Middle Grade Madness! discussion

For our last Book of the Month until 2022 we'll be reading From the Desk of Zoe Washington!

This superb MG book is currently nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award in the MG/Children's books category!! It explores all kinds of complex issues such as racism and the American prison system, so this should be an interesting read...

(In case you're wondering why this is our last Book of the Month till 2022 check out the event that will be replacing it: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...)

Just read the synopsis, sounds good.

@Sameeksha it does doesn't it! I've just got myself an ebook copy and I'm excited for December to start so I can start reading it!

Very excited to read this!

this sounds really good! unfortunately my library doesn’t have it so I’m currently trying to find a pdf version online

@Grace if your library offers Hoopla services to you they have an ebook copy on there and even an audiobook copy too! There’s also a free audiobook edition on audible if you get a free trial... let me know if neither of those are an option and we’ll try and look for another way to find you a copy if you like😊

I’ll be starting this tomorrow! Anyone else been dying to start it?

I've read it, but I'm interested in what everyone here thinks about it.

@Lynn I'll be reporting back my thoughts then so we can discuss it! I'm so glad you want to here what we think because I really love discussing books and sometimes it's hard to find someone who wants to discuss it

Kadi wrote: "@Lynn I'll be reporting back my thoughts then so we can discuss it! I'm so glad you want to here what we think because I really love discussing books and sometimes it's hard to find someone who wan..."

Bring it on - I'm ready. ;-)

Looking forward to starting it. My copy arrives tomorrow!!!

@Emily🎉 Can't wait to see what you think of it! I was going to read it next BUT I'm taking part in a buddy read now (wahoo) so I'll be reading this after that. So much planned to read in December!

Can't wait to start this one! Going to pick it up from the library today!

I’m starting this book tonight! Excited to see how it goes...

So I've read up to Chapter 9 and I have to say I can already guess:
(view spoiler)[
1. Zoe's mother hid all the previous letters and when Zoe finds out they're going to argue and she's going to cry and be shocked
2. I bet the fight between her and Trevor is something stupid. Trevor doesn't know why she's mad so I bet Zoe overheard some conversation he had with his basketball friends were he said something like "it's nice to have friends who are guys" and that offended her.
(hide spoiler)]
Let's see how right I am about these 2 guesses!

I finished the book last night! Turns out I was (relatively) right about the 2 things I guessed. This was a good read! Could've been better but I still enjoyed it. You can read my review here if you're interested: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I started reading this today. I'm listening the the audiobook, which is pretty good.
I'm loving the story so far. I really like the diversity of this book. Black main character, has a stepfather who she calls dad, has a father in prison. Also like the different aspects of the story so far. Guessing this will turn out to be a great read, so thank you for picking this one :)

I just joined so I didn’t read this book this month but I read it earlier in the year and loved it! Great choice : D

Kadi wrote: "I finished the book last night! Turns out I was (relatively) right about the 2 things I guessed. This was a good read! Could've been better but I still enjoyed it. You can read my review here if yo..."

I really agree with your review of this book.

@Robin I was really surprised by the diversity and I loved that aspect too! There are some parts later in the book (view spoiler)[ where I kinda feel bad for the stepdad. I wish they'd explored more what it means to have both a stepdad and a biological dad. I think it sugar-coated it a bit too much. (hide spoiler)] I also may be taking a harsher view on the lack of exploration on this because I recently read Found which has so much more of an exploration on adoption/non-biological parents (it's a frikking great book, I put it on the Best Books of 2020 readathon book list so hopefully some people end up reading it in Jan!)

@Nora I'm not sure if I've said this already, there are so many new members lately, but welcome to the group!! Glad you enjoyed the book earlier in the year! It actually was one of the better reads of all the books I've read this year. The people voted well!

@Lynn glad you agree with my review😊 At first I wrote a really simple and short review praising the book but then I was like wait, this doesn't actually correlate with my feelings about the book so I had to stop and think about what exactly was it about the book that had slightly disappointed me and then addressed that in the review. Sometimes writing reviews actually takes more analysis and thought process than you think it would and sometimes it's super easy to put into words how the book was.

Just finished this book and I definitely agree with you @Kadi specially on sugar coating the story. Except that it was a good book overall

Kadi, i just read your review, and it pretty much sums up the book really well. I would've preferred if the author had made a sequel to it, so she would not have had to wrap up the whole book so quickly. I thought the book was pretty good, and explored a lot of really interesting topics. It's especially a good book to read right now, even though the BLM has kinda died down, its still good to read books that explore these kinda things about being black.

@Sameeksha @Virginia thanks! It's nice to hear my review is a good representation of what most of us thought when reading the book. It was still a pretty good book, especially for a debut.

@Virginia I agree I don't like how the ending felt rushed but I think I actually preferred it as a standalone than if it'd a sequel. For 2 reasons: 1. every book I read nowadays seems to require me to read 3 more books in the series or whatever and I have commitment issues😂 it's something I factor in when deciding whether or not to read the book at a certain time so it's always really nice to pick up a standalone and when the book is done that's the end of the story. No need to read another book, no need to wait for another one, it's done and dusted. But that's probably just me.

Oh and 2. I feel like if there was a sequel it would've dragged the story out unnecessarily. Like sure there was more to explore but... given more time would it be explored well enough? I don't think another book of sugar-coating is what any of us would want😂 Although I can see how maybe a second book could actually have made it better. So the writer could've left it on some kind of cliffhanger and come back with a second book in which Zoe actually goes on that ridiculous baking show she constantly talked about. But even thinking about it I don't have the energy or desire to read a 300 page book about that. Maybe it's a good thing the ending was rushed then😂😂 It's like I just talked myself into and out of an idea all at once!

I definitely agree, it's always very refreshing and interesting to read books that even consider broaching the topic of racism, even if it's not to a large extent. I know I look like I give the book flak for not exploring it enough but I should give credit where it's due there's more exploration here than most middle grade books and it really is great to see!

Kadi wrote: "@Robin I was really surprised by the diversity and I loved that aspect too! There are some parts later in the book [spoilers removed] I also may be taking a harsher view on the lack of exploration ..."

I know what you mean about writing reviews. I've written several, and I find that it often takes a lot of thought before I can get exactly what I mean in the review. I'm not always successful.

@Kadi, I can definetly see how a sequel would make the book drag out some. I think that what she could have done is just add another 50 or 100 pages, just so the ending wouldn't have been so rushed, like it was

Kadi wrote: "So I've read up to Chapter 9 and I have to say I can already guess:

1. Zoe's mother hid all the previous letters and when Zoe finds out they're going to argue and she's going to cry and be shocked..."

Good guesses Kadi! I also guessed those things. But most of the time these things happen in middle grades and I get that.

Kadi wrote: "@Robin I was really surprised by the diversity and I loved that aspect too! There are some parts later in the book [spoilers removed] I also may be taking a harsher view on the lack of exploration ..."

Yeah, totally agree. Putting Found on my TBR, sounds really good.

A little self promoting; find my full thoughts on the book on my blog:
https://my-reading-challenge.webnode.nl/

I really enjoyed it, thanks for picking it Kadi!

@Robin Found is fantastic! Probably my fave read of the entire year😂 I’m thinking of reading the second book in the series maybe in Jan or Feb and was thinking people might like too buddy read it with me since some of us buddy read the first book so if you read the first book sometime maybe you could join in too!

Also yeah guessing for middle grade is often very easy. The rare times when you can’t guess what’s going to happen next are in the really good books (which thinking about it happens in Found!).

@Kadi Yeah, might read it soon than, thanks!

Hope I'm too late to the party! This was the first 'book of the month' I participated in since joining a little while back. Overall, I'd say the book was okay. Glad I read it, though. As it was already in my TBR pile. :)

My thoughts:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

@Autumn it’s never too late! Your review was spot on! I didn’t realise just how true it was until I read it in your review but I knew there was something that felt off in the book and that’s because (view spoiler)[ Zoe‘s internship is never in danger until it’s actually stopped (hide spoiler)] which is what you made me realise. There was sadly no stakes which kind of let it down and I totally agree with you that there’s not enough complexity. Still an alright read, I suppose! It’s always good to get a book off of your TBR

Totally agree! The baking and internship really felt like filler.

@Robin right! Every time that part of the storyline came up I was like “uuugh not this again!”😂 I was only interested in the other part about her father but luckily the baking part wasn’t too arduous to get through.

Also, am I the only one who thought her cereal cupcake sounded kinda ew? It wouldn’t have had any taste it would’ve been just sugary. And what a waste of all that cereal she soaked in milk then threw away. I don’t understand why she’d soak the cereal in milk though because that cereal wouldn’t have had any flavour, she was just making the milk sugary😂 and she could’ve just added sugar for that!

I was interested in that, but at the end there wasn't really a point, because she couldn't go anymore. That just felt weird.

Yeah, that cereal one didn't sound great haha. And I was indeed also like: nooo don't throw it away! foodwaste

@Robin alas, experimental baking does require a lot of food waste! Yeah it was really dumb how the (view spoiler)[ show just got cancelled in the end. (hide spoiler)] Talk about tying loose ends up as quickly as possible😂😂

@Kadi Yes, that felt weird and also that she didn't go to her internship anymore because of (spoiler: punishment of her parents).

@Robin the last 3 chapters were like speeeeed resolving all issues😂😂 the more I think about it and we talk about it, the less good this book seems😂

@Kadi Yeah, it does a bit, but I still really enjoyed it, so won't be downgrading my rating or anything

@Robin it was definitely a successful group read! Thanks so much to everyone who joined in👏🏻 One of my fave botm definitely because we all discussed it together!