Tag: women and girls

BONUS REVIEW: Bea Is for Blended by Lindsey Stoddard

BONUS REVIEW: Bea Is for Blended by Lindsey Stoddard

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and HarperCollins in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Bea Embers is about to start middle school, but that’s only one of a series of changes she’s experiencing all at once. Bea’s mom has just gotten married, the two families have moved into a new house together, and Bea’s mom is going to have a baby. On top of all that, one of her new step-brothers, Bryce, is a “bully-follower” in her homeroom. Bryce’s friends always pick on Bea’s best friend, and Bryce goes along with it and even joins in. How will she ever think of someone like that as family?

Complicating Bea’s life even more is the soccer situation at school. Bea’s always been a leader on her past teams. (Usually they were boys’ teams that “allowed” the girls to join. But they often sat on the bench and rarely received any credit or encouragement for their contributions to the team.) But her new neighbor is going to be some stiff competition. Even worse, the middle school soccer coach (who is also the principal) is dismissive of every girl who wants to play. And he’s a constant obstacle to their desire for a team of their own.

But Bea Embers is as feisty and fiery as her name would imply. She and her friends – and her new family – aren’t going to put up with any misogynistic “bullsharky” this year. They’re going to stand tall and push back.

Review

This was so amazing! This exemplifies why I love middle grade novels:

  • Imperfect characters grow and learn over time.
  • Amazing teachers coach and encourage and fight for their students.
  • Families come together and back each other up.
  • Adults give kids space to work through conflicts while also being willing to back them up when it’s needed.

There’s so much heart here, I wanted to hug the book. This is the perfect blend of a story that has you tearing up one moment and wanting to stand up and cheer the next. It’s delightful!

Bea had to grow on me for a few chapters while I waited to get a feel for her. At the same time, though, I feel like in those early chapters, Bea is trying to get a feel for herself in all of these new roles and settings. I was captivated by her story and her circumstances from the start. I loved the kids, their teachers, and their families. I loved how the characters grow over time – and not just Bea. Bea’s experience with Bridge to Terabithia was a fantastic part of the story. My favorite part, though, is getting a peek into Bea’s thinking about all of the things happening in her life – the changes in her family, the soccer situation, her friends at school, her feelings about Bryce, how she relates what she is reading to what she is experiencing, etc..

There is SO MUCH here to love. Do not miss the latest book from the author of Right as Rain (another book I wanted to hug after reading). This would be a fantastic read-aloud, but would also work well for book groups and book clubs. (Includes a few excellent uses of the word “badass.”)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥♥ = Outstanding!

REVIEW: Queen's Peril by E. K. Johnston

REVIEW: Queen’s Peril by E. K. Johnston

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Disney Lucasfilm Press in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

When Padmé Naberrie became queen of Naboo, she surrendered her name and her former identity – for the length of her service – for the good of her office. She was Queen Amidala to everyone, even her family. But behind the closed doors of her quarters, with only her handmaidens around, she could be Padmé again, at least a little.

The handmaiden group Queen Amidala and Captain Panaka developed was new for the monarchy. Actually, Panaka had proposed just a double, a body guard. The queen had the vision for a larger group. And together the girls developed a system that would both protect the queen and use all of their individual skills to help her excel in her new role.

And the girls will need their protection systems well-honed and the kinks all worked out if they are going to survive the threat to Naboo and to Queen Amidala’s throne that is on the way.

Review

This was great! While I liked Queen’s Shadow (♥♥♥♥), which is a companion novel with these characters that takes place later in the timeline, I thought this was better.

This is an origin story. It begins with Padmé waiting for the results of the election. It showcases the recruitment of each of her handmaidens and the development of their security team. This was my favorite part of the novel.

By the midway point, events on Naboo have caught up to the story of The Phantom Menace. Since I’ve seen the movie, I appreciated how the author left the movie moments out of most of the story. She made enough references to tie the two together, but this fills in some great context and behind the scenes information. Since I have seen the movie, I don’t know how this storytelling choice will play out for those who have NOT seen the movie. (Would someone pick up this book without having seen the movies? I don’t know.)

As soon as I finished this, I had to watch The Phantom Menace for a refresher. I don’t think there is anything in the book that changed the movie in a significant way, but I did enjoy having some “insider information” about what was going on. This also makes me want to go back and re-read Queen’s Shadow now that I know more about the various handmaidens. (This might sound weird, but I also appreciated how the author wove menstruation into the story considering most of it focused on teenage girls. There’s been discussion in YA circles about how you rarely see periods acknowledged even though half the population have them, unless the book is specifically about menstruation in the first place – like Go With the Flow (♥♥♥♥) or Revenge of the Red Club.)

This is not as quiet of a story as Queen’s Shadow. The tie-ins with The Phantom Menace brought more action to the story – battles, holding camps on Naboo with executions and torture (off page), etc. Readers who are looking for Jedi and light saber battles won’t find as much to enjoy here as they might in a different line of Star Wars novels. But those looking for a richer character-based story and more on Padmé and her bodyguards should definitely check this out. (Violence: executions, torture – off page. LGBTQ+: F/F relationships)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½