Cover Image: The Deepest Breath

The Deepest Breath

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Member Reviews

Aww, what a sweet, little book, written in verse! It takes us on the journey of Stevie, a young girl who's questioning her sexuality after realising she may 'like like' her best friend Chloe. I loved the way this was written, I found it a beautiful and heartwarming read.
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We definitely need more books like this one to teach younger children that it's OK to be different and OK to question your identity and sexuality. When Stevie was at the library I just wanted to tell her to pick up 'Love, Frankie' by Jacqueline Wilson! I think that would be a great follow-on read to this cute story if you haven't read it!

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This is a middle grade book that is told in verse, and I will say normally I do not love books that is told in verse. I really enjoyed this book, but I think the verse made me not totally love it. This book is about a 11 years old girl trying to figure out what is love and can she love girls. I think this is a great book, and it covers how pre teens starts feeling so well. I also feel this is a great book for middle grade readers, and I feel this book can help a lot of young girls/boys. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Little Island) or author (Meg Grehan) via NetGalley, so I can give honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

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I received this e-ARC from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a short and sweet tale of a girl struggling both with anxiety and the idea that she might have a crush on a girl in her class. I wasn't bothered by the fact that it was told in verse, but I also didn't feel that it added to the story, and almost wondered if it had been in prose if we would have gotten a little more of the story. In the end, it's a worthwhile read, and I hope it finds its way into the hands of those who need it the most.

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This is a very interesting book that presents a child’s point of view through poetry. The poems are genuine and give you the inside thoughts and feelings of Stevie. Additionally, the poems can be used as part of a narrative but also as stand alone. It’s more suitable for upper KS2, but some of the poems can be used with younger children too. It can help to open discussion about writing form, genre and narrative. A great addition to your school library.

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Novel in verse. 11 year old Stevie, who likes to know things, deals with anxiety, nightmares, and her feelings for her friend Chloe.
Oh, this is lovely. The author captures the conflicting emotions of fear and hope and confusion and acceptance in a wonderful book about a girl who is finds the courage to share her new understanding of herself.

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While I wasn't particularly enamored with this book, it is nonetheless a compelling novel in verse for the middle grade set that explores issues of both sexuality and mental health. Likely to win a number of awards and enjoy broad dissemination in public and school libraries/classrooms.

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This was a beautifully written story about a young girl just realising she is attracted to girls not boys and is afraid there's something wrong with her. Tied in with all her other fears, this one feels like it might overwhelm her. I loved the fact that it's through visiting the library and help from a librarian that she is able to find help and support. Lyrical and sensitive, Stevie is a lovely, warm character and well developed, making this a very enjoyable read.

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Wow! What an amazing and clever book. Written in verse form throughout, it is the story of a young girl battling her anxieties and identity. Stevie suffers with anxiety. It is clear from the moment you pick the book up. But the anxiety is a relatable portrayal and dealt with beautifully. It also deals with LGBTQI in a wonderful manner with no judgement and it chronicles how she overcomes the “fizzy feeling in her chest” regarding it.

Written entirely in verse, this is a beautiful story and one that all should read.

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I loved that this was told in prose, its a beautiful read about a girl named Stevie realizing her feelings for her friend and dealing with her anxiety.
The descriptions of what Stevie is going through were so well thought out and really helped you identify with her.
A lovely middle grade novel on queerness and learning who you are.

Thanks NetGalley & the publisher for this ARC!

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This was such a beautiful book. A wonderful own voices LGBTQ representation story about a young girl exploring what it means to want to hold another girls hand. Or to notice that she has really pretty eyes.

There was just such a sense of being safe and comforted while reading this book. I absolutely adored the relationship our main character had with her mother and the love they shared.

I marvel at the way Meg Grehan can imbue such everyday words to have so much deeper meaning. The fact that this verse novel was told through the eyes of a child just gave such a charming heartfelt emotion and beautiful simplicity to the story.

This isn't a sad story of judgement or persecution that is often found in LGBTQIA+ coming of age novels. This book was so uplifting and inspiring. It gave you faith that the people who love you, will love you no matter who you are or who you love.

I think so many kids will see themselves in this story and that's so important. I think this book would be a great resource for parents also.

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This was a quick read of a book. It was all done in stanza format which I liked. The main character lives with her mother and they have a close relationship. Throughout, she speaks about...well she describes in length what we know is her anxiety. At times I had to skip a little because it was very much how I feel throughout the day. While figuring out how her body works with her emotions, she wants to ask simple questions. When she realizes that the internet is no help, she walks by herself to the library. While there, the librarian helps her to realize things by finally asking questions that she is too nervous to ask her mother. This is a wonderful book on how showing what anxiety feels like, how a working single mother cares so deeply for her child, and also how a growing girl can reveal her true feelings for a friend at school.

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Absolutely beautiful. This book is so well handled and gives young people the chance to explore questions about their identity and emerging sexuality in safe and innocent way. Stevie is such a likeable character and her story feels simple, real and relateable. I will be recommending this a lot and the verse element adds to it's beauty.

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This book was absolutely incredible. I picked it up on a whim because I'd heard someone on Twitter mention it before, but there was just something about this book that stuck with me even after hearing just a handful of words about it. And I'm so incredibly glad this book somehow managed to get stuck into my brain, because I loved it so, so much.
There's something about this book. It's a small one, but there's something so incredibly powerful about it. The words in the book were quite simple (so perfectly suitable and accessible for its audience) but the author knew how to weave them in a way that just makes you stop in your tracks and reread the same passage over and over again because HOW is it possible for an author to do this with words. HOW. I've highlighted quite a few passages, and even though I've finished the book I've caught myself coming back to it and checking the highlights again.
And besides the writing, the story was so powerful in and of itself. The way it explored queerness and how we followed a young girl learning about her own queerness and her journey towards being open about it was so incredibly lovely, and with the added anxiety representation this was just exactly the kind of book I wish I could give to myself as a kid because the way Stevie felt and the way it was described.... that was, and sometimes still is, me. And I'm sure I'm not the only one who will benefit from reading this book, and I have a feeling this book is going to become incredibly important to a lot of different kids.
I'm so glad I read this and I can't recommend it enough.

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