Posted on December 2nd, 2018 by pajamapress
The Joplin Globe
“Written in sparse prose, SHARI GREEN’s MACY McMILLAN AND THE RAINBOW GODDESS is touching without being full of angst. Macy McMillan is a typical sixth grader with one exception — she’s deaf. In a refreshing twist, this story doesn’t use Macy’s hearing as a main focal point. Instead, we are introduced to a pre-teen who is anxious about making and keeping friends, her mother’s wedding, a new step family, a school project, and oh, by the way, she also happens to be deaf. Green’s ability to relate the story through Macy’s eyes sets this book apart….
As Macy’s life moves on, she is forced to face some hard truths. But with the help of Iris the Rainbow Goddess and her advice, her perspective changes. The ‘life is hard but friends can make it easier’ message of this story comes through but is relayed subtly. Winner of the Schneider Family Book Award, Macy McMillan and the Rainbow Goddess is sure to appeal to anyone struggling with the challenges of friendships in the middle grades.”
—Tammie Benham
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Posted in Macy McMillan and the Rainbow Goddess, Shari Green | Tagged canlit, contemporary-fiction, deafness, diverse-books, mg-lit, middle-grade-fiction, shari-green, strong-heroines, verse-form-novel
Posted on February 28th, 2018 by pajamapress
“This book in verse is the middle school Schneider Award winner, and is a sweet read. Full of lessons learned from people Iris has met as well as books she has read, this is full of titles named dropped (I love books that do that)! A quick read for either the upper elementary or middle school student. I love the diversity – yes, Macy is deaf, but the disability doesn’t drive the story. A great story of empathy.”
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Posted in Macy McMillan and the Rainbow Goddess | Tagged book-review, canlit, deafness, diverse-books, mg-lit, middle-grade-fiction, shari-green, verse-form-novels
Posted on January 21st, 2018 by pajamapress
“Macy McMillan and the Rainbow Goddess by Shari Green is a novel in freeform poetry about a girl trying to come to terms with the big changes in her life. Big changes coming: a new school at the end of sixth grade, a new house, a step dad, and step-siblings (twins)….
The poetry and type face help to express both Macy’s emotional state and the rhythm of sign. ASL has its own grammar — something that is lost when writing out dialog into standard prose. By keeping the lines short and focused on the core actions, items, emotions — there’s more of a sense of how Macy is actually thinking and expressing herself….
Though Macy’s town is never given a name, there are enough clues to suppose it’s somewhere on the north eastern edge of Vancouver Island. The author is from there and it shows in how she lays out the geography of Macy’s world.
Five stars.”
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Posted in Macy McMillan and the Rainbow Goddess | Tagged canlit, contemporary-fiction, deafness, diverse-books, mg-lit, middle-grade-fiction, shari-green, strong-heroines, verse-form-novel
Posted on January 19th, 2018 by pajamapress
“In this poignant verse novel, readers will be touched by the humor and heroism of Macy McMillian, who faces unwanted changes in her life as her mother is remarrying and she soon will be forced to move into a different home with her new stepdad and two stepsisters….While Macy’s deafness is a feature of the book, the focus is her gradual acceptance of the changes in her life. This novel in verse is an accessible read about the families we chose for ourselves and the power of stories.”
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Posted in Macy McMillan and the Rainbow Goddess | Tagged book-review, canlit, contemporary-fiction, deafness, diverse-books, diverse-middle-grade, free-verse-novel, mg-lit, middle-grade-fiction, shari-green, strong-heroine
Posted on December 9th, 2017 by pajamapress
“My thoughts: I loved this one. I really liked Macy. But I loved, loved, loved Iris. Together these two make for a GREAT read. I also enjoyed the other characters in the book. (Her best friend, Olivia, her mother, her step-father-to-be, Alan, her step-sisters-to-be, Kaitlin and Bethany.) Macy is a flawed heroine–my favorite kind. So in terms of characterization, this one was wonderful. The language–the writing–was great….I would say the writing was lyrical and poetic in places.”
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Posted in Macy McMillan and the Rainbow Goddess | Tagged book-review, contemporary-fiction, deafness, diverse-books, diverse-middle-grade, intergenerational-friendship, mg-lit, shari-green, strong-heroines, verse-form-novel
Posted on October 20th, 2017 by pajamapress
“Shari Green’s beautifully crafted and affecting novel-in-verse provides a sensitive depiction of a young girl wrestling with change and learning some important life lessons in the process. The unlikely friendship that develops between Macy and her neighbour Iris (who is facing some major life changes of her own) as they bond over books and fresh-baked cookies, is heartwarming and inspiring. Even once Macy and Olivia reconcile, both girls are increasingly struck by the need to help Iris and her friend Marjorie to remember and to tell their stories. This book is a thoughtful reflection on what makes a family, the power of friendship and the sacredness of stories (our own and others).”
—Lisa Doucet
Read the full review on page 23 of the Fall 2017 issue of Canadian Children’s BookNews
Posted in Macy McMillan and the Rainbow Goddess | Tagged book-review, canlit, contemporary-fiction, deafness, diverse-books, diverse-middle-grade-books, mg-fiction, mg-lit, shari-green, strong-heroines
Posted on October 4th, 2017 by pajamapress
“I loved that Green has chosen a deaf girl for a heroine, and the story is not about being deaf. Deafness is just part of who Macy is, like having red hair….I appreciated the reminder that, while change may be unwelcome, it can also bring wonderful things. Give this to anyone who enjoys books about intergenerational relationships, or who needs help with some unwelcome change. Recommended for grades 3-5.”
—Awnali Mills
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Posted in Macy McMillan and the Rainbow Goddess | Tagged canlit, deafness, diverse-books, mg-lit, middle-grade-books, shari-green, step-families, strong-heroines
Posted on September 16th, 2017 by pajamapress
“This heartwarming story unfolds a beautiful bond between the elder ‘rainbow goddess’ and the younger ‘seeker of comfort’….The book is written beautifully in free verse and the characters are well developed….I highly recommend this book. The author’s previous book, Root Beer Candy and Other Miracles is worthy of checking out also. Storywraps Rating… 5 +++ HUGS!!!!!”
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Posted in Macy McMillan and the Rainbow Goddess | Tagged book-review, deafness, diverse-books, diverse-middle-grade-books, free-verse-novel, mg-lit, shari-green, stepfamilies, strong-heroines
Posted on August 11th, 2017 by pajamapress
“I loved this book because it was written in free-verse poetry, which made it a more interesting and fun read. I felt that this book had the wonderful message that you can always find something good in life, no matter what happens! I would recommend it for kids ten and up!”
—Hannah, Age 9
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Posted in Macy McMillan and the Rainbow Goddess | Tagged contemporary-fiction, deafness, diverse-books, mg-books, shari-green, step-families, strong-heroines, verse-form-novel
Posted on August 1st, 2017 by pajamapress
“Green’s free verse makes this a quick, accessible read, focusing on Macy’s realistic reluctance to share her mother and her gradual acceptance of the changes in her life (“Babysitting was actually okay / but I can’t imagine / a lifetime of it,” she comments feelingly). Macy’s deafness is a feature but not the focus of this…sympathetic rendering of a twelve-year-old’s angst.”
—Deirdre F. Baker
Read the full review in the September/October 2017 issue of The Horn Book Magazine
Posted in Macy McMillan and the Rainbow Goddess | Tagged book-review, deafness, diverse-books, diverse-middle-grade-books, kidlit, mg, shari-green, verse-form-novel