DNF

I wanted to love this book. I really did. The premise is really sweet and is in an area I have a lot of interest in. I work with disabled kids so I was very excited to give this as an option to some of the families I work with.

Unfortunately, I work with adoptees and adoptive families and the overly simplistic view of the complex thing that it is international adoption of a disabled child turned me off of it. I just couldn’t get past the constant hero/savior narrative in the beginning.

I know this book is going to land wrong with a few of my kids if they get their hands on it. Their adoption stories are complex and complicated, even if they do have an approved quality of life in the U.S., it came at the cost of their entire other world.

Beyond that, I did like that the book included a character with Down Syndrome. She was really sweet.

I’m sure some audiences will love this book; this one just wasn’t for me.

This was a BEAUTIFUL, big-hearted chosen family middle grade story about a boy born without hands who was adopted by two dads and brought to grow up in America with his sister who has Down Syndrome. The author does such an AMAZING job representing limb difference and prosthetics. I loved the characters in this book SOOOO much!! The short chapters made it a quick read and I really, really hope we get more stories featuring Benji, his friend Sam, neighbor Izzy and sister, Becka!! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

This was a wholesome and hopeful story. The author did a good job incorporating topics like disabilities, bullying, etc. without making it feel too "heavy" for the intended age range.