Goth Girl and the Ghost of a Mouse (Goth Girl, 1)

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I think anyone who enjoys those kind of events, loves pop culture, darker but important topics or has been in the foster care system themselves, could really get a lot out of this book and end up loving it. Ada Goth lives at Ghastly-Gorm Hall with her father, the famous cycling poet Lord Goth. There are a host of servants, plenty of eccentric house guests and at least half a dozen ghosts, but Ada is lonely. She doesn't have any friends her own age, and Lord Goth believes children should be 'heard and not seen', making her wear clumpy boots so he can always hear her coming.

Oscar is a geek, wanting friends and wanting to set his own path on making cosplay armor as a career. The representation of foster kids. I love how Lindsay wrote about Jess's feelings about being a foster kids. It's so realistic (and then i knew that Lindsay Zrull was once a foster teen herself). Jess's point of view was kinda cynical and sour, and she's clearly have a major trust issue toward foster families (and life, basically), but judging from her past, i think it's reasonable and it makes me want to hug her :( I just wished there are more Jess's past life that described in the story, because i think it will more elaborate her complicated nature. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Flux, an imprint of North Star Editions, for the opportunity to read this book. I’m rounding up from 4.5 stars. I thought this would be like a cutesy gothic story... It's not. I also didn't expect Commic Con and constant pop culture/ pop culture references to play as big of a role in the story as it does.

Bounced between foster homes since the age of seven, Jessica knows better than to set down roots. Most of the kids at her new Michigan high school think she’s a witch anyway (because, you know, goth). The only one who gives her the time of day is geeky Oscar, who wants to recruit her fashion skills for his amateur cosplay group. But Jess is fine showing off her looks to her Insta fans—until a woman claiming to be her biological mother barges into her DMs. Rather more down-to-earth is Oi Cat! by Kes Gray and Jim Field (Hodder), the third in the series that began with Oi Frog! The previous instalment’s diktat that cats must sit on gnats resulted in an irate feline with a bite-pimpled posterior. Now the well-meaning dog suggests that “kitty” or “moggy” might achieve a more comfortable seat … Boasting a final fold-out surprise, and the immortal line “My bottom is none of your business!”, this animal-rhyming silliness goes from strength to strength.

Goth Girl, Queen of the Universe exceeded my expectations in every way possible! I love this book so much! The mental health representation was especially done so well. I liked the contrast of how Jess's mother handles her mental health versus how Barbara manages hers. Also the chats between Oscar and Jess about anxiety and stress were realistic and done with such empathy. My favorite character was definitely Barbra, the foster mom, but I can’t tell a lot about her without spoiling the whole story. She is one of the kindest moms I’ve ever read about!From Bloomsbury, there’s complex emotional fare for teenagers in Carnegie-winner Sarah Crossan’s latest verse novel Moonrise, told from the perspective of another Joe: a 17-year-old who has not seen his older brother Ed for 10 years, becasue he is on death row. Joe now has only a few visiting hours to spend with him as the calendar moves inexorably towards Ed’s execution date. Mistrust, forgiveness and the premeditated stripping away of a future, distorting many other lives in unfathomable ways, are communicated through Crossan’s spare, expressive free verse, with understated, heart-breaking clarity. I also really enjoyed how everyone tried to support each other and to show that it’s okay to not fit in. First of all, I absolutely love the cover. Jess and the gang completely stole my heart. As someone who loves fandom, cosplay, and just being a geek in general, this book made my heart smile. Seeing these kids navigate the con and cosplay world was extremely entertaining. I also enjoyed seeing all the familiar fandoms along with some new ones. I love going to cons and seeing the amazing costumes and makeup so I would have loved to be there to see them perform.

No, kirjassa oli kyllä ihan poikkeuksellisen kauniit kannet ja runsas ja yksityiskohtainen kuvitus. Tarina taas ei ollut ollenkaan helpoimmasta päästä. Yksinäinen lapsi, suuri kartano, paljon outoja olentoja, omituisia ihmisiä ja loputtomasti outoja sanoja ja vaikeita nimiä. Kotiopettaja nimeltä Jane Korva, joka ei halua olla kotiopettajatar ja joka on kiinnostunut ainoastaan synkkämielisestä lordi Gootista ja joka lopulta koettaa polttaa kartanon länsisiiven. Kotiopettajatar nimeltä Hebe Poppanen, joka kävelee kuin pingviini, purskahtaa laulamaan vähän väliä ja karkaa lopulta nuohoojan kanssa. Kammottava sisäriistanvartija Nurjamaa, joka vangitsee viattomia myyttisiä olentoja sisäriistanmetsästystä varten ja Melankolinen runoilija-isä, joka haluaa tyttärensä käyttävän isoja painavia saappaita, sillä hänen mielestään lasten pitää kuulua, ei näkyä. Aargh! Mä niin odotin tätä ja ensilukemalla hienoinen pettymys. Olisin toivonut helppolukuista fantasiaa, sellaista kivaa ja kaunista sisäänheittokirjaa. Sitä tämä ei ollut. Diversity. That's the other thing that I appreciated about this book. The diversity! There is an LGBTQ character, fat MC (and done in a positive way,) neurodiversity. There was so much of it and I soked it all in!

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As some have already said; much of the writing, jokes and play on words would be lost on most children as they would be simply too young to `get it' or understand them, and so this is rather an odd book all round... Not quite sure what age group it is really aimed at - still a great and fun read though, but am undecided myself yet as to whether I shall be purchasing the follow up. With a nod to Mervyn Peake, the Goth family home is named Ghastly-Gorm Hall. The grounds hold not only the Secret Garden, but also the Even-More-Secret Garden, along with the Unstable Stables, the Dear Deer Park and the Lake of Extremely Coy Carp, all crafted by the renowned garden designer, Metaphorical Smith. This is a story of found family, of learning to be vulnerable and to trust, and letting people get to know the real you. The experience of being a foster kid was realistic and the discussions about mental health were refreshingly honest. It’s suddenly hard to believe that I’ve lived this long without knowing another human being who understands what this is like. The cover image, which I loved and was what drew me to this book in the first place, had me expecting a middle grade story. Imagine my surprise when Jess’ first day of school included a stranger mid psychotic break trying to get as many swear words in a sentence as possible and a reference shortly thereafter to a “kinky sex dungeon”. Spoiler: Not a kinky sex dungeon. The Costa Book Awards honour some of the most outstanding books of the year written by authors based in the UK and Ireland. Jess has put up walls for protection; guarding herself from the inevitable pain of disappointment. When she finds herself with her new foster parent, Barbra, her walls begin to falter. And with help from her new geeky, cosplaying, gamer friends - Oscar, Em and Gerrit- maybe Jess can finally have a home with love and friendship.