The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big, Round Things

The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big, Round Things 

Author: Carolyn Mackler

Rating: 5/5 Stars

Reviewer: Denise Z.

Summary: This pre-teen/teen novel is about a very relatable 15-year-old girl who is discovering her self-image while being overweight and having difficulties in her home life. She struggles with her relationships with her parents, brother, and boyfriend.

Review: This was a very enjoyable book with a very likeable main character. Virginia’s humorous dialog and relate-ability makes this book fun, particularly for any teen girl or for anyone who has weight issues. In no way preachy at all, author Carolyn Mackler does a wonderful job of presenting an interesting story relatable to today’s teens. Mackler uses a surprise twist involving Virgina’s brother and introduces lessons that each reader can learn from while staying cool and genuine to her audience. Such a refreshing read, it’s no wonder that this book won awards such as the Michael L. Printz Award for Honor Book and the American Library Association’s Best Books for Young Adults Award. This book would be an excellent read for a mature pre-teen or teen girl due to some language used.

You'll Like It Here (Everybody Does)

You’ll Like It Here (Everybody Does)  
Author: Ruth White

Rating: 5/5 Stars

Reviewer: Denise Z.

Summary: Although Meggie Blue seems to be an average sixth-grader she is abnormally frightened when residents of her small, North Carolina town become fixated on aliens, and soon she and her family are forced to flee, making it clear that all is not as it seems.

Review: You’ll Like It Here (Everybody Does) by Ruth White is an excellent book to introduce to a child who is interested in science fiction and dystopian novels. White, who is a Newbery Honor Winner, introduces the reader to the Blue Family. They are aliens from outer space who live in America until they are questioned by their town. They are forced to use their extraterrestrial equipment to travel to another place. The place they happen to travel to seems just like America, except it lacks certain freedoms and lack of imagination and expression.

A lot of lessons are to be learned from this book, such as how imagination and creativity are an important part of society and what would happen if we didn’t have such freedoms to be creative and unique from each other. There is also a fun dynamic between siblings Meggie Blue and her brother David and how they each handle going from being in North Carolina to “Fashion City.”