Review / Becoming Brianna

Book: Becoming Brianna (2020)
Author: Terri Libenson
Genre: MG, Contemporary/Graphic Novel
Companion Book to: Invisible Emmie

Opening lines from the book …
Well, here I am again. How, how, how did I get myself into this TWICE? Maybe I’m a glutton for punishment. Or just a sucker. That last one probably nails it. Why else would I put myself in the spotlight again?

WHAT I LIKED ABOUT THIS BOOK…

1) I loved being back with the Emmie crew! This is Brianna’s book, and she’s being forced into another public speaking event. Instead of a talent show, her mother has talked her into going through with a bat mitzvah. The story is told from the “Now” and the “Past Leading up to Now,” which I thought worked well…

2) Then there’s the storyline of Brianna’s new friends. Emmie thinks they’re just playing with Brianna, but Brianna won’t listen to Emmie. (Cue: Friend fall-out!) I thought this was an interesting subplot of the book and I liked how it was dealt with at the party.

3) The mom is super intense! She has all these secret plan for the party after the service. I wasn’t sure what to expect when the party room is revealed. I’ll just say that I was pleasantly surprised. And (Spoiler! I like how Emmie was involved in helping the mom with the idea! End Spoiler.)

4) I loved the rabbi and the cantor. The rabbi especially. He was old, but had a super good sense of humor!

5) And this being an Emmie-book, I knew there would be some tiny little twist. I didn’t guess the twist until it happened, but I did notice it. And had I been actively trying to figure it out, I might have. But I also like being surprised, so I went into this book NOT looking for the twist.

THINGS THAT BOTHERED ME…

1) (Slight spoiler – Emmie and Brianna ALWAYS have some sort of falling out! Sigh. I wish there was a little more variety with Brianna’s troubles. Oh, well, it wasn’t a major failing. It just felt like something I’ve read before. End spoiler.)

FINAL THOUGHTS

This is definitely an asset to the Emmie and Friends series. I like the hybrid graphic novel approach to these books. There are more words than in a typical graphic novel, which I really like. If you liked Invisible Emmie, I’d recommend this one as well.

 

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YOUR TURN…

Have you read this book? What are your thoughts? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

Note: I’m posting this for Greg Pattridge’s Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday…