Cover Image: The List of Things That Will Not Change

The List of Things That Will Not Change

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

This is a poingnant middle-grade story. It's engaging and should be a good read for students who need an encouraging book.

Was this review helpful?

Lovely new middle grade from a favorite author: Rebecca Stead. Bea is a child of divorce with parents who still get along. Bea lives with her mother part of the week and her father the other part. Bea goes to therapy and learns how to manage her feelings and her worries. I loved the characters and wanted more! #TheListOfThingsThatWillNotChange #NetGalley

Was this review helpful?

Young girls will love the angst and frustrations of the main character. They will relate to her inner struggled completely

Was this review helpful?

This book is adorable. It’s certainly appropriate for children but adults will enjoy it too. It’s very real. I had no trouble at all believing the characters. The dilemmas that the main character faces are relatable. I’d love to see this book become a classic.

Was this review helpful?

Great story and loved the romance. Loved the cast of characters and how the story came to be. Great story and I would read this author again.

Was this review helpful?

I loved this one! It had everything you could ask for in a book-diversity, humor, warmth, great characters, etc. I will definitely be recommending this one at my library.

Was this review helpful?

Bea is such a fun character. She doesn't shy away from discussing her mistakes, her joy at getting a new sister, her anger at people who don't understand her gay dad. All her family and friends are so sweet and supportive too. This was a really enjoyable middle grades book.

Was this review helpful?

I’ve always liked Rebecca Stead’s books, but this one was not my favorite. Some of the themes seemed heavy handed, and I know some parents will struggle with them.

Was this review helpful?

Wonderful book for students who like non ”traditional” families. Read alikes would be To Night Owl from Dogfish, The Best Man, and Misadventures of the Family Fletcher.

Was this review helpful?

This is a great fit for our readers. I have purchased it for our elementary collection and I can't wait to share it with our students. I am so glad the cover is more appealing than some of Rebecca Stead's other works. I can rarely get anyone to read her Newbery winner because of the cover. That's terrible to admit, but it's true. This book tackles serious situations, but never talks down to the reader. The characters are genuine and I especially love the fact that Bea isn't the perfect kid. She makes mistakes. She acts out. She is a real kid and is relatable. Thank you for the opportunity to review this book.

Was this review helpful?

After her parents' divorce, Bea's life became different in many ways. But she can always look back at the list she keeps in her green notebook to remember the things that will stay the same. The first and most important: Mom and Dad will always love Bea, and each other.

Was this review helpful?

I truly love Rebecca Stead's writing. Just when you think everything is a little too cliche, she pulls out a twist and I would really love to see what kids think about it.

Was this review helpful?

This latest from Stead is emotionally sensitive, presenting another authentic voice for middle grade readers. It was a smooth, sweet read, and the characters will linger in my mind for a while!

Was this review helpful?

I really enjoyed this book. It wasn’t a perfectly happy ending but it was an honest ending - you don’t always get that, so it was nice to see.

Was this review helpful?

I forgot to write my review right after I finished this, so apologies for the brief kudos. The author did a great job of capturing what goes on in the heads of kids - a great young adult read.

Was this review helpful?

I’m a big fan of realistic fiction and I really liked this book. It would be a good book for kids of divorced parents and divorced parents would benefit from this book as well.

Was this review helpful?

ALL THE FEELS. This is a book that should be in everyone's library. I wish so much I could have experienced this book when I was younger. It has everything. It hits on so many hard topics that so many kids deal with and it does it so eloquently. I can't wait to read more from Rebecca Stead because this just devoured me whole. All the feels, tears, and happiness.

Was this review helpful?

The list in the book is so catchy. I can see a journal or notebook being created to accompany the novel, Rebecca wrote about real life things that happen to kids in out world, and so many will be able to relate with the characters

Was this review helpful?

One thing I missed in “The List of Things That Will Not Change” that was present in "When You See Me " is the intriguing plot, but this is a different kind of story and it is told in a mostly linear manner. Bea’s life has gone through some big changes, that’s why she keeps a green notebook with a list of things that will stay the same, like that her Mom and Dad love her more than anything and will always love her and that they love each other, but in a different way. Another thing on the list is that she will always have a home with each of her parents.

Which is why Bea spends Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays with her Mom and Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays with her Dad and alternates Sundays. Bea does this with ease, but we know that she has always had some anger management problems like hating to be the one who’s called out playing musical chairs, so she shoved Angus off the chair, or when she had a big fight with Lizette in second grade. Her weekly meetings with her therapist, Miriam, are the vehicle for how Bea opens up and matures over the year that covers the book, the year she is ten, is in fifth grade, learns that her father and his boyfriend Jesse plan to marry, and the year Bea will get a stepsister.

Was this review helpful?

Rebecca Stead can not release books fast enough for me. I'd love to read a new story from her every month if I could. So waiting five years to read another solo story (Bob was lovely, but co-written) was hard to do, but worth the wait. Stead delivers her exceptional prose and delightful characters experiencing real-world, sometimes heavy issues with seemingly ease. I was immediately captivated so it made for a quick read for me. Readers will relate to the circumstances Bea is experiencing such as divorced parents, gay marriage, and anxiety. Stead addresses all of these things with appropriate middle grade voice and content and allows readers to see themselves and learn and grow in situations they may not be familiar with. She writes a loving family so well and also promotes empathy and growth. Such a beautiful book, I highly recommend.

Was this review helpful?