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A review by wretchedtheo
Daughter of the White Rose by Diane Zahler
adventurous
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS
What I liked about this book is that, unlike most stories aimed at younger audiences, it doesn't baby them and doesn't shy away from heavier topics. It's pretty well researched too. A lot of children's authors seem to think that kids don't care about this, or aren't ready to read about violence and death, but they do and they are. The heroine was strong and makes a good role model for young girls. My main problem was the way it handled the little boy's death. The overall tone of the story as well as the context clues indicated your typical middle grade "he actually escaped!!! Big adventure!!" Happy ending twist, but it wasn't so. It was handled really weirdly; for example, the MC doesn't even go into her friend's room to check if he's actually dead, just assumes he is. That was one of the biggest context clues that made me think the author wouldn't have the guts to kill him off, but turns out she did. It made me think to myself: good on you for taking up a difficult topic like this one in a kid's book, but you didn't have the mastery and care required for it. That's a serious decision you're making and you gotta stand by it to make it good.
What I liked about this book is that, unlike most stories aimed at younger audiences, it doesn't baby them and doesn't shy away from heavier topics. It's pretty well researched too. A lot of children's authors seem to think that kids don't care about this, or aren't ready to read about violence and death, but they do and they are. The heroine was strong and makes a good role model for young girls. My main problem was the way it handled the little boy's death. The overall tone of the story as well as the context clues indicated your typical middle grade "he actually escaped!!! Big adventure!!" Happy ending twist, but it wasn't so. It was handled really weirdly; for example, the MC doesn't even go into her friend's room to check if he's actually dead, just assumes he is. That was one of the biggest context clues that made me think the author wouldn't have the guts to kill him off, but turns out she did. It made me think to myself: good on you for taking up a difficult topic like this one in a kid's book, but you didn't have the mastery and care required for it. That's a serious decision you're making and you gotta stand by it to make it good.