Tag Archives: loss of a sibling

Review Once for Yes by Allie Millington

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Once for Yes by Allie Millington

Once for Yes
Allie Millington
Feiwel & Friends
Published March 25, 2025

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Once for Yes

The Odenburgh, an old apartment building made of brick and blunt opinions, is the last of its kind in a swiftly changing neighborhood. After years of putting up with people and their many problems, the Odenburgh knows there’s no point in getting attached. They all just leave eventually. A truth that comes all too soon when the building is sold and slated for demolition, giving tenants a month to move out.

No one is more troubled by the news than eleven-year-old Prue, who refuses to leave her family’s apartment. Not when it was the last place she lived with her sister Lina, before she lost Lina forever. When Prue launches a plan to save their home, the Odenburgh joins in—flickering lights, jamming elevators, triggering fire alarms—all to try and bring a building full of bickering residents together. In the process, Prue meets Lewis, an eccentric boy who lives across the street—and the only one who can help her discover the missing elements of her sister’s story.

My Review

I love that the apartment building is such an important character in this book. The Odenburgh is a bit grizzled and feisty, but it obviously cares about the tenants, no matter how quirky they are. The story is mostly told from the Odenburgh and Prue’s perspectives, but a few other characters narrate random scenes here and there, including Lewis, the boy from across the street.

Prue’s family still grieves her sister’s death, though they have all been grieving privately. As Prue approaches her twelfth birthday, she feels everything is wrong. After she turns twelve, her sister Lina will never again be older than Prue is. At times, Prue’s grief is palpable. Her commitment to the talk show game that she used to play with her sisters is funny and heartbreaking. I love that she continues to narrate certain events, like her mother’s emotional changes, as parts of the show.

At the beginning of the book, Prue thinks she is the only one grieving. Through her connection with the Odenburgh and their attempts to save the building, Prue learns that many of her neighbors nurse secret hurts and losses, too. As they begin stepping outside their apartments and sharing memories with one another, Prue stops feeling so alone. I loved that transition in the story, when Prue and some of her neighbors start to see their grief reflected in each other’s experiences. It helped them see past the squabbles they had and work together to try to save the building they love.

I’m definitely a fan of stories that make space for grief, since I don’t think we do enough of that in real life. I’m also a huge fan of stories that explore building community– another thing we often lack. This book offers both, and though it’s got some moments that will have readers reaching for tissues, it’s also got some that leave us cheering for Prue and her neighbors.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Reference to a crush between two twelve-year-old characters.

Spiritual Content
Prue believes the Odenburgh’s flickering lights are a sign that Lina is there with her. The Odenburgh is a character in the story and can communicate through flickering lights, shutting off power, water, and air conditioning, etc.

Violent Content
Death of a sibling (before the story begins). References to a drunk driver killing a young pedestrian.

Drug Content
See Violent Content.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday

I’m sharing this post as a part of a weekly round-up of middle-grade posts called Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday. Check out other blogs with posts about middle-grade books today on Marvelous Middle-Grade Mondays at Always in the Middle.

Review: Show Me a Sign by Ann Clare LeZotte

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Show Me a Sign
Ann Clare LeZotte
Scholastic Press
Published March 3, 2020

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Show Me a Sign

Deaf author and librarian Ann Clare LeZotte weaves an Own Voices story inspired by the true history of a thriving deaf community on Martha’s Vineyard in the early 19th century.
Mary Lambert has always felt safe and protected on her beloved island of Martha’s Vineyard. Her great-grandfather was an early English settler and the first deaf islander. Now, over a hundred years later, many people there – including Mary – are deaf, and nearly everyone can communicate in sign language. Mary has never felt isolated. She is proud of her lineage.

But recent events have delivered winds of change. Mary’s brother died, leaving her family shattered. Tensions over land disputes are mounting between English settlers and the Wampanoag people. And a cunning young scientist has arrived, hoping to discover the origin of the island’s prevalent deafness. His maniacal drive to find answers soon renders Mary a “live specimen” in a cruel experiment. Her struggle to save herself is at the core of this novel.

My Review

I’ve read the other two books in this series, and both reference back to the trauma Mary endures in this book. All three stories are powerfully told. Mary is a compelling character. She’s strong and determined, confident in what she knows is right.

Each book in the series explores different aspects of how the Deaf were treated during the early 19th century while centering Deaf voices and experiences. Now that I’ve read all three books, I feel like I have a better understanding of why the second and third books went in certain directions, and I can’t help but appreciate them even more than I did when I first read them.

The setting and time period felt so real to me, from the descriptions of Mary’s home and daily life to the values and beliefs her family held. I love Mary’s relationship with Ezra Brewer and her best friend, Nancy. Both of those relationships taught her things and offered support in sometimes unexpected ways.

I think readers who enjoy historical novels, especially those set in the northeast United States, will love this first book in the series by Ann Clare LeZotte.

Content Notes for Show Me a Sign

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Mary and many of her community members are Deaf.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
References to racist language, but Mary doesn’t state the words. Some characters make their prejudice against indigenous or black people clear.

Romance/Sexual Content
Mary is embarrassed/uncomfortable when a doctor examines her spine from her neck to her bottom and her throat to her breast.

Spiritual Content
Mary and her family attend church and pray. She and her best friend make up a ritual they hope will help lay to rest the spirit of Mary’s brother, who died before the story begins. Mary speaks to a person who works for her father and lives with and is part of the Wampanoag tribe. They compare spiritual beliefs and beliefs about the land and whether the land can be divided into parcels and owned.

Violent Content
References to Mary’s brother’s death. He was trampled by a horse and carriage in an accident. References to a man beating a child to punish her for her behavior.

Someone kidnaps a girl, imprisoning her against her will. Some scenes show or reference physical abuse and neglect. (A woman hits a girl’s ears. The girl has bruises in other places. She doesn’t receive enough to eat and is forced to labor all day and locked in a room at night.) A man performs medical exams (not sexual) on a girl without her consent.

Drug Content
References to alcoholism and adults drinking alcohol.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: You Were Here by Cori McCarthy

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You Were Here
Cori McCarthy
Sourcebooks Fire

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Jaycee intends to spend the anniversary of her brother Jake’s death the same way she spent the last one: exploring an abandoned building with her brother’s best friend. Jake’s death fractured Jaycee’s entire community, and even though it’s been five years since his death, her relationships remain in the same ruined condition as the broken mental institution she visits.

Her friends are determined to reach her, though. Even Mik, with whom Jaycee feels a powerful if wordless connection. As grief pushes Jaycee closer and closer to the edge, her friends realize the only way to save her is to join her and look into the face of all they lost the night Jake died.

This might be my favorite book so far this year. (Yes… I know, I just reviewed Winter! And it was great! But…. This book is something special.) I loved each of the characters. They felt desperately real, hopelessly flawed, and I couldn’t help rooting for them to work through the angst and grief and all the things that have been holding them back.

I LOVED how McCarthy uses images to tell the story. One character’s experience is related entirely in pictures of graffiti he’s posted in places the characters travel. And Mik – the boy who rarely speaks – had his story told in graphic novel panels. I’ve never seen that done before, but it really captured that silent-but-present feeling that he brought to the story. He was my favorite, but he doesn’t have a huge lead over some of the other characters. They were all just great.

One of the things I thought was great about this story, too, is that even though it’s all about how Jaycee idolizes her brother and how tragic his death is, the tale also goes into some of the way that keeping that lost person on a pedestal can become unhealthy. Sometimes our memories get warped and we only want to remember the good parts, which can sometimes be damaging. I also liked how the story dealt with the loss of this one person, but showed how the accident had more of a global effect on the community.

Despite all the things I loved, there’s some mature content in this novel. Check the information below to see if it’s the right read for you or one you feel comfortable recommending.

Profanity/ Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used with moderate frequency.

Romance/Sexual Content
Natalie and her boyfriend Zack have had sex. At one point, he wants to go to a party, and she uses the promise of sex to deter him from going. They disappear into the woods to have sex at one point, but the event isn’t described. One night she puts herself in a compromising position with a boy known for taking advantage of girls. She’s too drunk to know if anything happened between them, but it’s possible that she slept with him.

Jaycee wonders about Mik’s romantic history. He’s older than she is, and she worries that he has more experience than she does. He patiently answers her questions, but doesn’t offer details. At one point they reach under each other’s shirts and touch for a moment.

Spiritual Content
Jaycee dwells mostly on things from Jake’s life and very little on whether he’s in heaven or somewhere now that he’s gone.

Violence
There are a couple of skirmishes between the boys. Nothing grisly. One boy’s older brother picks on him relentlessly. One girl has issues with cutting. It’s only mentioned peripherally.

Drug Content
Zack really likes getting drunk. Natalie drinks too much at a party and pays some serious consequences. Jaycee and Zack drink together in an abandoned building. Jaycee gets buzzed pretty easily because she doesn’t usually drink.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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Review: The Sister Pact by Stacie Ramey

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , ,

The Sister Pact
Stacie Ramey
Sourcebooks FIRE

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

They were supposed to do it together. Allie and Leah had made a pact that if their parents’ failing marriage destroys their home life, they’ll escape into death together. Only, Leah makes the jump without Allie. And Allie is left behind to pick up the pieces.

So many things happen to this poor girl. Her best friend Max, who she’s in love with, totally doesn’t deserve her. But she can’t seem to get into the sweet boy who treats her well. Her painting massively suffers in the wake of her sister’s death. It’s like the colors have gone out of her world. No pressure. Just that whole art school portfolio deadline. On top of it all, her parents have split, her mom is nursing her Xanax addiction and Dad is shacked up with his new young girlfriend. It’s a pretty big mess, and understandably, Allie’s pretty much drowning.

I liked how the story unfolded in ways that challenged how I felt about each character. Often I would learn something that maybe didn’t reverse my feelings on a character, but showed some new insight that changed how I felt and also altered the course of events in the story. For the most part, I thought the characters themselves were fantastic. The one exception for me was John. I felt like he was too benevolent or something? I mean, he’s basically a drug pusher and something of a bully from the sound of things, but somehow he’s also the good guy? It just felt off for me. Like the balance was missing from his character.

The drug content and sexual content make this a pretty intense read. I liked that Ramey showed consequences to the drug abuse and that Allie really wrestles with how she feels about having had sex. I get tired of the portrayal of teen sex as this problem-free, everyone-is-doing-it-and-it-always-goes-well-unless-it’s-rape experience. I know not all teen books are like that, but it’s definitely a pet peeve of mine when they are. While I’m not a huge fan of sex in YA, I appreciated that Ramey related the experiences briefly and focused on the emotional fallout surrounding Allie’s decisions.

Language Content
Extreme profanity used frequently.

Sexual Content
Allie worries that being a virgin is preventing her from having a relationship with the boy she loves. She decides to have sex with a random boy to get it over with (the event is only briefly described) and afterward wonders if now sex is what boys will expect to get from her. There is another brief scene in which she has sex.

I loved that Ramey didn’t shy away from the pressure that Allie felt. She wanted to please everyone and be pleasing. She thought she could be desirable by having sex with a boy. It didn’t really work out that way, though. She had a lot of confusing feelings to work through. She does a lot of soul-searching through the story and definitely has more self-respect and confidence by the end. I thought the whole experience was very relate-able.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violence
None.

Drug Content
Allie’s mom is addicted to Xanax. Her sister Leah overdosed on meds when she killed herself. Allie drinks alcohol at a party. Her friend and Leah smoke pot together. Leah bears some heavy consequences for this behavior. After Leah’s death, Allie begins experimenting with pills. One of Leah’s friends offers to supply her with whatever she wants for free. There are consequences condemning Allie’s behavior, and eventually she does promise to quit.