Honeybee | 
so-soThis was a gift from an Australian friend as she knows how much I adored some other Australian authors.
I found this one more of a young person story but equally it's almost too gritty for YA. Horrid in the poverty, the neglect and abuse but heartwarming in the friendship and family developed through these.
pickI loved this story. The portrayal of a youth struggling with his gender identity is empathetic and honest. Each character feels genuine and is necessary to the growth of Sam and his journey to find out who he is.
pick21-4 Feb 22 (audiobook)
A troubled teen navigating a legacy of being raised in poverty by a young, single mother; a violent and criminal stepfather; and his own gender identity. One night Sam decides to jump off an overpass and meets Vic, who had similar intentions, but decides to rescue Sam.
Sam (and the narrator) annoyed me a great deal. He constantly made stupid and selfish decisions and was extremely inarticulate, but his voice did ring true.
Starts at 9am Aussies. Ready, set go! @Freespirit @Sarz @CarolynM @thegreensofa @thegirlwiththelibrarybag @Tashreads @Jeg @MrsMalaprop Tag away ladies…
pickI love Craig Silvey‘s writing, and the humanity which permeates his characters and stories. Honeybee wasn‘t quite a Jasper Jones; there‘s an underlying fairytale quality that wasn‘t as closely aligned to my personal taste. Honeybee is a story that is grounded in examples of the best and worst elements of humanity. As always, Silvey has a keen eye for deeply personal, internal struggle and the particular way that is experienced as a young person.
pickThis was really engaging. I flew through it in no time as I was keen to find out how things would turn out.
A coming of age story from a unique perspective. Interesting characters. The story was sometimes a little unbelievable, but it was told with heart.
pickThis book needs more love ❤️ It is beautiful and heartbreaking and transformative and powerful and fun and .... I could keep going ... or you could pick it up and read about the courage of a boy named Sam as he transforms into the person he was truly meant to be. Be prepared to fall in love with a fabulous cast of characters along the way.
so-soA poignant story of a transgender boy told with compassion. Shows the vulnerability of youth, exacerbated by poverty & identity struggles as Sam tries to develop a sense of self-worth. A YA tone & almost fairytale quality as Sam makes new friends who come to his aid. It felt unrealistic so I didn‘t engage, although Sam is a sympathetic character (& Aggie is great, although so unbelievable I thought she might be imaginary). Others one-dimensional.
pickOf the current Australian releases this has been by far my favourite. A coming of age story that will make your heart ache for little Honeybee 💜
pickSilvey is a ‘must read‘ local author for me. This is his latest offering. It is different to his other books, but also similar 🤔. He writes ‘coming of age‘ stories & about characters from minority groups.
I really enjoyed it, but had to suspend judgement to properly immerse myself and go along for the ride. His most well known book was on the Australian curriculum, but sadly I think this one may not make it due to some of the adult themes.
pickFinished this afternoon while sitting in the sunshine. It had my kind of ending which was very satisfying. I‘m not a fan of his way of writing. Too much dialogue I think. However I love the issues he deals with and I could see this being a great book to add to the high school curriculum. Felt like it was aimed at that age group.
#2020joybooks
Today‘s book haul from Target. I do support local book shop by buying all my kids books there and gift vouchers. Along with the occasional novel, biography or general non fiction book. But sometimes Target just too good to pass on ,4 books for the price of 2. Gotta love that. Going to start Honeybee right now.
pick#Ozfiction
I went to a book launch for this which raised money for TransFolk WA. It was a wonderful event with important conversation. I loved Craig Silvey‘s other 2 books Jasper Jones and Rhubarb so I was excited to get my copy signed.
This book tells the heartbreaking story of a trans girl Sam, and it did not disappoint. It made me laugh, it made me cry and it made me feel.
‘Find out who you are, and live that life.‘ Great advice for us all! ❤️
Reckon this has to be my #upnext after meeting Craig Silvey and getting my book signed yesterday afternoon 😁. #fangirl #currentlyreading #ozfiction #setinmytown
Went to see Craig talk about his new novel yesterday. I adored his other two novels Rhubarb (which he wrote at the age of 19!) and of course the Australian classic Jasper Jones. My kids loved his YA novella The Amber Amulet too. I look forward to reading this one 🤗. #ozfiction (I may have been so excited that I went out for cocktails afterwards 🍸🍹).
