Catherine Austen

Representation: Biracial main character
Trigger warnings: Death of a teenager

6/10, well where do I even begin with this? The entire book was just one slow moving train wreck and I did not enjoy any aspect of this novel. The main character, Max was one of those morally grey protagonists but I still did not like reading about him in this book because he really wasn't that fleshed out and he used a slur once and did some perverted thing I don't remember. The dystopian world building wasn't well thought out either because I don't know how the dystopia came into being but I do remember it was due to climate change or overpopulation or something like that and why develop a vaccine to turn every student into essentially an obedient robot but I think that's the entire point of the story however it wasn't really that intriguing. The side characters were mildly interesting but they didn't help the story like Dallas who was just Max's friend and Ally who just took care of animals and was a loudmouth. The ending was by far the worst part of the book because escaping the dystopian town called New Middletown was so easy since he just went with his parents and sister all the way to Canada and that's it, it fizzles out. It's such a shame that the book ended like this and I would have liked it more if it ended on a high note but it didn't. If you like dystopian novels try 1984 by George Orwell instead of this book.… (mais)

Grief at any age is difficult. Twelve year old Josh has just lost his mother in a car accident. He has no one to show him what he should do next. His younger brother has started sleeping with him. His father has been busy trying to build a time machine. Josh has never felt so alone. At one point Josh wishes he were Jewish because they are organized about death. It is difficult as an adult dealing with death. I've worked with kids as young as five who have lost a parent and it is always tough. There are no set or exact answers to the grieving process. This is what Josh is looking for. I have several friends who will never read this book no matter how good I tell them it is because it is a sad book. However I will definitely recommend this book and especially to those who have lost a loved one… (mais)

I wasn't quite sure what to expect from 28 Tricks for a Fearless Grade 6; the cover gives the appearance of a humorous self-help book, although the book description does specify that it's a novel. In the end, it's definitely a novel, and the "tricks" are restricted to chapter headings.

While the plot is a somewhat standard surviving-middle-school plot, Catherine Austen pulls it off with more humor than most. 28 Tricks for a Fearless Grade 6 is the first book that's made me literally laugh out loud in quite some time -- and I laughed so hard I snorted! I particularly enjoyed the public speaking chapter, especially the "devil voice" scenes and the final presentation.

Definitely a good read for your more reluctant middle-grade readers.

Note: I received a digital copy of this book through NetGalley.… (mais)