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Andrea Beatriz Arango

Auteur de Iveliz Explains It All

5 oeuvres 149 utilisateurs 17 critiques

Œuvres de Andrea Beatriz Arango

Étiqueté

Partage des connaissances

Sexe
female
Nationalité
USA

Membres

Critiques

Reminiscent of Joan Bauer and Sharon Creech, this snappy paced contemporary read is a good addition to the collection for offering a peek into the world of a loving family with a major problem. I could have done without the mom-left-Puerto Rico-for-a-woman bit of the story, it felt like a late insertion to be on-trend rather than a genuine aspect of the story. That the puppy just HAPPENED to be a pit bull and Benson just HAPPENED to have a terrible disease also kind of read as add-ons, but are hallmarks of the necessary lack of subtlety for children’s lit. I think she could have expanded this into a sequel, Laura is a character we could happily get to know even better.… (plus d'informations)
 
Signalé
quirkylibrarian | 3 autres critiques | Mar 21, 2024 |
A beautifully told novel in verse about foster care from a child's point of view, who takes on all the blame of the adults in her world. For all Laura knows of her aunt - almost nothing, she calls her "My Aunt That Is Not My Aunt" - she could be a stranger, and living with all her rules is unbelievable; she never knows she did something wrong until she's scolded. In her new school, she tries to keep her head down, but is recognized as needing help reading. Fortunately, the librarian understands her and gives her graphic novels, not baby books. Graphic novels that she can relate to like "Guts" (:a true story about a fifth grader") and "The Okay Witch" where the girl looks like her.. Then she finds a puppy abandoned in its crate, dehydrated. She's devastated and runs to her aunt's apartment. She's so surprised when her aunt immediately takes the dog to the vet and says they can keep him. Her parents would never have let her have a dog! Laura starts to realize her aunt may not be as difficult as her parents told her. And that other people may really care about her and want to help her. I related to Laura with her love of birds (see the "Sixth-Grade Heron" chapter). Don't miss the Author's Note for information about foster care and therapy dogs.… (plus d'informations)
 
Signalé
bookwren | 3 autres critiques | Mar 4, 2024 |
Iveliz is suffering from PTSD and bouts of depression from an accident she was in with her father. She’s on meds and goes to a therapist, but is still acting out at school and at home, where her grandmother, who has dementia, has just moved in from Puerto Rico. She makes a To Do list of ways to be better, but struggles to reach her goals.

Hm. I get what this middle grade novel is trying to do – portray mental health struggles in a realistic way to a middle grade audience from the POV of a young person (plus how to deal with an elderly family member suffering from dementia, plus being Latinx in a predominately white school) – but I don’t think it works. Iveliz comes off as way too selfish and rude, and so outright mean to her mother, who isn’t being portrayed as anything but a parent trying desperately to find a way to help her child through a rough time, that she crosses over into unredeemable for me, even if the resolution wasn’t milquetoast-like (and it is). It felt too much like the message was that it’s okay to be shitty to your friends, family, teachers, and therapists if you’re Going Through Something, and you don’t really even need to apologize later because they should Just Know. Not a great message for the intended audience (or any audience).… (plus d'informations)
½
 
Signalé
electrascaife | 11 autres critiques | Feb 8, 2024 |
Diary in verse with a font that reminded me of Dork Diaries, which gave me a visceral feeling of dislike. On top of that I don't really like slam poetry, which is not 100% what this is, but it was enough at times to put me off. Overall, it felt message-y to me, like it was written to teach a lesson.

On the positive side, the topic of depression in adolescence and whether medication is the right choice was sensitively handled. 7th grade is a tough time for a lot of kids and so it can feel like an overreaction to prescribe medication to a child this age. Don't we all go through it and get over it as we grow up? But we see through Iveliz that there is a difference between typical growing pains and serious mental health issues.… (plus d'informations)
 
Signalé
LibrarianDest | 11 autres critiques | Jan 3, 2024 |

Listes

Prix et récompenses

Statistiques

Œuvres
5
Membres
149
Popularité
#139,413
Évaluation
3.8
Critiques
17
ISBN
15
Langues
1

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