Ryan Hart loves to spend time with her friends, loves to invent recipies, and has a lot on her mind—school, self-image, and family. Her dad finally has a new job, but money is tight. That means changes like selling their second car and moving into a new (old) house. But Ryan is a girl who knows how to make sunshine out of setbacks. Because Ryan is all about trying to see the best. Even when things aren’t all she would wish for—her brother is infuriating, her parents don’t understand, when her recipies don’t turn out right, and when the unexpected occurs—she can find a way forward, with wit and plenty of sunshine.
My Review
Every book I’ve ever read by Renée Watson has made me fall in love with the story and the characters, and WAYS TO MAKE SUNSHINE was no different! I had so much fun reading about Ryan and her family.
The relationships between characters felt real and vivid. Ryan has to navigate changes in her friendships following her family’s move to a new house. Her relationship with her brother was great, too. I loved her whole family.
I think the best part of the story, for me, was the journey Ryan makes in coming to understand herself. At the beginning, she tries to embrace being a leader by doing her own thing and standing apart. But through facing challenges and obstacles, she begins to take charge in a different way– to bring others with her, whether it’s into an impromptu parade or in encouraging another performer to go on stage with her.
All in all, WAYS TO MAKE SUNSHINE is another triumph. I hope kids everywhere get to meet and fall in love with Ryan and her family too!
Content Notes
Recommended for Ages 8 to 12
Representation Ryan and her family are black.
Profanity/Crude Language Content None.
Romance/Sexual Content None.
Spiritual Content References to attending church on Easter.
Violent Content None.
Drug Content None.
Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support the costs of running this blog. I received a free copy of WAYS TO MAKE SUNSHINE in exchange for my honest review.
Meg has been friends with confident, self-assured Beatrix since kindergarten. She’s always found comfort in Beatrix’s shadow—even their families call them Beatrix-and-Meg. But middle school has brought some changes in Beatrix, especially when Meg tries to step outside her role as sidekick. Upsetting Beatrix means risking The Freeze—or worse.
Meg gets into a special science elective and wants to take the class, no matter what Beatrix thinks. But when quirky new girl Hazel becomes Meg’s science partner, Beatrix sets her sights on Hazel. At first, Meg is taken aback at how mean Beatrix can be—and how difficult it is to stand up to her friend. But as Meg gets to know Hazel while working on their backyard beehive project, she starts to wonder: What’s it really like to be the Queen Bee? And more importantly: Is being Beatrix’s friend worth turning down the possibility of finding her own voice?
My Review
You know how some books have really great layering, where there are things happening between the adults that sort of bleed over into what’s happening with the kids, but the kids don’t always 100% get what’s happening between the adults?
I thought THE QUEEN BEE AND ME showed that kind of layering really well. Meg recognizes some of the pressure and manipulation in the way Beatrix treats her as being the way Beatrix’s mom speaks to others and wonders if Beatrix realizes she’s even copying that way.
Another thing that I really liked was that the message in the story wasn’t, “Beatrix is a bad friend, Meg just needs a new, better friend.” Instead, she has an opportunity to have a new friend, but that doesn’t fix all of what’s become so toxic in her relationship with Beatrix. Meg needs to learn to change how she behaves, not just change who she hangs out with. And I felt like that was a critically important, deeply insightful lesson.
As a mom with kids where there’s a huge age gap, I really appreciated this positive portrayal of a family with a big age gap between kids. I also thought Meg’s relationship with her mom felt very realistic and complex– definitely captured some of the kinds of struggles that can happen between parents and middle school kids.
If you can’t tell, I simply loved this book. I wish I could go back in time and give myself this book in late elementary school. THE QUEEN BEE AND ME is perfect for fans of books by Kate Messner or THE LIST by Patricia Forde.
Content Notes
Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.
Representation Major characters are white. Meg deals with anxiety and specifically a fear of bees that can result in her fainting.
Profanity/Crude Language Content None.
Romance/Sexual Content None.
Spiritual Content None.
Violent Content None. There are a few instances of verbal manipulation and verbal bullying.
Drug Content None.
Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support the costs of running this blog. I received a free copy of THE QUEEN BEE AND ME in exchange for my honest review.
Stranded in Hawaii after the death of her mother, sixteen-year-old Olive Galloway is desperate to escape. She has to get back to Boston before her dad loses all common sense and sells the family house. But plane tickets cost money—something Olive gravely lacks.
With the help of Brander, the fussy youth group worship leader, and Jazz, a mysterious girl with a passion for all things Hawaiian, Olive lands a summer job at the Shave Ice Shack and launches a scheme to buy a plane ticket home before the end of the summer.
But when Jazz reveals a painful secret, Olive’s plans are challenged. Jazz needs money. A lot of it. Olive and Brander are determined to help their friend but, when their fundraising efforts are thwarted, Olive is caught in the middle. To help Jazz means giving up her ticket home. And time is running out.
My Review
I really liked that PORCH SWING GIRL follows a girl dealing with grief and shows her progressing through some of those emotions and finding her way through. She struggles, for sure. At times she’s blind to other people’s feelings. But she’s really trying to figure things out. I definitely identified with her in that way.
The spiritual themes are really strong here. It’s definitely a story about a faith journey, so if that isn’t what you’re looking for, this may not be the right book for you.
For the most part, I thought her faith journey rang true and felt real. There was a moment when she has a misunderstanding with a friend and he makes a comment that was kind of… I’d call it “Christianese”. Sort of stilted and steeped in spiritual metaphor basically telling her he couldn’t date her because she’s not committed to her faith at that point.
I got what he was saying, but it did make me realize how hurtful and dismissive that type of comment can be. (Which may have been part of the author’s point.)
The themes about grief and the way everyone grieves differently, and the fact that we don’t know someone’s life just by looking at them really stuck with me in reading PORCH SWING GIRL. I loved her grandma and of course Jazz so much, too.
PORCH SWING GIRL is a really sweet book that would appeal to fans of Christian fiction and authors Diana Sharples and Stephanie Morrill.
Content Notes
Recommended for Ages 10 up.
Representation Olive’s mom is Hawaiian.
Profanity/Crude Language Content List.
Romance/Sexual Content Brief kissing on face.
Spiritual Content Most of the characters in the story are Christians and open about their faith. In the wake of her mom’s death, Olive is struggling with what she believes. Characters pray openly and attend church meetings. A boy tells Olive he can’t date her because she’s not a committed Christian. (His explanation is a little weird, but that’s his meaning.)
Violent Content None.
Drug Content None.
Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support the costs of running this blog. I received a free copy of PORCH SWING GIRL in exchange for my honest review.
After a lifetime of being the younger sister–of letting Sophie fight her battles, of following her on countless Experiences and through a fireplace into a magical land–it’s finally Claire Martinson’s turn to lead. And she’ll do anything to keep her big sister safe: resist the wraiths’ cold shadows, experiment with new and dangerous magic, become a thief in disguise.
When Claire discovers that “only a queen can defeat a queen,” she knows she must steal and reforge the ancient Crown of Arden to stand a chance against the darkness that threatens the world and her family. Because Queen Estelle d’Astora, desperate to reclaim her power, will stop at nothing to gain the support of the four guilds–even if it means killing the last unicorn. Claire will need every friend she’s made to help her as the fate of Arden hangs in the balance . . . But the secrets of the unicorns are deeper than anyone could have ever imagined. Does Claire have what it takes to ignite the long-buried magic of this world and wake the fire in the stars? Or will the true salvation of Arden rest on one final and heartbreaking sacrifice?
My Review
What a finale! I love sister books, so this series has been lots of fun to read. I love that it’s the little sister who’s the star of the books, too. I really enjoyed watching Claire find her gifts and her confidence and her place in the world.
FIRE IN THE STAR brings together a lot of characters from the earlier books, but it’s pretty easy to keep track of everyone as the story kind of refreshes you on who’s who as you read.
I also really loved that in the story, Claire and her allies all need each other, need to work together to save Arden. It meant learning to value one another, trust each other, put aside past grievances, and find a way to work together. Definitely a feel-good story in that sense.
This has been one of my favorite middle grade series, and I really can’t wait to see what Kamilla Benko writes next. She’s an author I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend to any middle or late elementary school-aged readers.
If you like books by Jessica Day George, you really need to check out The Unicorn Quest series.
Here is my review of the first book in the series, THE UNICORN QUEST.
Profanity/Crude Language Content No profanity. The characters sometimes use made up curses like “slug soot”.
Romance/Sexual Content Brief kissing between a boy and girl and references to a crush between them.
Spiritual Content A unicorn healed Sophie and saved her life with its magic in the first book in this series, and that moment is referenced in this one, too. Other characters have magical abilities as well. Claire learns to make gems glow with her magic. Other characters can manipulate plants or metals. Deep shadows called wraiths chase the girls and their allies, trying to stop them. Sensitive readers may be frightened by descriptions of the wraiths… they’re a little bit like the Dementors in Harry Potter maybe? Not quite as scary as that.
Violent Content Some brief descriptions of battle violence and situations of peril.
Drug Content None.
Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support the costs of running this blog. I received a free copy of FIRE IN THE STAR in exchange for my honest review.
From acclaimed author Kate Messner comes the powerful story of a young girl with the courage to make her voice heard, set against the backdrop of a summertime mystery.
When Mia moves to Vermont the summer after seventh grade, she’s recovering from the broken arm she got falling off a balance beam. And packed away in the moving boxes under her clothes and gymnastics trophies is a secret she’d rather forget.
Mia’s change in scenery brings day camp, new friends, and time with her beloved grandmother. But Gram is convinced someone is trying to destroy her cricket farm. Is it sabotage or is Gram’s thinking impaired from the stroke she suffered months ago? Mia and her friends set out to investigate, but can they uncover the truth in time to save Gram’s farm? And will that discovery empower Mia to confront the secret she’s been hiding–and find the courage she never knew she had?
In a compelling story rich with friendship, science, and summer fun, a girl finds her voice while navigating the joys and challenges of growing up.
My Review
I got kind of nervous as I started to read this book. The way it talked about Mia having a secret, I assumed it had something to do with an adult having inappropriate contact with her, and I wasn’t sure how explicit or intense that would be. Since I’m pretty sensitive to the topic, I felt a little tense until I got to that part of the story. It didn’t include anything nightmarishly explicit. I don’t say that to downplay what Mia experienced at all, simply that as a reader, it didn’t end up being something I couldn’t handle reading.
Mia’s grandmother made me smile so much. She’s strong and brave and pretty committed to her course. I liked the relationship she has with Mia, and the way each encouraged the other. Mia’s friendships with Clover and Anna were great, too. I loved how they bonded over their shared passion for their Launch Camp projects and then over other experiences.
Solidarity Between Women
At one point in the book, after Mia has heard from several of the women in her life about experiences where they were harrassed or treated inappropriately by men, she wonders if this is something that all women experience. I felt like it’s such a reasonable question, and such a hard part about growing up, right? Because too many women do have those stories. I know I do.
While it’s heartbreaking watching someone realize something troubling about the world, I loved the way it becomes part of Mia’s healing, too. She’s not alone. She’s not wrong for feeling the way she did, even though at the time, she felt completely alone and ashamed for feeling uncomfortable.
I also loved that, even though I thought the topic was really well-addressed, the story wasn’t only about these things. Mia is never defined by that experience. She’s always many things– a girl with lots of interests and talents and relationships.
Plus I have to talk about the cricket farm. I know I say this every time I read a book with a protagonist with an unusual interest or talent, but I love that the author brought such a different family business to the story– not only a cricket farm, but crickets for a food source! I thought that was really fun.
Representation Mia’s friend Anna is Indian. A couple other minor characters are also Asian.
Profanity/Crude Language Content None.
Romance/Sexual Content Mia recalls situations in which a man made her uncomfortable and left her feeling icky.
Spiritual Content A brief mention that Mia’s family has gone to church on Sunday.
Violent Content A man verbally threatens a girl.
Drug Content None.
Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support the costs of running this blog. I received a free copy of CHIRP in exchange for my honest review.
I’m super late to the conversation, but I’ve been thinking about this topic a lot. The first I’d seen of the discussion was a Twitter post positing that calling a book “clean” was the same as calling books with explicit sexual content or profanity “dirty”, which the tweet named as shaming language and not okay.
It takes me a long time to process things like that. I’m kind of a people pleaser by nature, so there was a part of me that wanted to go back through every post and page on my blog and replace the term “clean” with something more friendly and less potentially offensive.
Obviously, I ended up not doing that, partly because I could never think of a succinct alternate term. Still. Totally at a loss here. I’m open to ideas.
Trigger-free? Doesn’t that assume we understand all reader’s triggers and still leave room for offense? I don’t feel comfortable with that either. Explicit-free? That seems weird, too.
At some point, the whole conversation shaming bloggers/publishers/anyone for using “clean” to describe books made me a little angry, to be honest. I’ve worked really hard to try to make this blog space welcoming and open. It felt like I was being attacked for things I *didn’t* say rather than things I’d said.
Using Clean in Book Reviews
I’ve been using “clean” as a way to describe a particular kind of book, one without profanity, explicit drug or alcohol use, graphic violence, or explicit sexual content. But I don’t think anywhere in my blog have I ever reviewed a book with explicit content and called it dirty. In fact I’ve tried to be very careful to phrase any dislike on my part as personal preference.
It feels a little like if, as a parent, I tell one child she’s done something really good, and the other child immediately panics because she thinks I’m implying what she’s done is bad.
The solution, to me, isn’t to stop telling a child when she’s done something good. I simply explain to the other child that it’s an independent observation. That telling her sister she’s done something good has nothing to do with her own behavior.
It’s less simple to translate that across the reading sphere, though, right? I can model respect for books with explicit content by reviewing them in a non-judgmental way, and I strive to do that. But I worry that labeling some books “clean” may cause offense or mean that viewers assume things about me that aren’t true. Which isn’t fair and is frustrating.
How Readers Use the Term Clean in Book Reviews
A fair amount of traffic on this site comes from google searches for things like “clean books,” which also matters. Honestly, I’m not super concerned about the Google hits, but I want to take a minute and talk about why people are using that label in searches in my experience.
Lots of times it’s a parent or teacher looking for books they can have on a family bookshelf or in a classroom. If you’ve got children of various ages in your home, you may want to focus your book budget on stories that are accessible to the most readers in your home, and that’s not a bad thing.
As a teacher, you may also face limitations on what you can have in your classroom. A local high school teacher here has told me she’s not allowed to have books on her classroom shelves that have explicit sex or other types of content in them.
I also see parents and educators looking for books for teens who’ve sort of fallen between middle grade lit (which is aimed at kids 8 to12) and young adult lit (much of which is aimed at ages 15 to 18). As a parent of a child in the gap myself, it’s become really important to me to find books that both challenge my reader but meet her at her current maturity and level of comfort.
Using the label “clean” helps simplify those searches. You can find a book for your reader in the right age range and find content that you and your reader find appropriate.
I can’t stress enough how important I feel this is. We talk a lot in the YA sphere about freedom of speech and freedom to read books with whatever content we want, and that’s a freedom I really appreciate. I love that there are so many books in such a vast spectrum of topics and genres and ideas.
But we can’t forget that some kids aren’t ready to read everything today, and we shouldn’t shame them for not being ready or make it more difficult for them to find books that they can feel comfortable reading and fall in love with.
My Plan for Describing Books without Explicit Sexual/Violent/Language Content
I’m continuing to use the term “clean” at least for the present. It means something to readers who visit my blog. It feels to me like the word isn’t really the problem. The problem is a lack of respect that some bloggers have for books with explicit content in them.
To which I kind of want to say, okay, rudeness sucks. It really does. That’s not okay. So here’s what I suggest.
Vote with your mouse. Don’t click those pages written by a snooty blogger. Don’t visit that blog. Invest in relationships with readers and bloggers who appreciate the books you do.
There are lots of really amazing book blogger sites. Find some with values and a tone that you love. Follow them. Comment on their posts. Shop their affiliate links. Thank them for their hard work.
What are your thoughts on using the word “clean” in book reviews?
As a blogger or reader, are you still (or did you ever) using “clean” in book reviews? Do you think it constitutes shaming language or is offensive? Do you have suggestions for alternative descriptions? (Because I’m so open to ideas!)
What do you do when you find yourself on the outside of changing trends like this?
