2023 REREAD: Sure, after a while its slow pacing and nothing happening (much) become more apparent and at times grating, but I still could not get enough of 'The Haunting of Hill House' and its writing. It is oddly delightful, weird, addictive, hypnotic, and subconsciously creepy and unsettling. The moments and characters that don't make sense and are inconsistent were surely done intentionally.
I think I have more of an understanding and appreciation of Shirley Jackson and her work than I did before.
'The Haunting of Hill House' isn't outwardly or obviously scary. It is the quiet, subtle, atmospheric, psychological, hinging-on-madness, human kind of ghost story.
Read my original review below for more of my thoughts.
Final Score: 4.5/5
Original Review:
How I love this small haunted house tale.
I can't say what thousands have already analysed and discussed about 'The Haunting of Hill House' and its themes and metaphors. I will say, however, that it is delightfully creepy and imaginative. I don't get scared by books often, and this one didn't frighten me or make me nervous about things going bump in the night, but I found it to be thrilling and creative storytelling.
It is very psychological, slow in pace, yet simple and effortless both in writing and in narrative structure. Shirley Jackson's writing is delicious, addictive, innovative, stimulating, fluid and flowing - the haunted house and ghost story can be read in at least two days.
I adore the characters and their banter and thoughts discussed in Hill House. There's the lonely and socially-awkward Eleanor Vance, the colourful, playful, funny and daring Theodora (a woman ahead of her time, to be sure), the jack-the-lad and future inheritor of Hill House, Luke Sanderson, and Doctor John Montague, who has brought these people to this old, supposedly evil, disjointed, and "wrong" house hidden on top of a hill, surrounded by trees, for a paranormal experiment. Mrs Dudley, the caretaker's wife, is stiff and creepy as heck too.
Eleanor. Oh wispy, capricious Eleanor. Yearning to belong somewhere and have a home to call her own, unconscionably craving attention, and friends she'll end up despising at a drop of a hat; she might become the most susceptible to Hill House's terrible power. Before she even sees the house, the reader knows her mind; that she is lonely, yet hateful towards anyone she doesn't fully agree with and connect to, and that she is prone to flights of fancy and wish-fulfilment imaginings.
By the house's morbid influence, or her own fragile, frail mind fighting for or against it, she might even become a part of the house itself.
Eleanor IS the house.
That is all I'll say.
Except that Eleanor and Theodora are totally in love with each other. It's barely subtext, and it creates an interesting dynamic between the two as they explore the house and its surroundings together. Hill House peels back the surface and forces the truth out of its inhabitants eventually.
Sexual awakening and freedom in isolation from repression and inhibitions in 1950s American society, especially for women - now there is a metaphor out of a myriad of interpretations to sink your teeth into.
'The Haunting of Hill House' is such a good story. The writing is lovely and clever, the characters are great and three-dimensional, and the set pieces are masterfully crafted. Nothing is forgotten about or wasted.
Ethereal, beautiful, eerie and tragic, this haunted house story, that delves deep into the troubled human psychosis, is a wonderful treat.
It's healthy to have flights of fancy and childlike ideas. But one can drink from the cup full of stars too deeply, for too long. Sinking into self-importance, and the dark void of madness where there are no longer any bright stars to be seen...
Now I just need to see the sixties' film adaptation.
Final Score: 5/5
Sunday, 11 November 2018
Saturday, 10 November 2018
Scribble #82
It is far too early to be this dark.
How did it get so dark, so quick?
It's sure to leave a mark
In the sky, so ethereal and sick
To the eye, the darkness an ever present arc.
Why is it so dark?
How did the outside get so black?
Light beware, stay sharp, stay stark.
Winter's marched. Winter's back.
Winter's strong. Intangible stone.
Winter's come.
(What must the trees think of this?
So cold; nature shall freeze in fits,
Do not die in the icy mist.)
How did it get so dark, so quick?
It's sure to leave a mark
In the sky, so ethereal and sick
To the eye, the darkness an ever present arc.
Why is it so dark?
How did the outside get so black?
Light beware, stay sharp, stay stark.
Winter's marched. Winter's back.
Winter's strong. Intangible stone.
Winter's come.
(What must the trees think of this?
So cold; nature shall freeze in fits,
Do not die in the icy mist.)
Tuesday, 6 November 2018
Book Review - 'A Blade So Black' by L.L. McKinney
2021 EDIT: 'A Blade So Black' is even better than I remember it on the second read. The only thing really letting it down for me is the ending: like, was anything actually accomplished? I don't think so. Curse sequel baiting.
But L.L. McKinney's 'A Blade So Black' is wonderful, Wonderland Black Girl Magic and Action all the way until then. I mean, what a ride!
It's much better written than I gave it credit for last time, and I appreciate and understand the 'Alice in Wonderland' references far more now.
'A Blade So Black' is very addictive. As enticing as cake and cotton candy, and as intense, dramatic and action-packed as a hardcore adult anime (it draws a lot of inspiration from a lot of anime, not just 'Sailor Moon' - love!).
Although, what is up with the trite "Light/white = good, and dark/black = evil" fantasy BS in this modern diverse book starring a badass black female protagonist? I hope that unfortunate element is explored further and given depth in the sequel.
I'm still not sure if I'll ever even read the sequel. I wonder if it'll be worth it (I've heard it's more queer...?) (Before, I'd also missed the slight implication that Alice may be bi). Oh well. The first book in 'The Nightmare-Verse' series will be a keeper for me.
A giant shout-out for diversity! For diversity in fantasy!
Final Score: 4/5
Original Review:
'A Blade So Black' is like a student film in YA novel form. And of course I mean that to sound positive: it is ambitious and passionate, if a little cheap and rough around the edges due to the lack of the pristine, high budget quality needed for a fantasy epic.
As a debut, it is solid and addictive. I read 300 pages of it in one day and I didn't want to stop. I enjoyed the characters, the diversity, and the action. Reading it is like devouring colourful candyfloss - one bite, one light, fluffy taste, and you fall under its sugary spell. It's a good candied apple snack.
'A Blade So Black' is yet another retelling of 'Alice in Wonderland' - it's an action adventure, and Alice is an African-American teenager. Imagine, a black Alice Kingston from "the hood" (precisely, Atlanta), who's an action heroine, in what's not only fantastic representation - protagonists of colour are still generally rare in modern fantasy, which is shameful - but in a book that can be read as light, silly fun, regardless.
Let black women write and star in popcorn, pop culture entertainment, containing modern, serious issues too.
There are quite a few pop culture references in 'A Blade So Black'. Alice is a 'Sailor Moon' fan (love her already) and loves to cosplay as her, and she even yells out "Cosmic moon power!" when finishing a job with her blade after hunting monsters, called Nightmares. Plus she is called "black Buffy" ("Or just Buffy," she retorts) in-book. It's so corny, I dig it.
Alice is a great heroine. She's inexperienced, she makes mistakes, she tries, she gets nauseous, anxious, worried and scared, and she never gives up. She loves her mother and her friends, both in the real world and the dream world Wonderland. Throughout her battles, with knives and daggers, plus her "Muchness" inner-belief power, Alice is dealing with terrible grief after the unexpected death of her father. They were going to go to a con together the same day. This kickstarted her encounter with a horrible, shadowy beast, a Nightmare, born from humans, in an alley. From there she gets rescued, and she discovers the fantasy world of Wonderland, and her destiny as a Dreamwalker, for it is humans who make Nightmares, and it is only humans who can destroy them.
Maybe Alice is something more...
Adding to that is another tragedy of a black girl, Brionne, who was recently shot and killed by the police, in Alice's town. She worries about how her own death at the hands of Nightmares and other Wonderland horrors would affect her already-shaken, overprotective mother, and she considers giving up the superhero life for her sake, the loss of life being too great a risk. Serious issues such as this are present in starry constellations throughout 'A Blade So Black'; it's not all light and simple.
Darkness lurks; in reality, things scarier than Nightmares lie in wait. Police brutality, racism in the United States - this is not mindless junk food.
Sure there are YA clichés - there's the hot mentor love interest, Addison Hatta, a white Englishman (hi Giles) from Wonderland who looks Alice's age but is hundreds of years old and has got a punk rock thing going on. He is fun to be around for banter, but is hiding a dark past (surprise). Every male is described as unnaturally handsome; nearly all are young-looking and therefore good pickings for Alice.
There is a slight love triangle, but thankfully it's not a priority - the plot, action, and Alice and her development are. She's not a Mary Sue, but it's awesome to read about a teen woman of colour who is important and worthwhile in her own pseudo-wish fulfilment fantasy story. She takes center stage and is even allowed to be badass on her own at the end.
But to top off the YA tropes: the book ends on a massive cliffhanger. I hate that cheap gimmick. But at least here I liked the characters enough and cared enough about what might happen next to not mind much.
The 'Alice in Wonderland' references come across as almost superfluous to the story as well. There is a lot of namedropping - Alice's real world friends Court(ney) and Chess, her cats Lewis and Carol (got to laugh at that), and Hatta, Maddi (Madeline) the Poet, or potion maker, a Looking Glass pub, a Cheshire Cat clock, the Duchess, fellow Dreamwalkers the twins Dee and Dem Tweedlanov, the Knights, the Queens, "Curiouser...", "We are all mad here," and the chapter titles. I'm surprised there is no one called Dinah. On their own they're cool, but I feel at the end, 'A Blade So Black' could have been about anything other than Wonderland; its plot is fairly standard YA fantasy. It didn't really matter if the references were overt or not. It was namedropping without much examination or intricate, clever twisting in terms of the original source material's themes.
Still, the writing is enjoyable enough for this to not become a huge issue. The diversity sells - Maddi the Poet is described as looking Latina, and princesses in Wonderland have dark skin, and there is a female White Knight named Xelon, an awesome fighter. Along with the rich, prima donna with a heart of gold, Court, Alice has an abundance of female friends. It is often the men who are either dead, damsels in distress, or visible villains.
Despite its flaws - not least the shafted plot points at the end for the sake of that damn cliffhanger and sequel hook - 'A Blade So Black' is a ride of Muchness! The writing is breezy and action-packed, and the characters are wondrously memorable, in and out of Wonderland and its sweet, colourful surroundings and dark undertones.
Curiouser and curiouser indeed. It's a nice little princessy treat; a slice of frosted birthday cake, that leaves you wanting more to be filled up and satisfied. A guilty pleasure read.
And come on - it's YA 'Alice in Wonderland' action starring a black Alice and a gay princess. Yes, a gay princess! And her lady knight!
Sold yet? Give 'A Blade So Black' a go and listen to and support diverse voices writing all sorts of stories, be they "high art" or fun entertainment. Especially in the fantasy YA book market.
Black girls should forever be able to see themselves as heroes in their own stories. And in the fantasy genre.
Final Score: 3.5/5
But L.L. McKinney's 'A Blade So Black' is wonderful, Wonderland Black Girl Magic and Action all the way until then. I mean, what a ride!
It's much better written than I gave it credit for last time, and I appreciate and understand the 'Alice in Wonderland' references far more now.
'A Blade So Black' is very addictive. As enticing as cake and cotton candy, and as intense, dramatic and action-packed as a hardcore adult anime (it draws a lot of inspiration from a lot of anime, not just 'Sailor Moon' - love!).
Although, what is up with the trite "Light/white = good, and dark/black = evil" fantasy BS in this modern diverse book starring a badass black female protagonist? I hope that unfortunate element is explored further and given depth in the sequel.
I'm still not sure if I'll ever even read the sequel. I wonder if it'll be worth it (I've heard it's more queer...?) (Before, I'd also missed the slight implication that Alice may be bi). Oh well. The first book in 'The Nightmare-Verse' series will be a keeper for me.
A giant shout-out for diversity! For diversity in fantasy!
Final Score: 4/5
Original Review:
'A Blade So Black' is like a student film in YA novel form. And of course I mean that to sound positive: it is ambitious and passionate, if a little cheap and rough around the edges due to the lack of the pristine, high budget quality needed for a fantasy epic.
As a debut, it is solid and addictive. I read 300 pages of it in one day and I didn't want to stop. I enjoyed the characters, the diversity, and the action. Reading it is like devouring colourful candyfloss - one bite, one light, fluffy taste, and you fall under its sugary spell. It's a good candied apple snack.
'A Blade So Black' is yet another retelling of 'Alice in Wonderland' - it's an action adventure, and Alice is an African-American teenager. Imagine, a black Alice Kingston from "the hood" (precisely, Atlanta), who's an action heroine, in what's not only fantastic representation - protagonists of colour are still generally rare in modern fantasy, which is shameful - but in a book that can be read as light, silly fun, regardless.
Let black women write and star in popcorn, pop culture entertainment, containing modern, serious issues too.
There are quite a few pop culture references in 'A Blade So Black'. Alice is a 'Sailor Moon' fan (love her already) and loves to cosplay as her, and she even yells out "Cosmic moon power!" when finishing a job with her blade after hunting monsters, called Nightmares. Plus she is called "black Buffy" ("Or just Buffy," she retorts) in-book. It's so corny, I dig it.
Alice is a great heroine. She's inexperienced, she makes mistakes, she tries, she gets nauseous, anxious, worried and scared, and she never gives up. She loves her mother and her friends, both in the real world and the dream world Wonderland. Throughout her battles, with knives and daggers, plus her "Muchness" inner-belief power, Alice is dealing with terrible grief after the unexpected death of her father. They were going to go to a con together the same day. This kickstarted her encounter with a horrible, shadowy beast, a Nightmare, born from humans, in an alley. From there she gets rescued, and she discovers the fantasy world of Wonderland, and her destiny as a Dreamwalker, for it is humans who make Nightmares, and it is only humans who can destroy them.
Maybe Alice is something more...
Adding to that is another tragedy of a black girl, Brionne, who was recently shot and killed by the police, in Alice's town. She worries about how her own death at the hands of Nightmares and other Wonderland horrors would affect her already-shaken, overprotective mother, and she considers giving up the superhero life for her sake, the loss of life being too great a risk. Serious issues such as this are present in starry constellations throughout 'A Blade So Black'; it's not all light and simple.
Darkness lurks; in reality, things scarier than Nightmares lie in wait. Police brutality, racism in the United States - this is not mindless junk food.
Sure there are YA clichés - there's the hot mentor love interest, Addison Hatta, a white Englishman (hi Giles) from Wonderland who looks Alice's age but is hundreds of years old and has got a punk rock thing going on. He is fun to be around for banter, but is hiding a dark past (surprise). Every male is described as unnaturally handsome; nearly all are young-looking and therefore good pickings for Alice.
There is a slight love triangle, but thankfully it's not a priority - the plot, action, and Alice and her development are. She's not a Mary Sue, but it's awesome to read about a teen woman of colour who is important and worthwhile in her own pseudo-wish fulfilment fantasy story. She takes center stage and is even allowed to be badass on her own at the end.
But to top off the YA tropes: the book ends on a massive cliffhanger. I hate that cheap gimmick. But at least here I liked the characters enough and cared enough about what might happen next to not mind much.
The 'Alice in Wonderland' references come across as almost superfluous to the story as well. There is a lot of namedropping - Alice's real world friends Court(ney) and Chess, her cats Lewis and Carol (got to laugh at that), and Hatta, Maddi (Madeline) the Poet, or potion maker, a Looking Glass pub, a Cheshire Cat clock, the Duchess, fellow Dreamwalkers the twins Dee and Dem Tweedlanov, the Knights, the Queens, "Curiouser...", "We are all mad here," and the chapter titles. I'm surprised there is no one called Dinah. On their own they're cool, but I feel at the end, 'A Blade So Black' could have been about anything other than Wonderland; its plot is fairly standard YA fantasy. It didn't really matter if the references were overt or not. It was namedropping without much examination or intricate, clever twisting in terms of the original source material's themes.
Still, the writing is enjoyable enough for this to not become a huge issue. The diversity sells - Maddi the Poet is described as looking Latina, and princesses in Wonderland have dark skin, and there is a female White Knight named Xelon, an awesome fighter. Along with the rich, prima donna with a heart of gold, Court, Alice has an abundance of female friends. It is often the men who are either dead, damsels in distress, or visible villains.
Despite its flaws - not least the shafted plot points at the end for the sake of that damn cliffhanger and sequel hook - 'A Blade So Black' is a ride of Muchness! The writing is breezy and action-packed, and the characters are wondrously memorable, in and out of Wonderland and its sweet, colourful surroundings and dark undertones.
Curiouser and curiouser indeed. It's a nice little princessy treat; a slice of frosted birthday cake, that leaves you wanting more to be filled up and satisfied. A guilty pleasure read.
And come on - it's YA 'Alice in Wonderland' action starring a black Alice and a gay princess. Yes, a gay princess! And her lady knight!
Sold yet? Give 'A Blade So Black' a go and listen to and support diverse voices writing all sorts of stories, be they "high art" or fun entertainment. Especially in the fantasy YA book market.
Black girls should forever be able to see themselves as heroes in their own stories. And in the fantasy genre.
Final Score: 3.5/5
Saturday, 3 November 2018
Graphic Novel Review - 'The Witch Boy' by Lee Knox Ostertag
2023 EDIT: Part of my 2023 clear-up, of books I no longer like, or am no longer interested in, or remember well as standing out, or find as special anymore, or I otherwise will not miss.
Final Score: 3.5/5
Original Review:
Young Aster lives with his magical family in a secret community circle, hidden in a wood. But the magic is segregated: girls learn to be witches and boys learn to be animal shapeshifters. Each has a role to play to protect their community.
Aster doesn't want to be a shapeshifter. He is drawn to learning about spells instead. He is good at witchcraft, which is forbidden in a boy, and he feels pressured by his parents to change into an animal form already.
Then his shapeshifter cousins go missing, one by one, and he might be the next target of a looming, monstrous threat to his family. Or he could use his gifts, his heart's desire, to stop the beast, whom he shares more in common than he could imagine, and put an end to an oppressive, harmful system, once and forever...
While I thought it was short, or could have been longer, the graphic novel 'The Witch Boy' contains great worldbuilding. I believed in its magical society, its little touches, its elements, its lessons, and how the family gathering worked and interacted with one another. The use of magic is original, well-thought-out, whimsical yet down-to-earth, containing Wiccan, Pagan and other nature-based aesthetics. There's fruit and veg growth, cooking, healing, talking to plants, daggers, magic circles, runes used for trapping etc. I wanted it all to be real.
The whole comic is so sweet, endearing and comforting, despite the darkness lurking (it is appropriate for children to read). The characters are massively diverse - sensitive and frustrated Aster and his older sister Juniper are mixed-race, their mother Holly is an awesome matronly figure and one of the most powerful witches ever, if still conventional, and one of Aster's aunts, Iris, has a female partner and three kids. Though sadly we hardly see the partner, and she doesn't receive any lines of dialogue. Aster makes a new friend in the non-magical world, Charlie, a sporty and confident black girl with a cast on her leg, and who also has two dads, but they don't appear on page.
For a story that can be easily read as a metaphor for the oppression and marginalization of the LBGTQ community in our society, it's a little disconcerting to see the actual, explicit LBGTQ characters in it get sidelined. Queer elements are abound, if in soft, subtle ways, in ebbs and flows in 'The Witch Boy', however.
It's just such a nice little story, with an essential message for everyone. It's stupid and dangerous to deny anyone anything because of the gender they were born into. "Because you're a girl" and "Because you're a boy" are not reasons for anything. They are not justifications for anything. Ever.
The theme of tolerance is multilayered, while appearing so simple, throughout this contemporary fable. Family and friendship in different and unexpected places are equally-important themes. Every aspect of the comic is effective and unforgettable.
'The Witch Boy' - a supernatural, witchy, beastly, cosy cuddle-bug of a comic. Change and progress are not so scary once you give them a chance to shine.
Final Score: 4/5
Final Score: 3.5/5
Original Review:
Young Aster lives with his magical family in a secret community circle, hidden in a wood. But the magic is segregated: girls learn to be witches and boys learn to be animal shapeshifters. Each has a role to play to protect their community.
Aster doesn't want to be a shapeshifter. He is drawn to learning about spells instead. He is good at witchcraft, which is forbidden in a boy, and he feels pressured by his parents to change into an animal form already.
Then his shapeshifter cousins go missing, one by one, and he might be the next target of a looming, monstrous threat to his family. Or he could use his gifts, his heart's desire, to stop the beast, whom he shares more in common than he could imagine, and put an end to an oppressive, harmful system, once and forever...
While I thought it was short, or could have been longer, the graphic novel 'The Witch Boy' contains great worldbuilding. I believed in its magical society, its little touches, its elements, its lessons, and how the family gathering worked and interacted with one another. The use of magic is original, well-thought-out, whimsical yet down-to-earth, containing Wiccan, Pagan and other nature-based aesthetics. There's fruit and veg growth, cooking, healing, talking to plants, daggers, magic circles, runes used for trapping etc. I wanted it all to be real.
The whole comic is so sweet, endearing and comforting, despite the darkness lurking (it is appropriate for children to read). The characters are massively diverse - sensitive and frustrated Aster and his older sister Juniper are mixed-race, their mother Holly is an awesome matronly figure and one of the most powerful witches ever, if still conventional, and one of Aster's aunts, Iris, has a female partner and three kids. Though sadly we hardly see the partner, and she doesn't receive any lines of dialogue. Aster makes a new friend in the non-magical world, Charlie, a sporty and confident black girl with a cast on her leg, and who also has two dads, but they don't appear on page.
For a story that can be easily read as a metaphor for the oppression and marginalization of the LBGTQ community in our society, it's a little disconcerting to see the actual, explicit LBGTQ characters in it get sidelined. Queer elements are abound, if in soft, subtle ways, in ebbs and flows in 'The Witch Boy', however.
It's just such a nice little story, with an essential message for everyone. It's stupid and dangerous to deny anyone anything because of the gender they were born into. "Because you're a girl" and "Because you're a boy" are not reasons for anything. They are not justifications for anything. Ever.
The theme of tolerance is multilayered, while appearing so simple, throughout this contemporary fable. Family and friendship in different and unexpected places are equally-important themes. Every aspect of the comic is effective and unforgettable.
'The Witch Boy' - a supernatural, witchy, beastly, cosy cuddle-bug of a comic. Change and progress are not so scary once you give them a chance to shine.
Final Score: 4/5
Book Review - 'Bad Girls' by Jacqueline Wilson
2023 EDIT: Part of my 2023 clear-up, of books I no longer like, or am no longer interested in, or remember well as standing out, or find as special anymore, or I otherwise will not miss.
[In this case, it is me letting go of all of Jacqueline Wilson's books; ultimately decided after rereading 'Hetty Feather'. A lot of them have not aged well, in my opinion, or are just baffling, shocking. I cannot abide the author's child abuse-excusing, fatphobic, internalised misogyny-filled, and sometimes ableist books for children. There are often other other problematic tropes and clichés, too. It doesn't matter if they're childhood favourites, or are "cute and harmless". If I can let go of 'Harry Potter', then I can do the same for these books, no problem. Goodbye, Jacqueline Wilson.]
Final Score: 3.5/5
2021 EDIT: 'Bad Girls' remains a nice, relatable little book for children. It is quite literally colourful - as in, colours and colour felt-tip pens are a theme. The ending is a little rushed and too-good-to-be-true-and-realistic, but it's not a big issue.
Bullying is a big issue.
I wonder how a book like this would be updated nowadays. How can people - kids - deal with bullying in the modern age? It seems to have gotten worse overtime.
Let us discuss it!
'Bad Girls' is also about all kinds of female relationships (plus a girl's platonic relationship with a boy at school, and at library creative writing sessions). Moreover, it's great to read a Jacqueline Wilson book without an abusive adult figure who gets away with everything.
What a heavy, yet sweet, cute, taste-the-rainbow kids' book.
Recommended for all ages.
Final Score: 4/5
Original Review:
'Bad Girls' is one of the most relatable, relevant, and important books I've ever read by Jacqueline Wilson.
Because of its subject matter of bullying.
Bullying - one of the worst things that happen to children, especially at school, where they are meant to learn about life and the outside world, and feel safe and secure, away from home. 'Bad Girls' highlights other vital themes and messages towards young people, like friendship, being an ally, foster care and its pros and cons and missteps, and expressing yourself creatively, and loving yourself and those who love and care for you back, without worrying what anyone thinks of you.
Ten-year-old Mandy White is viciously bullied at school by three girls, one of whom used to be her best friend. I won't name them here because they don't deserve names. Mandy wishes she weren't such a shy, nerdy and sensitive crybaby, but her imaginary self, Miranda Rainbow: a confident, fashionable girl who everyone loves. Mandy's parents are older people who are refreshingly loving and caring, though are old-fashioned and overprotective of her. She owns loads of stuffed monkeys in her room, and she loves colouring.
After being injured in an accident from trying to get away from the bullies (which does happen; put a stop to bullying, NOW), Mandy stays at home, and soon befriends a new neighbour, Tanya from foster care. Tanya is fourteen, and is fashionable and wears lots of make-up. She is cool and super friendly, not a bit mean to Mandy. She's like a real Miranda Rainbow.
The two become best friends who love each other to pieces. Mandy especially grows in confidence and self-esteem when around the older girl.
But is Tanya a bad influence, as Mandy notices her tendency to shoplift?
'Bad Girls' doesn't shy away from any hard issues in reality: Tanya mentions to Mandy that her mother committed suicide by topping herself, and she's not the only person Tanya knows who has committed suicide; juvenile delinquency is a major theme, as well as a reasoning behind it; there's discrimination against older people; learning to support someone when you see them being bullied; calling out slut shaming (didn't expect that - good on you, Ms Wilson); and the book shows that any action has consequences.
Bullying is certainly not easy to talk about, not easy to deal with, but this book nails the realities, in my opinion. I've been a victim of school bullying myself. Like Mandy, I also used to cry in the girls' toilets, and I've known kids like Mandy's bullies. And that ending - that new teacher, Miss Moseley, deserves a Nobel Peace Prize for her talk about bullying and handling the situation, and why people, young and old, like to victimize others.
Overall, 'Bad Girls' (there's a double meaning behind that title, I'm sure) is sad, heavy, yet colourful and life-affirming. Jacqueline Wilson's books are a ray of sunshine and hope in a dark, scary world for children.
There's also another character, a boy named Arthur King. Guess what his quirk and gimmick is? He is another nerdy boy-friend for the girl protagonist who helps her out along the way - these are very common in Jacqueline Wilson's books.
Plus, please, PLEASE tell me that Mandy and Tanya might potentially be more than friends when they grow up? Like Violet and Jasmine from 'Midnight'? Treasure and India from 'Secrets'? (I don't ship Mandy and Arthur). Mandy and Tanya care for each other deeply. Rainbows are one of 'Bad Girls''s motifs, and the last page is a drawing of the two girls on a rainbow together, holding hands...
I adore and relate to 'Bad Girls' so much. Every child should read it. It will make them better people, for a future world where bullying is not only unacceptable on any level, but practically non-existent.
Let us stop bullying. Now.
This will be my final classic Jacqueline Wilson book review. Now that I'm done talking about my favourites, I will soon check out what a handful of her newer books have to offer. Will I still like them? Will they be different, and improved, from what I've read, or will they be same-old? Or worse? I'm looking forward to finding out and judging for myself.
Final Score: 4/5
[In this case, it is me letting go of all of Jacqueline Wilson's books; ultimately decided after rereading 'Hetty Feather'. A lot of them have not aged well, in my opinion, or are just baffling, shocking. I cannot abide the author's child abuse-excusing, fatphobic, internalised misogyny-filled, and sometimes ableist books for children. There are often other other problematic tropes and clichés, too. It doesn't matter if they're childhood favourites, or are "cute and harmless". If I can let go of 'Harry Potter', then I can do the same for these books, no problem. Goodbye, Jacqueline Wilson.]
Final Score: 3.5/5
2021 EDIT: 'Bad Girls' remains a nice, relatable little book for children. It is quite literally colourful - as in, colours and colour felt-tip pens are a theme. The ending is a little rushed and too-good-to-be-true-and-realistic, but it's not a big issue.
Bullying is a big issue.
I wonder how a book like this would be updated nowadays. How can people - kids - deal with bullying in the modern age? It seems to have gotten worse overtime.
Let us discuss it!
'Bad Girls' is also about all kinds of female relationships (plus a girl's platonic relationship with a boy at school, and at library creative writing sessions). Moreover, it's great to read a Jacqueline Wilson book without an abusive adult figure who gets away with everything.
What a heavy, yet sweet, cute, taste-the-rainbow kids' book.
Recommended for all ages.
Final Score: 4/5
Original Review:
'Bad Girls' is one of the most relatable, relevant, and important books I've ever read by Jacqueline Wilson.
Because of its subject matter of bullying.
Bullying - one of the worst things that happen to children, especially at school, where they are meant to learn about life and the outside world, and feel safe and secure, away from home. 'Bad Girls' highlights other vital themes and messages towards young people, like friendship, being an ally, foster care and its pros and cons and missteps, and expressing yourself creatively, and loving yourself and those who love and care for you back, without worrying what anyone thinks of you.
Ten-year-old Mandy White is viciously bullied at school by three girls, one of whom used to be her best friend. I won't name them here because they don't deserve names. Mandy wishes she weren't such a shy, nerdy and sensitive crybaby, but her imaginary self, Miranda Rainbow: a confident, fashionable girl who everyone loves. Mandy's parents are older people who are refreshingly loving and caring, though are old-fashioned and overprotective of her. She owns loads of stuffed monkeys in her room, and she loves colouring.
After being injured in an accident from trying to get away from the bullies (which does happen; put a stop to bullying, NOW), Mandy stays at home, and soon befriends a new neighbour, Tanya from foster care. Tanya is fourteen, and is fashionable and wears lots of make-up. She is cool and super friendly, not a bit mean to Mandy. She's like a real Miranda Rainbow.
The two become best friends who love each other to pieces. Mandy especially grows in confidence and self-esteem when around the older girl.
But is Tanya a bad influence, as Mandy notices her tendency to shoplift?
'Bad Girls' doesn't shy away from any hard issues in reality: Tanya mentions to Mandy that her mother committed suicide by topping herself, and she's not the only person Tanya knows who has committed suicide; juvenile delinquency is a major theme, as well as a reasoning behind it; there's discrimination against older people; learning to support someone when you see them being bullied; calling out slut shaming (didn't expect that - good on you, Ms Wilson); and the book shows that any action has consequences.
Bullying is certainly not easy to talk about, not easy to deal with, but this book nails the realities, in my opinion. I've been a victim of school bullying myself. Like Mandy, I also used to cry in the girls' toilets, and I've known kids like Mandy's bullies. And that ending - that new teacher, Miss Moseley, deserves a Nobel Peace Prize for her talk about bullying and handling the situation, and why people, young and old, like to victimize others.
Overall, 'Bad Girls' (there's a double meaning behind that title, I'm sure) is sad, heavy, yet colourful and life-affirming. Jacqueline Wilson's books are a ray of sunshine and hope in a dark, scary world for children.
There's also another character, a boy named Arthur King. Guess what his quirk and gimmick is? He is another nerdy boy-friend for the girl protagonist who helps her out along the way - these are very common in Jacqueline Wilson's books.
Plus, please, PLEASE tell me that Mandy and Tanya might potentially be more than friends when they grow up? Like Violet and Jasmine from 'Midnight'? Treasure and India from 'Secrets'? (I don't ship Mandy and Arthur). Mandy and Tanya care for each other deeply. Rainbows are one of 'Bad Girls''s motifs, and the last page is a drawing of the two girls on a rainbow together, holding hands...
I adore and relate to 'Bad Girls' so much. Every child should read it. It will make them better people, for a future world where bullying is not only unacceptable on any level, but practically non-existent.
Let us stop bullying. Now.
This will be my final classic Jacqueline Wilson book review. Now that I'm done talking about my favourites, I will soon check out what a handful of her newer books have to offer. Will I still like them? Will they be different, and improved, from what I've read, or will they be same-old? Or worse? I'm looking forward to finding out and judging for myself.
Final Score: 4/5
Book Review - 'Lizzie Zipmouth' by Jacqueline Wilson
2023 EDIT: Part of my 2023 clear-up, of books I no longer like, or am no longer interested in, or remember well as standing out, or find as special anymore, or I otherwise will not miss.
[In this case, it is me letting go of all of Jacqueline Wilson's books; ultimately decided after rereading 'Hetty Feather'. A lot of them have not aged well, in my opinion, or are just baffling, shocking. I cannot abide the author's child abuse-excusing, fatphobic, internalised misogyny-filled, and sometimes ableist books for children. There are often other other problematic tropes and clichés, too. It doesn't matter if they're childhood favourites, or are "cute and harmless". If I can let go of 'Harry Potter', then I can do the same for these books, no problem. Goodbye, Jacqueline Wilson.]
Final Score: 3.5/5
2021 EDIT: Well, that didn't take me long. An half an hour read.
Such a sweet little classic JW tale. About a little girl, her mum, her new stepfamily, a great-gran, and lots of dolls! I like to collect stuff like that, too. Girl power merch. Any collector (and child psychologist) might find 'Lizzie Zipmouth' endearing.
But that line, though: 'Boys are allowed to be girly.' - page 15 (Lizzie is talking about her youngest stepbrother, Jake, who plays with thirteen Beanie Babies and likes tea parties and knitting). Oh boy. How tone deaf and clueless can you be about your own society and culture? I hope Jake is given the chance to grow up to be his full, healthy, happy and safe self.
Final Score: 4/5
Original Review:
'Lizzie Zipmouth' is short. Ridiculously short, at barely eighty pages. And it is so cute and endearing.
Little Lizzie refuses to speak after she and her mum move in with her new stepdad and younger stepbrothers. She wants it to be just her and her loving mum, and is traumatised after her first stepdad turned out to be abusive. So it's not like she's being a brat for petty and selfish reasons, or for no reason at all.
But Lizzie might be able to find her voice again after bonding with her initially-strict step-great-grandmother, who owns a huge doll collection.
Gender roles are somewhat played with. Lizzie is unapologetically girly, even though her mum doesn't want her to be, and her stepbrother Jake owns Beanie Babies. There is nothing wrong with liking what you like, though I think Jake is expected to grow out of playing with stuffed toys. Lizzie's other stepbrother, Rory, still likes football.
'Lizzie Zipmouth', as well as a story about self-confidence, is about helping others, and it teaches children not to quickly judge people. I also greatly appreciate its message of kindness and understanding towards the elderly. It's nice, pink, cute, and can be read in under an hour.
As an intricate addition and edition, the porcelain dolls are cool. It's fine to be feminine.
Final Score: 4/5
[In this case, it is me letting go of all of Jacqueline Wilson's books; ultimately decided after rereading 'Hetty Feather'. A lot of them have not aged well, in my opinion, or are just baffling, shocking. I cannot abide the author's child abuse-excusing, fatphobic, internalised misogyny-filled, and sometimes ableist books for children. There are often other other problematic tropes and clichés, too. It doesn't matter if they're childhood favourites, or are "cute and harmless". If I can let go of 'Harry Potter', then I can do the same for these books, no problem. Goodbye, Jacqueline Wilson.]
Final Score: 3.5/5
2021 EDIT: Well, that didn't take me long. An half an hour read.
Such a sweet little classic JW tale. About a little girl, her mum, her new stepfamily, a great-gran, and lots of dolls! I like to collect stuff like that, too. Girl power merch. Any collector (and child psychologist) might find 'Lizzie Zipmouth' endearing.
But that line, though: 'Boys are allowed to be girly.' - page 15 (Lizzie is talking about her youngest stepbrother, Jake, who plays with thirteen Beanie Babies and likes tea parties and knitting). Oh boy. How tone deaf and clueless can you be about your own society and culture? I hope Jake is given the chance to grow up to be his full, healthy, happy and safe self.
Final Score: 4/5
Original Review:
'Lizzie Zipmouth' is short. Ridiculously short, at barely eighty pages. And it is so cute and endearing.
Little Lizzie refuses to speak after she and her mum move in with her new stepdad and younger stepbrothers. She wants it to be just her and her loving mum, and is traumatised after her first stepdad turned out to be abusive. So it's not like she's being a brat for petty and selfish reasons, or for no reason at all.
But Lizzie might be able to find her voice again after bonding with her initially-strict step-great-grandmother, who owns a huge doll collection.
Gender roles are somewhat played with. Lizzie is unapologetically girly, even though her mum doesn't want her to be, and her stepbrother Jake owns Beanie Babies. There is nothing wrong with liking what you like, though I think Jake is expected to grow out of playing with stuffed toys. Lizzie's other stepbrother, Rory, still likes football.
'Lizzie Zipmouth', as well as a story about self-confidence, is about helping others, and it teaches children not to quickly judge people. I also greatly appreciate its message of kindness and understanding towards the elderly. It's nice, pink, cute, and can be read in under an hour.
As an intricate addition and edition, the porcelain dolls are cool. It's fine to be feminine.
Final Score: 4/5
Book Review - 'How to Survive Summer Camp' by Jacqueline Wilson
2023 EDIT: Part of my 2023 clear-up, of books I no longer like, or am no longer interested in, or remember well as standing out, or find as special anymore, or I otherwise will not miss.
[In this case, it is me letting go of all of Jacqueline Wilson's books; ultimately decided after rereading 'Hetty Feather'. A lot of them have not aged well, in my opinion, or are just baffling, shocking. I cannot abide the author's child abuse-excusing, fatphobic, internalised misogyny-filled, and sometimes ableist books for children. There are often other other problematic tropes and clichés, too. It doesn't matter if they're childhood favourites, or are "cute and harmless". If I can let go of 'Harry Potter', then I can do the same for these books, no problem. Goodbye, Jacqueline Wilson.]
Final Score: 3.5/5
2021 EDIT: A fun children's classic.
The beginning is a bit rough. Two of the adult characters, Miss Hamer-Cotton and Uncle Ron, are the worst, and the dialogue can get hokey, ridiculous and repetitive. But I loved most of the characters, and enjoyed the stories that Stella Stebbings made up.
Speaking of: Stella, while still a bit of a crybaby, has a backbone and is far snarkier and wittier than your average Jacqueline Wilson child protagonist. I admire her sense of humour, her spunk, her sticking up for herself and others, and her individuality and unapologetically breaking rules. She is kind and caring towards the nice and innocent, as well - and towards animals. It's good that she's loud, moody and cheeky, and stands up in the face of injustice. Adding in her slight macabre streak, her imagination, neat ideas and her writing her own fairy tales, and she's my kind of cool subversive heroine.
'How to Survive Summer Camp'? Be creative! Be imaginative and proactive, and show initiative. And make friends. Learn that there are nice and helpful kids and adults out there, not just the horrible ones.
Final Score: 4/5
Original Review:
Oh, how I adored this!
There is a lot to like about 'How to Survive Summer Camp': The stubborn and kind of bratty main girl, Stella Stebbings (great name), who despite acting and looking like a boy (after a disastrous haircut), is pretty girly and loves to write stories about princesses and fairy tales. She owns a big, old and expensive fairy tale book; her prized possession along with her stuffed toy, Squeakycheese. Like many of Jacqueline Wilson's protagonists, she's very creative and imaginative, and prefers to keep to herself at first. There's an arc of Stella's about being afraid to swim.
I liked the activities at the camp, both the physical and the artistic, and seeing the kids start to develop and work together as a team. The child characters other than Stella are also lovely, especially cute little Rosemary, and new bestie Marzipan, who is picked on for her name and for being fat, but not by Stella. The adult characters also have daft names, like Miss Hamer-Cotton.
Yeah, two of Stella's roommates, Louise and Karen, are absolutely awful, and that one boy, James, pretentiously speaks only in rhyme (who does that? Certainly not a real poet). Louise and Karen are possibly racist too, if how they first talk to the only black camper, Janie, is anything to go by, as if they weren't hateful enough. Though the book was published in 1985.
Then there's the mystery of the noises at the camp dorms at night. And Stella setting up her own magazine print.
Overall, 'How to Survive Summer Camp' is such a fun read for children, containing good lessons to teach them, like friendship, getting along with people, and accepting change. I liked seeing these characters interact and learn from each other during camp activities. The writing is also a bit more mature and descriptive than in most children's books by Jacqueline Wilson. I related to a lot about the fantasy storytelling and magazine stuff in it.
A sweet, relatable and fantastic treat.
Final Score: 4/5
[In this case, it is me letting go of all of Jacqueline Wilson's books; ultimately decided after rereading 'Hetty Feather'. A lot of them have not aged well, in my opinion, or are just baffling, shocking. I cannot abide the author's child abuse-excusing, fatphobic, internalised misogyny-filled, and sometimes ableist books for children. There are often other other problematic tropes and clichés, too. It doesn't matter if they're childhood favourites, or are "cute and harmless". If I can let go of 'Harry Potter', then I can do the same for these books, no problem. Goodbye, Jacqueline Wilson.]
Final Score: 3.5/5
2021 EDIT: A fun children's classic.
The beginning is a bit rough. Two of the adult characters, Miss Hamer-Cotton and Uncle Ron, are the worst, and the dialogue can get hokey, ridiculous and repetitive. But I loved most of the characters, and enjoyed the stories that Stella Stebbings made up.
Speaking of: Stella, while still a bit of a crybaby, has a backbone and is far snarkier and wittier than your average Jacqueline Wilson child protagonist. I admire her sense of humour, her spunk, her sticking up for herself and others, and her individuality and unapologetically breaking rules. She is kind and caring towards the nice and innocent, as well - and towards animals. It's good that she's loud, moody and cheeky, and stands up in the face of injustice. Adding in her slight macabre streak, her imagination, neat ideas and her writing her own fairy tales, and she's my kind of cool subversive heroine.
'How to Survive Summer Camp'? Be creative! Be imaginative and proactive, and show initiative. And make friends. Learn that there are nice and helpful kids and adults out there, not just the horrible ones.
Final Score: 4/5
Original Review:
Oh, how I adored this!
There is a lot to like about 'How to Survive Summer Camp': The stubborn and kind of bratty main girl, Stella Stebbings (great name), who despite acting and looking like a boy (after a disastrous haircut), is pretty girly and loves to write stories about princesses and fairy tales. She owns a big, old and expensive fairy tale book; her prized possession along with her stuffed toy, Squeakycheese. Like many of Jacqueline Wilson's protagonists, she's very creative and imaginative, and prefers to keep to herself at first. There's an arc of Stella's about being afraid to swim.
I liked the activities at the camp, both the physical and the artistic, and seeing the kids start to develop and work together as a team. The child characters other than Stella are also lovely, especially cute little Rosemary, and new bestie Marzipan, who is picked on for her name and for being fat, but not by Stella. The adult characters also have daft names, like Miss Hamer-Cotton.
Yeah, two of Stella's roommates, Louise and Karen, are absolutely awful, and that one boy, James, pretentiously speaks only in rhyme (who does that? Certainly not a real poet). Louise and Karen are possibly racist too, if how they first talk to the only black camper, Janie, is anything to go by, as if they weren't hateful enough. Though the book was published in 1985.
Then there's the mystery of the noises at the camp dorms at night. And Stella setting up her own magazine print.
Overall, 'How to Survive Summer Camp' is such a fun read for children, containing good lessons to teach them, like friendship, getting along with people, and accepting change. I liked seeing these characters interact and learn from each other during camp activities. The writing is also a bit more mature and descriptive than in most children's books by Jacqueline Wilson. I related to a lot about the fantasy storytelling and magazine stuff in it.
A sweet, relatable and fantastic treat.
Final Score: 4/5
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)