magsisreadingagain's reviews
1940 reviews

How to Age Disgracefully by Clare Pooley

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adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

The Books of Jacob by Olga Tokarczuk

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challenging informative reflective slow-paced
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Only One Survives by Hannah Mary McKinnon

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

More Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa

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emotional lighthearted reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa

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lighthearted reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

The Sleeping Giant by David A. Robertson

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adventurous emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Some series die out as they stretch through multiple books. Not so with David A. Robertson's Misewa Saga. 

The Sleeping Giant is the fifth instalment in this middle-grade series featuring Eli and Morgan, two foster kids from Winnipeg, who have stumbled into another world, filled with animal beings that the kids have come to love and treasure as family. The story picks up directly from the fourth book, The Portal Keeper, and the tension remains high as Eli, Morgan, their human friend Emily, along with Arik, Mahihkan and the remaining Bird Warriors work to rescue kidnapped animal beings from Ministik, and overpower the other humans who have gained access to Aski and are using it for nefarious purposes.

Robertson deftly weaves in lessons about colonization and the attempted eradication of indigenous traditions and values, while writing a story that is appealing to young people, and some of us older youngsters. I flew through this book, wanting to see how Eli and his friends were going to defeat the interlopers. And that ending... cliffhangers are soooo hard.  Can not wait until the next book is released!!

Many thanks to Penguin Random House Canada, Tundra Books and NetGalley for offering me a complimentary eARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.
The Portal Keeper by David A. Robertson

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adventurous emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson

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adventurous funny mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Sandwich by Catherine Newman

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emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

A Ruse of Shadows by Sherry Thomas

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adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0