#7-12

[shuemori]

IS THERE ANY TIPS AND TRICK TO PASS STAGE 7-12???

I'm at my limit 😭

I HATE GETTING BURNED EVERYTIME

I WIN 🥺

Hamel please come home!!! WE NEEDS YOU!

[sixfeetbelow]

[countingbeeduouk]

Beeduo In The UK: Day 16

sooooooooo

[asymptotes-world]

¿Qué sería el amor si no llegara a destruirnos?

Asymptote

[the-artist-of-many-fandoms]

Chibi!! My friend's little sister wanted me to draw her. She loves making dresses for her dolls and Nutella sandwiches. Please do not edit, steal, or repost, etc. Drawn/posted: 7-12-17 Thank you!

[megansbooks]

Review #15: The Do-Over by Lynn Painter 

Category/genre: Young adult romance

Target age group: 14 years and up

Summary: Emilie Hornby is having the worst Valentine’s Day ever, and she’s being forced to relive it over and over again. Can she break free of the time loop and get rid of her cheating boyfriend for good? And why does she keep running into her surly lab partner Nick?

Justification: The Do-Over was featured on the list of 2024 Top 10 Best Fiction for Young Adults created by the Young Adult Library Services Association. I was specifically looking for a young adult romance book that had been featured on this list or similar lists, and this one appealed to me due to the speculative fiction premise (time loop). I love sci-fi and romance with magical realism elements, so this sounded perfect for me.

Evaluation:

The plot of The Do-Over is engaging and fast-paced, and the time loop element drives the story forward without being repetitive or boring. During each loop, Emilie learns something new about her day and the people around her. Like any good Groundhog Day situation, as the loop continues, Emilie gets more and more reckless and acts very unlike her normal uptight self (she even has a “Day of No Consequences,” which she dubs “DONC”). This leads to some very hilarious, chaotic moments as well as moments of emotional growth as Emilie realizes that she can’t control every aspect of her life no matter how much she wants to. Overall, I thought the author used the time loop trope in a way that felt familiar and entertaining without being unoriginal. 

Emilie is a dynamic, believable protagonist that experiences a lot of character growth throughout the book. Emilie is a huge people pleaser who never stands up for herself and plans every moment of her life to avoid losing control. I was exactly like this as a teenager, and this type of character feels very relatable to young adults who are high achievers and struggle with letting go. As Emilie repeats the day over and over, she slowly starts to question her highly-structured and unsatisfying life and develops a stronger sense of personal agency. This ties into a larger message of self-acceptance and embracing life’s imperfections, which I think is important for readers of all ages. 

Finally, these themes of self-acceptance and imperfection in The Do-Over are presented naturally and authentically without being overly didactic. While the book is classified as a romance and romance is definitely an important element, I was glad to see that romance didn’t “fix” Emilie or overshadow her personal development. The romance develops organically as Emilie becomes more honest and confident in herself, and Nick supports her growth in a really genuine and healthy way. Overall, this book wasn’t life-changing, but I genuinely enjoyed reading it and it made me feel seen.

References

Painter, L. (2022). The do-over. Simon Pulse.

[megansbooks]

Review #14: Everything Sad is Untrue: (a true story) by Daniel Nayeri 

Category/genre: Young adult fiction (with autobiographical elements), Michael L. Printz Award winner

Target age group: Grades 7-12 (ages 13-18) 

Summary: Khosrou (who everyone calls Daniel) tells the story of his family’s treacherous flight from Iran to Oklahoma to his middle school classmates, interwoven with Persian folklore. While technically categorized as fiction, the book consists of autobiographical elements with some names and details changed. 

Justification: Everything Sad is Untrue was awarded the Michael L. Printz Award in 2021 for excellence in young adult literature. It has also received numerous other awards and honors such as NPR Best Book of the Year, the Middle East Book Award for Youth Literature, and the Christopher Award for Youth Literature. When looking through Printz award winners from recent years, the cover and summary of this title appealed to me, and I was interested in reading about an autobiographical immigrant experience from a young adult perspective. 

Evaluation:

Everything Sad Is Untrue is a unique and powerful book that blends memoir, storytelling, and folklore in a way that stands out from more traditional narratives. The story jumps between past and present rather than following a chronological plot as Daniel shares bits of his life story with his middle school classmates (complete with their interruptions, which give the effect of a Greek chorus). At times, this structure can be a little disorienting, but it’s ultimately effective at showing how Daniel makes sense of his experiences and processes emotions (“a patchwork story is the shame of a refugee,” p. 37). The nonlinear format also adds a lot of texture and depth to the reading experience and keeps the reader engaged while integrating pieces of Daniel’s Iranian identity and culture. 

One of the strongest aspects of the book is Daniel’s voice. His narration feels conversational, funny, and honest, which makes even the heaviest of memories feel lighter. He addresses his teacher, Mrs. Miller, and the reader directly throughout, which makes you feel like you’re in the room hearing his stories with the rest of his classmates. Daniel balances his sense of humor with complicated feelings of loss and trying to fit in, which makes his character authentic and relatable. He also reflects a lot on what it means to be a refugee building a life from scratch in an unfamiliar place. I think Daniel feels so real in part because the book is essentially a memoir with a few names and details changed, and that authenticity shines through for the reader. 

The themes of identity, belonging, and the power of storytelling are central to the book and are handled in a way that feels natural rather than forced. From the first page, Daniel references 1,001 Nights and refers to himself as Scheherazade, the character who tells a story to the king every night to save herself from execution: “If you listen, If you listen, I’ll tell you a story. We can know and be known to each other, and then we’re not enemies anymore” (Nayeri, 2020, p. 2). This emphasis on the power of stories to connect people, preserve culture, and help people survive is incredibly emotionally impactful for the reader and is something that anyone can relate to. Overall, this book is engaging and accessible and gives readers an important perspective on what it means to be a refugee in America today.

References

Nayeri, D. (2020). Everything sad is untrue: (a true story). Levine Querido.  

[megansbooks]

Review #13: The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee 

Category/genre: Historical fiction, audiobook, LGBTQ 

Target age group: Grades 7-12 (ages 13-17) 

Summary: Henry “Monty” Montague is the son of a British nobleman who isn’t quite ready to grow up – he's been expelled from Eton and spends his days drinking and gallivanting with both men and women. His Grand Tour of Europe is his last chance to spend time with his best friend (and secret crush) Percy before they go their separate ways into adulthood. But a series of poor decisions on Monty’s part leave Monty, Percy, and Monty’s sister Felicity on the run across Europe with noblemen on their tail and a mystery to solve. 

Justification: The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue was a Stonewall Book Award Honor book for Children’s and Young Adult Literature in 2018, which recognizes excellent books about the LGBTQIA+ experience. It was also listed on the 2018 Top Ten Best Fiction list from the Young Adult Library Services Association. While searching for a young adult audiobook to listen to, I saw this title recommended several times on Goodreads and other readers’ advisory sites for its excellent narrator and plot. I’m also a huge fan of LGBTQ fiction and enjoy seeing myself represented in all kinds of books, which drew me to this particular title. 

Evaluation:

This book rocked my world and is easily one of my favorite reads of the year so far. I listened to the audiobook version of The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue (narrated by Christian Coulson), and the format significantly enhanced my overall reading experience. The narrator captures the voice of main character Monty so well, particularly the juxtaposition between his outward bravado and his fears about the future and himself. Additionally, Coulson adopts subtly different voices and accents for each character while still maintaining Monty’s first person POV and inner monologue. Hearing this book read aloud had me laughing out loud at every funny moment and gasping at every plot twist, which made an already immersive story even more engaging for me. The quality of the audiobook and the narration choices elevated the overall reading experience, and I will definitely be listening to the other two books in the series in the near future.

The characterization of Monty (as well as his sister Felicity and best friend Percy) is one of this book’s greatest strengths. Monty starts out as an impulsive, hedonistic, privileged son of an earl who can’t take anything seriously. When Monty, Felicity, and Percy end up on the run across Europe because of Monty’s actions, he is forced to reckon with his behavior and the privilege that has allowed him to act this way. His character growth is slow and genuine, and the Monty at the end of the book is so much more empathetic and confident in his identity. Percy and Felicity are equally well-developed, with emotional depth and unique identity arcs, and the dynamics between the trio are hilarious and compelling. Additionally, the author’s depiction of marginalized identities is handled with care and respect, and there is a clear emphasis on diversity and inclusion. 

Finally, the book’s themes of self-discovery and identity are deeply relatable for the young adult audience without feeling forced or inauthentic. The book also tackles important issues of the time period that persist in modern times such as racism and colorism, homophobia, ableism, and misogyny. The characters’ reaction to these realities of their world is emotionally authentic, especially as Monty tries to determine where (and if) he fits into polite society if he pursues his attraction to men. One theme that I especially appreciated is the nuanced discussion of disability in regards to Percy’s epilepsy. Percy is nearly forced into a sanitarium because his family will no longer care for him, which is the unfortunate reality of being disabled in the 18th century. Despite this, Percy maintains that he can live a happy life without “curing” or trying to fix or change a fundamental part of himself. I think this self-acceptance and view of disability is really powerful, especially for readers who may be grappling with their own disabilities or differences.

References

Lee, M. (2017). The gentleman’s guide to vice and virtue (C. Coulson, Narr.). [Audiobook]. HarperCollins.