I was stunned to find out that Not All Heroes made the Bank Street Best Books list this year! Every year, Bank Street Children’s Book Committee compiles a list of books that exemplify “literary quality and excellence of presentation as well as the potential emotional impact of the books on young readers.” I couldn’t be more honored to have my book included!
Not All Heroes made the Kirkus Best Books of the Year list! Hooray! There are so many incredible books on this list…what a happy way to finish out the year! You can see Not All Heroes on both the Best Middle Grade Books of the Year list and on the Best Middle-Grade Novels of 2021 About Growing Up.
I was floored to see that Not All Heroes received a star from Kirkus Reviews this week! Of course, I always tell myself that if I’ve put my heart into it and if I wrote the book I wanted to write, it doesn’t matter what the reviews say. Still, I have to admit it’s super gratifying when a reader really gets what you were trying to accomplish with a piece of fiction! I feel so lucky that this reviewer connected with Zinnia’s journey and felt like all the threads worked AND that it was fun!
“With its clear, accessible writing, this suspenseful story masterfully juggles many topics: grief; self-assurance; the need for individual, collective, and systemic approaches to ableism, poverty, and other social ills; and the fine line between ‘extreme altruism’ and self-aggrandizement. Never preachy, the story includes a suspenseful and satisfying climax involving a ring of coffee shop thieves, with every thread satisfyingly resolved.”
I’ve printed this one and taped it up to my wall so I can look at it on days when I’m not feeling up to the task. 😉
Read the full Kirkus review of NOT ALL HEROES
