707 words
5 minute read
66.
Genre: Middle Grade Fiction
Disability Representation: Yes (implied learning disability)
Rating: 2/4 (Liked it!)
Excerpt of GoodReads Summary: Haley Braddock has never given the BSC much of a hassle before. But now she's out of control! After Claudia catches Haley in a lie--and Haley gets grounded for it--this formerly quiet BSC charge turns against Claudia in a big way. She tells everyone that Claudia and the other BSC members cannot be trusted. . .and makes up lies to prove it. What can Claudia do? It's Haley's word against Claudia's. . .and the BSC can't be sure who the kids are going to believe.
What I Thought: Hard to believe, but this was a first-time read for me. Some aspects of the book were surprises. I wasn't super into Claudia's boyfriend issues, but I did appreciate what the BSC did to help Haley - who had a super major problem with lying - to the extent that Haley refuses to accurately interpret for Matt, which was super out of line. Still a good read (birthday gift card money, well-spent.)
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67.
Genre: Fantasy
Disability Representation: Yes (implied trauma)
Rating: 3/4 (Really liked it!)
Excerpt of GoodReads Summary: Harry Potter's third year at Hogwarts is full of new dangers. A convicted murderer, Sirius Black, has broken out of Azkaban prison, and it seems he's after Harry. Now Hogwarts is being patrolled by the dementors, the Azkaban guards who are hunting Sirius. But Harry can't imagine that Sirius or, for that matter, the evil Lord Voldemort could be more frightening than the dementors themselves, who have the terrible power to fill anyone they come across with aching loneliness and despair...
What I Thought: I enjoyed this book so much more the second time around! There were a lot of magical elements that I simply did not understand the first time I read it, but this time, it all made sense. Yay! I really enjoyed Professor Lupin, and the Dementor aspect (horrifying but such an apt allegory for trauma and / or depression -- and who wouldn't enjoy an aspect where the only remedy was to eat giant bars of chocolate? Delightful.)
68.
Genre: Children's Fiction
Disability Representation: No.
Rating: 1/4 (It was okay)
Excerpt of GoodReads Summary: Meet the World’s Funniest Kindergartner—Junie B. Jones! There’s a new boy in kindergarten, and guess what? He’s the handsomest guy Junie B. has ever seen. She and Lucille and that Grace all want him for a boyfriend. Only, he thinks Junie B. is a nutball. Just ’cause she couldn’t stop laughing and rolling. So how is she supposed to get that boy to love her?
What I Thought: Never been a fan of romance plots, even in a book about tiny children. I did like the end, where Junie B. was a friend to Warren (who did end up being a more dimensional character and not just a plot device.)
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69.
Genre: Anthology
Disability Representation: SO MUCH!
Rating: 4/4 (LOVED IT!)
Excerpt of GoodReads Summary: A groundbreaking collection of first-person writing on the joys and challenges of the modern disability experience: Disability Visibility brings together the voices of activists, authors, lawyers, politicians, artists, and everyday people whose daily lives are, in the words of playwright Neil Marcus, “an art…an ingenious way to live.” A Vintage Books Original.
What I Thought: A must-read. Check out my Twitter thread for a more comprehensive review.
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70.
Genre: Young Adult
Disability Representation: Unspecified mental health condition(s)
Rating: 4/4 (LOVED IT!)
Excerpt of GoodReads Summary: "Dear Evan Hansen,
Today's going to be an amazing day and here's why..."
When a letter that was never meant to be seen by anyone draws high school senior Evan Hansen into a family's grief over the loss of their son, he is given the chance of a lifetime: to belong. He just has to stick to a lie he never meant to tell, that the notoriously troubled Connor Murphy was his secret best friend...
Today's going to be an amazing day and here's why..."
When a letter that was never meant to be seen by anyone draws high school senior Evan Hansen into a family's grief over the loss of their son, he is given the chance of a lifetime: to belong. He just has to stick to a lie he never meant to tell, that the notoriously troubled Connor Murphy was his secret best friend...
What I Thought: I read this in the pre-pandemic times (just before quarantining actually) and it blew my mind with its amazingness. Less than six months later, it still holds up, especially the end. Oh, gosh. So good.
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