview with Lisa Bunker that pointed this out, which was good for me to read because my feeling about her books was that there were a LOT of characters my students may never have met, and it might be confusing to them to have so many. This interview made me understand books with characters who might feel more comfortable with others like themselves. Is Hazel more accepting of Carina given her family background? Perhaps.
Comments
Already have an account? Log in now or Create an account
Powered by JReviews
How to resolve AdBlock issue?
X
FEATURED GIVEAWAYS
It’s Live!! Cover Reveal: A Light in the Sky by Shina Reynolds + Giveaway (International)
Today we're excited to celebrate the cover reveal for A Light in the Sky by Shina Reynolds, releasing early 2020 from Wink Road Press! Before we get to the cover, here's a note from the author: ...
Posted in News & Updates
Author Chat with Geoffrey Saign (Guardian - The Choice), Excerpt, Plus Giveaway! ~ (US Only)
Today we're excited to chat with Geoffrey Saign author of Guardian - The Choice Recently, Guardian, The Choice won the 2019 Outstanding YA Fiction IAN BOTY (Book of The Year) Award in the ...
Posted in News & Updates
Author Chat with Tracey Laviolette (Bloodborne Awakened), Plus Giveaway! ~ (US Only)
Today we're excited to chat with Tracey Laviolette author of Bloodborne Awakened Read on for more about Tracey and her book, plus an giveaway! Meet Trace...
Posted in News & Updates
Author Chat with E.E. Knight (Novice Dragoneer), Plus Giveaway! ~ (US Only)
Today we're excited to chat with E.E. Knight author of Novice Dragoneer Read on for more about E.E. and his book, plus an giveaway! Meet E.E. Knight! E. ...
Posted in News & Updates
Author Chat with Denis Markell (The Ghost In Apartment 2R), Plus Giveaway! ~ (US Only)
Today we're excited to chat with Denis Markell author of The Ghost In Apartment 2R Read on for more about Denis and his book, plus an giveaway! Meet Deni...
Posted in News & Updates
Author Of The Week: Author Chat with Julie Eshbaugh (Crown Of Oblivion), Plus Giveaway!
Welcome to our weekly special feature post, Author Of The Week !! Each week we will be interviewing a different YA author and highlighting their upcoming release! We will also be hosting a givea...
Posted in News & Updates
Latest Book Listings Added
Welcome to Bohring-home to 453 people, 2,053 alligators, and one...
“Fast, funny, frightening—and filled with shocks and surprises. These books...
In this charming debut about first love and second...
This action-packed graphic novel based on the New York...
Seventeen-year-old Rose Hemmersbach aspires to break out of small town...
Enter a world of faerie magic and epic adventure in...
The exciting follow-up to Mightier Than the Sword, the humorous...
Latest Member Reviews
"I love this book so much. I read it pretty much in one sitting because I couldn't put it down!..."
"WHERE THE WORLD ENDS is an intriguing historical fiction, based on a true story. The boys of Hirta are sent..."
"Juliet Takes a Breath is a coming of age story about a Latina lesbian from the Bronx who travels to..."
"Fireborne is a fantasy novel set nine years after a bloody uprising against a brutal regime in which the poor..."
"THE GALACTIC ADVENTURES OF HAZEL - GURECOA takes place in the far future, where our planet is only vaguely recognizable...."
"BATMAN: NIGHTWALKER (THE GRAPHIC NOVEL) converts the YA novel by Marie Lu into graphic novel format. The plot remains the..."
"ADORKABLE is a book you can easily predict, but the journey is unbelievably delightful. Sally Spitz is a senior in..."
"SIX GOODBYES WE NEVER SAID is quite a heavy YA contemporary. We follow Naima and Dew in alternating sections. Naima..."
" THIS WAS INCREDIBLE. This book reads like BUTTER...… Moldy, rotten, disgusting butter,..."
"After killing a man in Paris, Celine is forced to flee to a different country and finds herself in New..."
"Guinevere has one role to play when she arrives in Camelot. She has to protect King Arthur with her life...."
"UNSTOPPABLE MOSES is quite an interesting YA contemporary. With dark humor, grief/healing, and guilt/blame, this book takes on some big..."
"The most amazing thing about classic horror stories is how they still influence many writers today. To read 'the..."
"After learning that his cousin Jun (his best friend and penpal) has died, Jay Reguero heads back to visit his..."
"Zora Novak has been accused of a crime she didn't commit. It doesn't help that her family are known as..."
"Fireborne is a fantasy novel set nine years after a bloody uprising against a brutal regime in which the poor..."
"RUTHLESS GODS is dark, atmospheric, and completely enchanting. It was everything I hoped a sequel to WICKED SAINTS would be..."
"What worked: This is a quirky, humorous at times paranormal novel where a babysitter's club is really a code name..."