💬 What if we stopped worrying about the GOTTA BE's and just were... 🤔
Today, I'm throwing my love behind the latest release from author Barbara Dee that celebrated its book birthday just last week via Aladdin/Simon and Schuster...
by
Barbara Dee
9781534489868
Aladdin
About the book...
Lyla is thrilled when her seventh-grade English language arts class begins a daily creative writing project. For the past year, she’s been writing a brilliant fantasy novel in her head, and here’s her chance to get it on paper! The plot to Lyla’s novel is super complicated, with battle scenes and witches and a mysterious one-toed-beast, but at its core, it’s about an overlooked girl who has to rescue her beautiful, highly accomplished older sister.
But writing a fantasy novel turns out to be harder than simply imagining one, and pretty soon Lyla finds herself stuck, experiencing a panic she realizes is writer’s block. Part of the problem is that she’s trying to impress certain people—like Rania, her best friend who’s pulling away, and Ms. Bowman, the coolest teacher at school. Plus, there’s the pressure of meeting the deadline for the town writing contest. A few years ago, Lyla’s superstar teen sister Dahlia came in second, and this time, Lyla is determined to win first prize.
Finally, Lyla confides about her writing problems to Dahlia, who is dealing with her own academic stress as she applies to college. That’s when she learns Dahlia’s secret, which is causing a very different type of writer’s block. Can Lyla rescue a surprisingly vulnerable big sister, both on the page and in real life?
🖊 🖋🖊🖋🖊🖋🖊🖋🖊
It took me a minute longer to read not because of the book, but because of me. Recent events have created a stuck moment for me and as much as reading has always been an escape, I find it harder to quiet my mind to actually do it these days. Anyway, suffice it to say that I really related to this story in some ways, but let me give you a bit more to go on...
😍 Favorite quotes...
"...I wish I was brave. But I guess sometimes you need to pretend you are, and that’s almost the same thing..."
"...What would it be like if people didn’t expect stuff, didn’t assign words like “superstars” or “weirdos”? “Jocks” and “brains” also..."
The first illustrates a reality for many that doesn't seem fair, but still is. It should be okay to just be okay or even not be okay, but if pretending gets you the boost you need, you do you. The second is a WHAT IF for every generation. If we just let people, heck even ourselves, be themselves instead of filling expectations, labels, and the like on them, how different could our world be? How much happier could people be? How much friendlier, accepting, productive, etcetera etcetera could civilization become? Ideas may flow easier, problems turn into solutions as many hands carry the weight in lieu of one competing against another? So many what ifs...
That's the thing about this author's work...it always gives you a heartfelt story, but leaves you with something to think about, gestate, and carry forward. It was a pleasure getting to know our little leading lady, and watch her grow towards someone she was just getting to know. The challenges she faces are relateable, as are the pressures she puts on herself, but she shows us those choppy waters can be navigated, if only we give ourselves a chance to adjust course.
There's more to tell, but that's my two cents, so if you're intrigued (and I think you might be 😉) check it out! There's goodness to be had between the pages.
🖊 🖋🖊🖋🖊🖋🖊🖋🖊
About the author...
 |
| credit: Carolyn Simpson |
Barbara Dee is the author of fourteen middle grade novels including Unstuck, Haven Jacobs Saves the Planet, Violets Are Blue, My Life in the Fish Tank, Maybe He Just Likes You, Everything I Know About You, Halfway Normal, and Star-Crossed. Her books have earned several starred reviews and have been named to many best-of lists, including The Washington Post’s Best Children’s Books, the ALA Notable Children’s Books, the ALA Rise: A Feminist Book Project List, the NCSS-CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People, and the ALA Rainbow List Top Ten. Barbara lives with her family, including a naughty cat named Luna and a sweet rescue hound named Ripley, in Westchester County, New York.
🖊 🖋🖊🖋🖊🖋🖊🖋🖊
Special thanks to Mitch at Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing for the ecopy for review. (THANKS!) For more information on this title, the author, or the publisher, feel free to click through the links provided above. This title is available now wherever books are sold.
Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!
No comments:
Post a Comment