emma's Reviews > Up and Down the Scratchy Mountains

This is just, honestly, really boring.

I love middle grade. I love middle grade adventure ESPECIALLY - and especially-especially if said middle grade adventure is fairytale-y.

This one checked those boxes, but no dice.

Also no plot, no likable characters, and no real enjoyment.

This was totally story-less. It legitimately consists of two characters wandering around aimlessly up and down some mountains. (Yes, you read correctly - the title contains the extent of the plot we get.)

And I think it’s yuck to spend 242 pages reading about a protagonist as bratty and unlikable as this one. She treats people and animals like they are her personal playthings, constantly expected to do right by her and her only.

Plus this was teeming with hit-you-over-the-head morals about the silliness of rules and the importance of family and blah blah blah in a quirky way that just got grueling after a while.

Ultimately, this didn’t even feel like a finished book. It was choppy and confusing and half-baked and...rarely do I say this, but I’m confused as to how this got published.

The best part of this was the songs. (Whoever thought I’d say this? Not me.)

Bottom line: :(

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I FINISHED MY READING CHALLENGE!

also this book was meh but that's less exciting.

review to come / 2 stars

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my mom asked if she could pick my last read of the year and when i agreed she gave me this book, which she checked out of the library at the school where she teaches kindergarten.

in conclusion, there's already no way this reading experience can get any cuter.