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Most helpful customer reviews on Amazon.com

Amazon.com: 4.8 out of 5 stars 41 reviews
Carmella
5.0 out of 5 starsThis Book Should Be In Every Classroom
April 2, 2019 - Published on Amazon.com
Verified Purchase
Lisa Ramee's poignant debut is a pitch perfect contemporary middle grade--reading it threw me back into the high drama of fragmenting friendships, cliques, innocent seventh grade boy problems, and Moms who draw the line at twelve year olds wearing makeup. Ramee nails the fraught nature of standing up and standing out when you're in seventh grade, along with the difficulties of negotiating mixed signals, missed cues, and misinterpretations of other people's behavior. Reading A Good Kind of Trouble, you can't help but be entirely immersed in what it feels like to be 12.

But the real beating heart of this novel is Shay's budding awareness of social responsibility and political activism, and her sweet, heartfelt struggles to understand and articulate her feelings, her boundaries, and her needs clearly. As the Black Lives Matter movement gathers steam in her community, Shay is beginning to fully understand some painful realities about the world, and the way those realities can cause stresses in the community and even in the most solid of friendships. This beautiful story is so honest about the frictions and difficulties and hard choices Shay has to make. You'll cry, cheer, and applaud her courage and newfound maturity. I would seriously recommend this book for every middle grade reader and classroom. It's important and timely and hopeful and very, very moving.
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7 people found this helpful
A reader from Concord, MA
5.0 out of 5 starsA beautiful and important book
March 21, 2019 - Published on Amazon.com
Verified Purchase
A beautifully written, important book that follows Shayla as she navigates a new school, changing friendships, and becoming more aware of the injustices of the world. Through it all, she is supported by her incredible family. I love the nuances of the characters, the middle grade-appropriate depiction of the harsh realities Black people face, and Shayla's courageous way of standing up for what she believes, even if it causes trouble. A must-read!
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6 people found this helpful
LindsayWrites
5.0 out of 5 starsTimely yet classic, a perfect book to start important conversations
April 4, 2019 - Published on Amazon.com
Verified Purchase
Lisa Ramee's debut has been hailed as "the Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry for this generation," and that praise is well-earned. This middle grade book deals with race, acceptance, friendship, and identity in a pitch perfect, delightfully readable way.

Shayla hates trouble so much, it makes her hands itch. But when another unarmed black man is shot by police, Shayla wants to do *something.* So she starts wearing a Black Lives Matter arm band to school. She's not protesting. She's not rallying others to the cause. She just wants to show her belief that being Black is important and valuable. But to some, Shayla isn't Black enough. And to others, she's suddenly too Black. Where does she fit in? Even her closest friendships are starting to unravel, and Shayla isn't sure what to do.

With prose so clear and precise, you feel you're actually talking with 12 year olds in the best possible way, A GOOD KIND OF TROUBLE is a warm, funny, thoughtful, and deeply important book. Kids will love it, and adults will value its insightful discussion of race, racial politics, and belonging. HIGHLY recommended for all classrooms and school libraries!
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3 people found this helpful
GTM
5.0 out of 5 starsMust-read!!
March 13, 2019 - Published on Amazon.com
Verified Purchase
Quick to read, hard to put down, and I can already tell that it will stay with me forever. I loved the story so much. Shayla (and her friends & family) are wonderful characters. The writing is honest and perfectly true-to-life, and also very funny at times. I consider it a MUST READ, both for its frank discussion of Black Lives Matter and for its on-the-nose portrayal of Shayla growing up and learning to think "out loud." Shayla’s family is one of my favorites of all time. Highly recommended. I loved it!
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4 people found this helpful
J.C.
5.0 out of 5 starsLoved this!
August 4, 2019 - Published on Amazon.com
Verified Purchase
I bought this for my niece but read it first because it sounded like the books I used to love when I was her age. I adored it! I'm sure my niece is going to love it, too. Shayla is a wonderful character and her coming of age during a time of social unrest is touching and complex and satisfying.
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3 people found this helpful
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