
Morgen Frances (21 KP) rated Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery in Apps
Jul 9, 2018

The Joy: Mountjoy Jail. The Shocking, True Story of Life on the Inside: 2014
Book
One man's story of life in The Joy -- compulsive, chilling and frank. A no-holds-barred account of a...

Red: A Natural History of the Redhead
Book
A New York Times bestseller, Red is the first book to explore the history of red hair and...

How Drama Activates Learning: Contemporary Research and Practice
Michael Anderson and Julie Dunn
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How Drama Activates Learning: Contemporary Research and Practice draws together leaders in drama...
Understanding Child Development
Book
Understanding Child Development follows a thematic approach and outlines the main areas of...

Appetite
Book
Because everyone hungers for something... Food and Sex: two appetites the modern world stimulates,...

The Scrotum Toad
Book
Tangle is a tree-hugger who is often mistaken for a glamorous witch. She is proud of her organic...
Satire Comedy

Lindsay (1747 KP) rated War at the Ice Cream Store: Mustachio Pistachio vs Bully Vanilli — Collector's Edition in Books
May 24, 2025 - 5:06 PM
I also really enjoyed each page. I like that there is a lesson that Bully Vanilli needs to learn about a few things. I like the way the author is teaching children about kindness and bullying through something sweet and tasty that children like.
This is a fun and wonderfully illustrated book. Children learn, and what a wonderful way to use ice cream. The pictures can tell the story of what is going on as well, which makes it even better.

Hazel (1853 KP) rated Hyacinth Girls in Books
Dec 7, 2018
Hyacinth Girls</i> is the beautifully written debut novel by Lauren Frankel. Rebecca is the guardian of thirteen-year-old Callie who, despite phone calls from school, believes Callie can do no wrong. When Callie is accused of bullying another student, Rebecca easily turns the story around to make Callie the victim.
The story begins with a prologue in which a billboard is being erected featuring Callie’s face and the words “Do you know your children?” This implies that something tragic happens to Callie, but as we read, we question exactly what this is. Was Callie involved with the bullying at school, or was she the one being bullied? Callie has not exactly had an easy life with both her parents dying when she was five, and therefore Rebecca often glosses over the true meanings of Callie’s behaviour, insisting that Callie is acting out of grief.
As well as the question of what happens to Callie, the readers are plagued with many other questions as the story goes on. For example: How did Callie’s mother, Joyce, die? How did her father die? Who is her father? Who is sending Rebecca letters from prison? These queries get answered toward the end of the book thus encouraging readers to continue in order to sate their curiosity.
It is interesting to see how an adult interprets children’s behaviour based upon their own lives and experiences as well as jumping to conclusion about the way the child is feeling. <i>Hyacinth Girls</i> provides both the adult and the child the opportunity to express their point of view. Rebecca begins by trying to understand what Callie is going through, and getting it wrong, as well as introducing the reader to the past and present situation. Callie, on the other hand, reveals the truth.
Although not essentially a young adult novel, Callie’s narrative makes it suitable for teenagers as well as adults. The theme of bullying is something many young people may be familiar with from either being a victim, the cause or a bystander. Parents, on the other hand, will easily relate to Rebecca as she tries to understand her best friends daughter.
Overall <i>Hyacinth Girls</i> is a great book with a very intense theme. It is so realistic that it creates a sense of shock as we realize that there are school children around the world experiencing all the things mentioned within the story. Hopefully this novel will open readers’ eyes and make them more aware of the things they do and how they affect other people.
While I Know Her Name isn't as dark or as heavy as its first book, You Won't Know Her Name, there were still some heavy themes throughout. Hershenson admits in this book that the nameless girl in You Won't Know Her Name was actually her (which I already suspected when I read the first book) and that all the poems in You Won't Know Her Name and I Know Her Name were written about what was happening and what had happened in regards to the bullying and sexual assault done at the hands of a "friend" while she was in junior high and her school's lack of caring. While I Know Her Name isn't a very long book, it still packs a big punch. The poetry is still amazingly written, and to know that they were written by such a young girl makes it even more so.
I Know Her Name is an emotional read, and my heart really went out to Shanti Hershenson whilst reading this. Her hurt, anger, sadness, frustrations, and all over emotions are easily conveyed with each poem. It broke my heart that she (and many other children) have to face bullying and abuse while the school does nothing about it. I felt like I was right beside Hershenson as she further tells her story through poetry although I felt helpless since I could only read the words and not physically do anything.
Trigger warnings for I Know Her Name include mentions of sexual assault (but not in detail), some profanity (but not much), bullying, depression, mentions of suicide and telling someone to kill themself, and violence.
All in all, I Know Her Name is such an emotional read written by a very talented teenager. It will definitely hit you with many feels and leave you angry at how the school failed this girl. Although this book can be read as a standalone, I would still read You Won't Know Her Name first just for more background and because it's so good. I would most definitely recommend I Know Her Name by Shanti Hershenson to those aged 14+ who are being bullied, have been bullied, or are the bullies themselves. This is a poetry book that won't disappoint.