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A review by dinipandareads
Are You Nobody Too? by Tina Cane
3.0
I read this book as part of the blog tour hosted by TBR & Beyond Tours. Special thanks to Make Me a World for providing a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest opinion. 3 stars
TL;DR: This was a unique middle-grade contemporary told in verse. The author had a unique way of expressing the main character's experiences during and after the pandemic. It touches upon evergreen themes such as coming-of-age, identity and belonging. Emily was an interesting main character—she's very much a teenager—and I think many young readers whether they're middle schoolers or just starting high school.
Are You Nobody Too? is an interesting middle-grade contemporary that explores topics that are often found in books for young readers, such as identity and belonging. This coming-of-age was told interestingly and I appreciated how the author chose to write the book in verse to reflect our main character's connection with Emily Dickinson's work. Our main character, Emily, discovers Dickinson's complete works by chance at her new school's library and from that moment, we follow how she relates to and processes her own experiences through the poetry. It was a unique telling although I have to admit that it made for a non-linear storyline that made it difficult to truly feel connected to Emily's story. If anything though, I think it could spark an interest in poetry for young readers and it spurred me to want to explore more of Dickinson's work.
A topic that I didn't expect the story to centre so heavily around was Emily's experience during and after the pandemic. I don't think I've read any MG books that explore how it affected young kids and I think, to an extent, the author does a good job of exploring that experience through a young teen's POV. For a good portion of the book, Emily has a self-centred view of how terrible the pandemic was in the ways it changed her life. Yet as the book progresses and she learns of personal losses experienced by the new friends she meets and the teachers she admires, she starts to change her somewhat "blasé" tune to be more understanding. Emily has a rather melancholic voice and there's a great deal of confusion as she tries to process her feelings and mental state, and the heaviness of Emily's emotions does weigh down the story a bit at times.
What I wish had been better explored were the themes of identity and belonging. It's a core part of Emily's journey and yet I found that her journey of coming to terms with her Chinese roots and Western upbringing was not explored in as much detail as I would've expected. However, as she finds her place in this new school and opens up to new friendships, particularly with Grace, she slowly learns to be less conscious about her adoptive parents and family. It was nice to see her take pride in both sides that she belongs to, especially because her parents were fantastic and I loved how supportive and funny they were. Grace's character was also a wonderful addition to Emily's life and her sweet, fun and caring personality brought a much-needed uplifting tone to the story!
Overall, this was an interesting and unique read that I found pleasantly surprising. If you have a young reader who's interested in poetry, I think this would be a great match for them!
TL;DR: This was a unique middle-grade contemporary told in verse. The author had a unique way of expressing the main character's experiences during and after the pandemic. It touches upon evergreen themes such as coming-of-age, identity and belonging. Emily was an interesting main character—she's very much a teenager—and I think many young readers whether they're middle schoolers or just starting high school.
Are You Nobody Too? is an interesting middle-grade contemporary that explores topics that are often found in books for young readers, such as identity and belonging. This coming-of-age was told interestingly and I appreciated how the author chose to write the book in verse to reflect our main character's connection with Emily Dickinson's work. Our main character, Emily, discovers Dickinson's complete works by chance at her new school's library and from that moment, we follow how she relates to and processes her own experiences through the poetry. It was a unique telling although I have to admit that it made for a non-linear storyline that made it difficult to truly feel connected to Emily's story. If anything though, I think it could spark an interest in poetry for young readers and it spurred me to want to explore more of Dickinson's work.
A topic that I didn't expect the story to centre so heavily around was Emily's experience during and after the pandemic. I don't think I've read any MG books that explore how it affected young kids and I think, to an extent, the author does a good job of exploring that experience through a young teen's POV. For a good portion of the book, Emily has a self-centred view of how terrible the pandemic was in the ways it changed her life. Yet as the book progresses and she learns of personal losses experienced by the new friends she meets and the teachers she admires, she starts to change her somewhat "blasé" tune to be more understanding. Emily has a rather melancholic voice and there's a great deal of confusion as she tries to process her feelings and mental state, and the heaviness of Emily's emotions does weigh down the story a bit at times.
What I wish had been better explored were the themes of identity and belonging. It's a core part of Emily's journey and yet I found that her journey of coming to terms with her Chinese roots and Western upbringing was not explored in as much detail as I would've expected. However, as she finds her place in this new school and opens up to new friendships, particularly with Grace, she slowly learns to be less conscious about her adoptive parents and family. It was nice to see her take pride in both sides that she belongs to, especially because her parents were fantastic and I loved how supportive and funny they were. Grace's character was also a wonderful addition to Emily's life and her sweet, fun and caring personality brought a much-needed uplifting tone to the story!
Overall, this was an interesting and unique read that I found pleasantly surprising. If you have a young reader who's interested in poetry, I think this would be a great match for them!