www.crackingthecover.com
    Facebook Twitter Instagram
    • Home
    • Picture
      • Ages 0-3
      • Ages 2 and up
      • Ages 3 and up
      • Ages 4 and up
      • Ages 5 and up
      • Ages 6 and up
      • Ages 8 and up
      • Author Interviews
      • Bedtime Stories
      • Gift Guide
    • Middle Grade
      • Author Interviews
      • Ages 6 and up
      • Ages 7 and up
      • Ages 8-12
      • Ages 9-12
      • Ages 10 and up
      • Gift Guide
    • YA
      • Author Interviews
      • Reviews
      • Adult Crossover
      • Gift Guide
    • Seasonal
      • Back to School
      • Christmas
      • Earth Day
      • Easter
      • Fall
      • Father’s Day
      • Mother’s Day
      • Gift Guide
      • Halloween
      • Spring
      • Valentine’s Day
      • Winter
    • Diversity
      • AAPI Heritage
      • Autism Month
      • Black History
      • Chinese New Year
      • Pride Month
      • Women’s History
    • Crossover
    • About
      • Review/interview policy
      • About our reviewers
    www.crackingthecover.com

    Meg Eden Kuyatt’s Good Different is fantastic MG novel-in-verse

    0
    By Jessica on April 10, 2023 ages 8-12, Middle Grade
    Good Different Kuyatt GOOD DIFFERENT, by Meg Eden Kuyatt, Scholastic Press, April 4, 2023, Hardcover, $18.99 (ages 8-12)

    A neurodivergent girl learns that her differences are what make her special in Good Different, a new MG novel, by Meg Eden Kuyatt.

    Selah knows her rules for being normal.

    She always, always sticks to them. This means keeping her feelings locked tightly inside, despite the way they build up inside her as each school day goes on, so that she has to run to the bathroom and hide in the stall until she can calm down. So that she has to tear off her normal-person mask the second she gets home from school, and listen to her favorite pop song on repeat, trying to recharge. Selah feels like a dragon stuck in a world of humans, but she knows how to hide it.

    Until the day she explodes and hits a fellow student.

    Selah’s friends pull away from her, her school threatens expulsion, and her comfortable, familiar world starts to crumble.

    But as Selah starts to figure out more about who she is, she comes to understand that different doesn’t mean damaged. Can she get her school to understand that, too, before it’s too late? —Synopsis provided by Scholastic Press

    Good Different is one of those books that holds wide appeal — even though it’s about a girl whose brain processes things differently than others. Because most kids will relate to at least some of the same experiences. Crowds are too big. Noises are too loud. Not wanting to be touched.

    This novel-in-verse is one that sticks with you.

    Author Meg Eden Kuyatt’s use of verse itself makes her book stand out. She mirrors Seleh’s differences through thoughtful prose that pushes and pulls you along with the story.

    Seleh is engaging. Her push to learn about herself is inspiring, heartbreaking and heartwarming. She’s the kind of character that you want your kid to be friends with.

    Good Different is a fast read — I finished it in one sitting — that will challenge readers to look beyond themselves. It’s excellent.

     

    Copyright © 2023 Cracking the Cover. Unless otherwise noted, all books — digital and physical — have been provided by publishers in exchange for honest and unbiased reviews. All thoughts and opinions are those of the reviewer.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Jessica
    • Website
    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    Jessica Harrison is the main reviewer behind Cracking the Cover. Prior to creating Cracking the Cover, Jessica worked as the in-house book critic for the Deseret News, a daily newspaper in Salt Lake City. Jessica also worked as a copy editor and general features writer for the paper. Following that, Jessica spent two years with an international company as a social media specialist. She is currently a freelance writer/editor. She is passionate about reading and giving people the tools to make informed decisions in their own book choices.

    Related Posts

    ICYMI: Books offer Middle-grade magic for summer reading

    Sara Shepard’s Penny Draws a Best Friend is authentic read

    Excellent Land of Broken Promises explores immigrant experience

    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    • facebook
    • twitter
    • instagram
    • goodreads
    • amazon
    • bloglovin
    • mail
    Subscribe by email
    Follow
    Recent Posts
    June 2, 2023

    ICYMI: Books offer Middle-grade magic for summer reading

    June 1, 2023

    Return to Alyson Noël’s time-traveling adventures in Ruling Destiny

    June 1, 2023

    Mini Review: Hello Hummingbirds is adorable board book

    May 31, 2023

    Sara Shepard’s Penny Draws a Best Friend is authentic read

    May 30, 2023

    Excellent Land of Broken Promises explores immigrant experience

    Archives
    Categories
    On Writing

    “The dance with words and the way the hair on the back of my neck raises when it works right is what I live for.”

    —Gary Paulsen

    “I write because I exist. Because I read. Because I breathe.”

    —Lindsay Eager

    “Books are kind of like the sense of smell: inhale one page and memories come rushing back.”

    —Keir Graff

    Cracking the Cover is a website dedicated to picture, middle-grade and young adult books. It features reviews, author interviews and other book news. PLEASE NOTE: We are not currently accepting self published books for review.

    Copyright © 2010-2022 Cracking the Cover. Unless otherwise noted, all books — digital and physical — have been provided by publishers in exchange for honest and unbiased reviews. All thoughts and opinions are those of the reviewer.

    Reviews Published Professional Reader 2016 NetGalley Challenge 100 Book Reviews

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.