Search This Blog








2023 Literary Escapes Challenge
- Alabama (1)
- Alaska
- Arizona (1)
- Arkansas
- California (4)
- Colorado (1)
- Connecticut (1)
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia (1)
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas (1)
- Kentucky
- Louisiana (1)
- Maine (1)
- Maryland (1)
- Massachusetts (1)
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York (2)
- North Carolina (1)
- North Dakota
- Ohio (1)
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina (1)
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont (2)
- Virginia
- Washington (2)
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
- Washington, D.C.*
International:
- Australia (2)
- Canada (2)
- England (4)
- France (1)
- Ireland (1)
- Scotland (1)
- South Korea (1)
- The Netherlands (1)
-Vietnam (1)





2023 Build Your Library Reading Challenge







Thursday, December 10, 2020
Stead's Newest Poignant But Hopeful
5:49 AM
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
It's been two years since her parents' divorce and lots has changed for 10-year-old Bea. While things have turned out mostly okay, she still worries a lot, which makes her eczema act up. To help calm herself, she keeps a list in her notebook of the things in her life that have not and will not ever change. She knows her mom and dad will always love her, for example. That's a constant, no matter what.
When Bea's dad informs her that he and his boyfriend will soon be getting married, Bea's thrilled. She loves Jesse. He's even got a daughter Bea's age, which means she'll finally have the sister she's always wanted. She just knows they're going to be BFFs. As the wedding date comes closer, though, Bea discovers that nothing ever goes perfectly. Building a new family isn't easy and sometimes change is difficult, confusing, and heartbreaking. With her family structure shifting once again, Bea has to learn how to manage her anxiety, deal with difficult situations, and find happiness along the way.
The List of Things That Will Not Change is the newest middle grade offering from Newbery Award-winning author Rebecca Stead. Although its plot is a little unfocused, the story is realistic in that it has both sad and happy parts. My favorite element of the novel, in fact, is its validation of emotions—not just that they can be super complicated, but also that it's okay, even important, to feel them. Bea's voice as she's dealing with hers is pitch-perfect, making her a narrator who is both authentic and relatable. Although The List of Things That Will Not Change deals with some tough subjects, overall it's an upbeat, hopeful novel. I enjoyed it, even if I didn't absolutely love it.
(Readalikes: Hm, nothing's coming to mind. You?)
Grade:
1 comment:
Comments make me feel special, so go crazy! Just keep it clean and civil. Feel free to speak your mind (I always do), but be aware that I will delete any offensive comments.
P.S.: Don't panic if your comment doesn't show up right away. I have to approve each one before it posts to prevent spam. It's annoying, but it works!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments
(Atom)




Reading
Murder Off the Books by Tamara Berry

Listening
Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country in the World by Sarah Smarsh



Followin' with Bloglovin'



-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
If You Like L. M. Montgomery…5 hours ago
-
-
-
-
The Best Mistake10 hours ago
-
-
-
-
Isn’t It Romantic?1 day ago
-
-
-
Audio book: Pet1 day ago
-
Song of the Week1 day ago
-
-
A Mansion for Murder by Frances Brody1 day ago
-
Haiku reviews...2 days ago
-
-
-
FO Friday: Flax Light, Baby3 days ago
-
-
-
-
When No One Is Watching by Alyssa Cole6 days ago
-
-
-
-
-
Book Blogger Hop #62 weeks ago
-
-
-
-
-
Books Read in 20232 months ago
-
-
Nonfiction November 2022: New to My TBR3 months ago
-
Are you looking for Pretty Books?5 months ago
-
-
HEARTS OF BRIARWALL by Krista Jensen7 months ago
-
-
-
-

Grab my Button!



Blog Archive
- ► 2021 (159)
- ▼ 2020 (205)
- ► 2019 (197)
- ► 2018 (223)
- ► 2017 (157)
- ► 2016 (157)
- ► 2015 (188)
I remember my daughter and I loving Stead's books so I wish you liked this one more, but that isn't always the case. Bummer.
ReplyDelete