Blog Tour Review: Are You Nobody Too? by Tina Cane

Hi friends, as part of the blog tour hosted by TBR & Beyond Tours I’m excited to share my thoughts on Are You Nobody Too? by Tina Cane. Thanks to the TBR team for having me on tour and to Make Me A World (Random House Children’s) for providing a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Are You Nobody Too?
Publisher
: Make Me A World
Publication Date: 27 August 2024
Genre: Contemporary Middle Grade
Rep: Chinese, Asian, Adoption

Rating:

(3 pandas)

๐Ÿ“– SYNOPSIS

After years of discomfort as the only Chinese student at her private middle school, Emily transfers to Chinatownโ€™s I.S. 23 for 8th Grade and ends up feeling more disconnected than ever. In this coming-of-age novel-in-verse, will Emily be able to find her way or will she lose herself completely?After a year of distance-learning, Emily Sofer finds her world turned upside she has to leave the only school sheโ€™s ever known to attend a public school in Chinatown. For the first time, Emily isnโ€™t the only Chinese student aroundโ€ฆbut looking like everyone else doesnโ€™t mean that understanding them will be easyโ€“especially with an intimidating group of cool girls Emily calls The Five.When Emily discovers that her adoptive parents have been keeping a secret, she feels even more uncertain about who she is. A chance discovery of Emily Dickinsonโ€™s poetry helps her finally feel seen… but can the words of a writer from 200 years ago help her open up again, and find common ground with the Five?

โš ๏ธ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS

Racism, bullying, pandemic, microaggressions, mentions of miscarriage (in the past)

๐Ÿ“š BUY A COPY

TL;DR: This was a unique middle-grade contemporary told in verse. The author had a unique way of expressing the main character’s experiences during and after the pandemic. It touches upon evergreen themes such as coming-of-age, identity and belonging. Emily was an interesting main characterโ€”she’s very much a teenagerโ€”and I think many young readers whether they’re middle schoolers or just starting high school.

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Blog Tour Review: We Are Big Time by Hena Khan

Hi friends, as part of the blog tour hosted by TBR & Beyond Tours I’m excited to share my thoughts on We Are Big Time by Hena Khan and illustrated by Safiya Zerrougui! Special thanks to the TBR team for having me on tour and to Knopf Books for Young Readers for providing a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

We Are Big Time
Publisher
: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: 6 August 2024
Genre: Middle Grade/Young Adult Graphic Novel
Rep:ย Muslim, Pakistani, Ghanian, Somalian, Malaysian, Asian, African

Rating:

(5 pandas)

๐Ÿ“– SYNOPSIS

SWISH! Cheer courtside for a Muslim teen as she joins an all-girls, hijab-wearing basketball team and learns that sheโ€™s much more than a score. This energetic graphic novel is inspired by a true story!

Aliya is new to Wisconsin, and everything feels different than Florida. The Islamic school is bigger, the city is colder, and her new basketball team isโ€ฆwell, they stink.

Aliyaโ€™s still excited to have teammates (although the teamโ€™s captain, Noura, isnโ€™t really Aliyaโ€™s biggest fan), and their new coach really understands basketball (even if she doesnโ€™t know much about being Muslim). This season should be a blastโ€ฆif they could just start to win. As they strengthen their skills on the court, Aliya and the Peace Academy team discover that it takes more than talent to be greatโ€“itโ€™s teamwork and self-confidence that defines true success.

For fans of The Crossover and Roller Girl, this graphic novel goes big with humor and heart as it explores culture and perceptions, fitting in and standing out, and finding yourself, both on and off the court.

โš ๏ธ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS

Islamophobia, microaggressions, racism, anxiety

๐Ÿ“š BUY A COPY

TL;DR: I knew I was going to enjoy We Are Big Time but I didn’t expect to love it as much as I did. There is so much to appreciate about this graphic novel and the wholesome, heartwarming story it tells about finding your place and believing in yourself. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a diverse coming-of-age sports-centred story about the underdogs! These girls will win your heart and the art will have you feeling like you’re sitting courtside cheering the Peace team on as they play their best game.

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Blog Tour Spotlight: The Wonderful Wishes of B. by Katherin Nolte

Hi friends, as part of the blog tour hosted by TBR & Beyond Tours I’m shining a spotlight on a new middle-grade contemporary: The Wonderful Wishes of B. by Katherin Nolte.

Click the banner above or here to check out the other incredible bloggers on the blog tour!

The Wonderful Wishes of B.
Publisher: Page Street Kids
Publication Date: 30 May 2023
Genre: Middle-Grade Contemporary

๐Ÿ“– SYNOPSIS

All that stands between ten-year-old Beatrice and an amazing life are five wishesโ€ฆand sheโ€™s got a plan to make them all come true! A magical and heartfelt adventure about grief, hope, and the power of human connection.

Beatrice Corwell has a crooked haircut, eight well-trained cats, and a sheโ€™s turning herself into a Tin Man. Once her heart is made of metal, sheโ€™ll no longer miss her beloved dead grandma, her absent dad, or her recently moved-away best friend.

While Beatrice awaits her transformation, she keeps vigil with a special doll and a handful of wishes sheโ€™s determined to make come true. With her encyclopedic knowledge, there must be a way to grant her heartโ€™s deepest desires.

When an unusual boy named Caleb moves to town and mentions his grannyโ€™s interest in magic, Beatrice decides to enlist their help. She quickly learns, however, that spells donโ€™t always go as planned, and witches canโ€™t be trusted.

With the arrival of an unexpected visitor and a series of otherworldly messages, Beatriceโ€™s plans begin to falter. Will her heart turn into metal? Will any of her wishes come true?

The Wonderful Wishes of B. is the story of a smart, quirky girl learning what she wants and what she needsโ€”and how, sometimes, the wishes we hold dearest are granted in the most unexpected ways.

โš ๏ธ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS

Death of a loved family member (recounted), absent father, grief

๐Ÿ“š BUY A COPY

Katherin Nolte received an MFA from the Iowa Writersโ€™ Workshop, where she was a Truman Capote Fellow. Her fiction has appeared in dozens of publications and won multiple awards, but it was a late-night ER visit with her four children that inspired her to write Back to the Bright Before. An Ohio native, she currently lives with her family in Iowa.

Author’s Socials
Websiteย |ย Goodreads

Is The Wonderful Wishes of B on your TBR or does it sound like a book you’d want to read?

ARC Review: Delicates by Brenna Thummler

Special thanks to Oni Press for providing a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Delicates (Sheets #2)
Publisher: Oni Press
Publication Date: 23 March 2021
Genre: Middle-Grade Graphic Novel

Panda Rating:

(5 pandas)

๐Ÿ“– SYNOPSIS

Following the events of the bestselling graphic novel Sheets, Delicates brings Brenna Thummlerโ€™s beloved characters, artwork, and charm back to life.

Marjorie Glattโ€™s life hasnโ€™t been the same ever since she discovered a group of ghosts hiding in her familyโ€™s laundromat. Wendell, who died young and now must wander Earth as a ghost with nothing more than a sheet for a body, soon became one of Marjorieโ€™s only friends. But when Marjorie finally gets accepted by the popular kids at school, she begins to worry that if anyone learns about her secret ghost friends, sheโ€™ll be labeled as a freak who sees dead people. With Marjorieโ€™s insistence on keeping Wendellโ€™s ghost identity a secret from her new friends, Wendell begins to feel even more invisible than he already is.

Eliza Duncan feels invisible too. Sheโ€™s an avid photographer, and her zealous interest in finding and photographing ghosts gets her labeled as โ€œdifferentโ€ by all the other kids in school. Constantly feeling on the outside, Eliza begins to feel like a ghost herself. Marjorie must soon come to terms with the price she pays to be accepted by the popular kids. Is it worth losing Wendell? Is she partially to blame for the bullying Eliza endures?

Delicates tells a powerful story about what it means to fit in, and those left on the outside. It shows what itโ€™s like to feel invisible, and the importance of feeling seen. Above all, it is a story of asking for help when all seems dark, and bringing help and light to those who need it most.

โš ๏ธ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS

Bullying, grief, bullying, suicidal thoughts

THIS HIT. Wow, Thummler has this wonderful ability to take sad, heavy, heartbreaking moments in life and turn them into powerful stories of overcoming and hope. It’s absolutely no surprise that I was in tears by the end of this story. As wonderful as SHEETS is, I think Delicates outshines it in story, art, and so much heart.

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ARC Review: Sheets by Brenna Thummler

Special thanks to Oni Press for providing a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Sheets (Sheets #1)
Publisher: Oni Press
Publication Date: 28 August 2018
Genre: Middle-Grade Graphic Novel

Panda Rating:

(4 pandas)

๐Ÿ“– SYNOPSIS

Marjorie Glatt feels like a ghost. A practical thirteen year old in charge of the family laundry business, her daily routine features unforgiving customers, unbearable P.E. classes, and the fastidious Mr. Saubertuck who is committed to destroying everything sheโ€™s worked for.

Wendell is a ghost. A boy who lost his life much too young, his daily routine features ineffective death therapy, a sheet-dependent identity, and a dangerous need to seek purpose in the forbidden human world.

When their worlds collide, Marjorie is confronted by unexplainable disasters as Wendell transforms Glattโ€™s Laundry into his midnight playground, appearing as a mere sheet during the day. While Wendell attempts to create a new afterlife for himself, he unknowingly sabotages the life that Marjorie is struggling to maintain.

โš ๏ธ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS

Death of parent, Child death, Bullying, Grief, Depression

If you’re like me and you pick this up solely because of the cover, and you don’t look at the synopsis, you might go into this thinking it’ll be a cute story aboutโ€ฆ Sheets? Turns out, while there are many sheets involved, it’s not at all the light-hearted cutesy story that I thought it would be. This deals with heavy themes of death, grief, belonging, and loneliness.

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Blog Tour Spotlight: Norah’s Ark by Victoria Williamson

Happy Monday, friends! Today I’m excited to shine a spotlight on Norah’s Ark by Victoria Williamson as part of the blog tour hosted by The Write Reads! As always, thanks for having me on tour. Don’t forget to check out the other bloggers on tour via Instagram and Twitter. โ˜บ๏ธ

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Blog Tour Review: The Kaya Girl by Mamle Wolo

Hello, friends! It’s my stop on the TBR & Beyond Tours for The Kaya Girl by Mamle Wolo and I’m excited to share my review and favourite quotes with you today!

Thanks to Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for providing an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

Click here or on the banner above to check out the rest of the amazing bloggers on tour!

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Blog Tour Review: This Rebel Heart by Katherine Locke

Hello, friends! It’s my stop on the TBR & Beyond Tours for This Rebel Heart by Katherine Locke and I’m excited to share my review and favourite quotes with you today.

Special thanks to Knopf Books for Young Readers for providing an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

Click here or on the banner above to check out the rest of the amazing bloggers on tour!

Goodreads: This Rebel Heart
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: 05 April 2022
Genre: Young Adult Historical Fiction, Magical Realism

Panda Rating:

(4.5 pandas)

A tale set amid the 1956 Hungarian revolution in post-WWII Communist Budapest.

In the middle of Budapest, there is a river. Csilla knows the river is magic. During WWII, the river kept her family safe when they needed it mostโ€“safe from the Holocaust. But that was before the Communists seized power. Before her parents were murdered by the Soviet police. Before Csilla knew things about her fatherโ€™s legacy that she wishes she could forget.

Now Csilla keeps her head down, planning her escape from this country that has never loved her the way she loves it. But her carefully laid plans fall to pieces when her parents are unexpectedly, publicly exonerated. As the protests in other countries spur talk of a larger revolution in Hungary, Csilla must decide if she believes in the promise and magic of her deeply flawed country enough to risk her life to help save it, or if she should let it burn to the ground.

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Blog Tour Review: A Magic Steeped in Poison by Judy I. Lin

Hello, friends! Today is my stop on the TBR & Beyond Tours for A Magic Steeped in Poison by Judy I. Lin, one of my most anticipated releases this year! I’m excited to share my (slightly rambling) review and a journal spread with you and I hope you enjoy this post! ๐Ÿต

Special thanks to Judy I. Lin and Feiwel and Friends for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Click here or on the banner above to check out the rest of the amazing bloggers on tour!

Goodreads: A Magic Steeped in Poison (The Book of Tea #1)
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
Publication Date: 29 March 2022
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Panda Rating:

(5 pandas)

Judy I. Linโ€™s sweeping debut A Magic Steeped in Poison, first in a duology, is sure to enchant fans of Adrienne Young and Leigh Bardugo.
I used to look at my hands with pride. Now all I can think is, โ€œThese are the hands that buried my mother.โ€

For Ning, the only thing worse than losing her mother is knowing that itโ€™s her own fault. She was the one who unknowingly brewed the poison tea that killed herโ€”the poison tea that now threatens to also take her sister, Shu.

When Ning hears of a competition to find the kingdomโ€™s greatest shennong-shiโ€”masters of the ancient and magical art of tea-makingโ€”she travels to the imperial city to compete. The winner will receive a favor from the princess, which may be Ningโ€™s only chance to save her sisterโ€™s life.

But between the backstabbing competitors, bloody court politics, and a mysterious (and handsome) boy with a shocking secret, Ning might actually be the one in more danger.

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Blog Tour Review: Anything But Fine by Tobias Madden

Hello, friends! Today is my stop on the TBR & Beyond Tours for Anything But Fine by Tobias Madden and I’m excited to share my review and a journal spread I made with some thoughts I had and some images that came to mind while I was reading! ๐Ÿฉฐ

Special thanks to Page Street Kids for providing an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

Click here or on the banner above to check out the rest of the amazing bloggers on tour!

Goodreads: Anything But Fine
Publisher: Page Street Kids
Publication Date: 29 March 2022
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary

Panda Rating:

(3.5 pandas)

All it takes is one missed step for your life to change forever.

Luca Mason knows exactly who he is and what he wants: In six months, heโ€™s going to be accepted into the Australian Ballet School, leave his fancy private high school, and live his life as a star of the stageโ€”at least thatโ€™s the plan until he falls down a flight of stairs and breaks his foot in a way he can never recover from.

With his dancing dreams dead on their feet, Luca loses his performing arts scholarship and transfers to the local public school, leaving behind all his ballet friends and his whole future on stage.

The only bright side is that he strikes up unlikely friendships with the nicest (and nerdiest) girl at his new school, Amina, and the gorgeous, popular, and (reportedly) straight school captain, Jordan Tanaka-Jones.

As Lucaโ€™s bond with Jordan grows stronger, he starts to wonder: who is he without ballet? And is he setting himself up for another heartbreak?

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