The idea of a 4th grade, the equivalent of roughly 9 years old, talking in such blunt, objective, and scientific ways that were more advanced than grown scientists, was absolutely hilarious to me. I thought all the characters were lovely, and Bix made me laugh out loud numerous times. Positivity is always a good thing, but in endless amounts, it can be suffocating since, like Abby says in the book, 'she never lets me say anything negative.' Feeling like you're forced to feel only one thing can be detrimental to someone's mental health, especially when they cannot uphold those expectations, and that can lead into fear of disappointing people. Parents who mean well can often come across as overbearing and insufferable, and it's easy to agree with Abby that her mom does need to lay off sometimes. I think her frustration with her mother is understanding.

For someone who WAS in 7th grade when that type of speech was used on the daily, it hit a weird little nugget of familiarity. Tweens using slang such as 'bae' may not be as common now, but I'm also long from 7th grade, so maybe it's still a thing. Some things that kids do at twelve years old are cringy, and that's just how it is. As that is one of my favorite movies, I was very happy to see the parallels between the two, even if they weren't connected at all.Ībby is a relatable character, given that she is twelve years old. To start, the book gives me some amazing Meet the Robinson's vibes with the time travel, the comparison of the present and the future, the wanting to abandon the old life for the new, how endless issues have been solved, etc. Sometimes we need a happy ending in life, and if we can find it through a book, I think that's a wonderful thing. The only difference is that they are written in a way that is easy to understand and comprehend, and usually, the ending is happy. A lot of people don't give younger books enough credit, since their stories can be written just as well and with as much emotional impact and influence as an adult novel can. So! I have completed my first review of a Young Reader/Middle Grade books, and I'm very happy that it was this one that I chose first. However, any warnings listed are all very mild and handled tactfully given it is a Young Reader/Middle Grade book.

**Disclaimer: This list may/may not include all content warnings for A Long Way from Home. Thank you to NetGalley for providing the eARC edition of A Long Way from Home in return for a fair and honest review!Ĭontent Warnings: Dystopic themes (pollution, natural disasters, poverty, climate change, etc.), Brief mentions of depression, Regular mentions of anxiety and coping methods, Animal Pregnancy/Birth

Littler Women by Laura Schaefer