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Showing posts from January, 2019

MMGM (1/21/2019) Classic Critique: Matilda by Roald Dahl

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I find it fascinating that there are books that, for some people, are an essential part of their childhoods but, for others, are unheard of. My mother, a teacher, has recently been teaching some of her students a book that I adored as a child, Matilda  by Roald Dahl. I don't think Matilda  was as popular as some of Dahl's earlier books (such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory ), so, for MMGM, I have a Classic Critique of the novel that I hope will convince you to read it! Plot: Matilda 's main character is the eponymous Matilda, a five-year-old girl with incredible intelligence (she is smarter than most adults) and curiosity. Matilda is held back, though, by her mean, unloving, and unintelligent parents, who she plays pranks on at the beginning of the book. When Matilda starts school, she meets both her wonderful teacher, Miss Honey, and her evil, abusive headmistress, Miss Trunchbull. With Miss Honey, Matilda gets to learn beyond her grade level and have som

MMGM (1/14/2019): Sheets by Brenna Thummler

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I've been reading a lot of graphic novels lately, so, for MMGM, I am recommending another one: Sheets  by Brenna Thummler. Sheets  switches points of view between two characters: Marjorie and Wendell. Marjorie is a 13-year-old girl who deals with regular middle-school problems, such as avoiding bullies and having crushes. However, she also has to run her family's laundromat, formerly run by her late mother. Taking orders from constantly disgruntled customers takes a toll on her, and it doesn't help that one (delusional) customer wants to buy the laundromat and turn it into a grand resort. Wendell, meanwhile, is a young ghost. He lives in the monotonous, gray (literally) Land of Ghosts, where he doesn't fit in with the other ghosts and suffers through an unpleasant support group for those who died young. Wendell runs away and finds Marjorie's laundromat, which, being a floating sheet, is extremely fun for him to stay in. However, as he inadvertently wreaks hav

MMGM (1/7/2019): Crush by Svetlana Chmakova

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I'm back for the new year! I've had an incredibly hectic two months, so I've barely had time to sit down and read much less write a review. However, now that it's winter break, I finally have a review! This week, I am recommending Crush  by Svetlana Chmakova. You may remember that, back in July, I read the first two graphic novels in this series, Awkward  and Brave , and wholeheartedly recommended them. I just finished reading Crush  over the course of one day, and I think it may be even better than the first two! Crush  follows Jorge, a side character from Brave . Jorge happens to be quite large for a middle-schooler, and he uses his size as a superpower, scaring bullies out of hurting their targets. Despite being somewhat terrifying, Jorge has two good friends from the athletic club at his school, Garrett and Olivia (or Liv). Most years, his life would be perfectly pleasant, but this year is odd. Jorge develops his first crush on a girl named Jazmine, and he fi