ARC · Children's · review

The Awfulizer


author: Kristin Maher
publisher: National Center for Youth Issues


Wow. This is a phenomenal and incredibly important book.

“Shame is a powerful emotion for children, and when they get sucked into the Shame Game and start believing lies about themselves – that they don’t just MAKE mistakes, but they ARE a mistake – their world can become a dark place.”

( The Awfulizer )

-1- The art is adorable!! Every kid will love it, no matter the age.

-2- Putting a name and a picture to “shame” is such a new concept and its brilliant. So so so many kids (and lets face it, adults too) struggle with shame (me included) and it’s just not something talked about enough. This is so incredibly exciting to see not only this concept being brought out into the light (finally!) but also through such an intriguing and captivating story. I was reading a child’s book and I was captivated!

-3- The last page where there are 7 points. This page was probably just as important as the whole book if not MORE important. What is written here is something every SINGLE parent, foster parent, counselor, teacher, you name it, should be talking about.

This book should be in everyone’s hands that has a child, no matter the age. Whether it’s your own child or if you’re someone that works with or volunteers with children/young kids/young adults….This is important. And for $10?!? That is a STEAL for the art and the work involved in making this book.

If I could give 10 stars I would. BRAVO…


This book is not published until August 22, 2019.
Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.


Please consider clicking HERE to order this book if you know anyone with young kids or even a school or library you could donate to. It’s $10. There’s so much good that $10 purchase could buy 🙂 PS: I just bought mine! yay!

Thanks, Lovelies ❤

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ARC · Authors · Fiction · For Fun · Fredrik Backman

Things My Son Needs to Know about the World


author: Fredrick Backman
publisher: Atria Books


Fredrik Backman writes a short on all the hilarious, anxiety-ridden, fearful and confusing moments of being a parent. He starts off with the lightest of humors and morphs along the way, carrying with him a plethora of “been there” and “what were you thinking” stories, some of which that will have you surprising yourself in fits of laughter. True to the Backman way.

“Maybe you don’t even want to do a sport. You might want to play golf instead! And that’s all right too!”

(haha. Sorry to all you golfers reading this…)

He points out the less thought of but oh so true nature of humanity…

“Sometimes we have to get rid of stuff to make room for new stuff, and then we start to miss the old stuff so much that we have to build new stuff that pretends to be the old stuff.” 

…highlights the confusion of illogical ideas behind children toys…

“The worst crap is actually the crap we bought before you were even born. Like a toy sheep containing a speaker that was meant to simulate “whale song” and help you sleep better. Why wasn’t that crap shaped like a whale? Huh? That still bothers me.”

(Me, too.)

…has a few hilarious, laugh-out-loud moments that I absolutely will not spoil… you just have to read the book…

…and then manages to end with a twist of a story that might have you in tears, especially if you have ever experienced anything remotely like what he experienced. Again, I will not spoil this moment. You have to read it for yourself…

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books and Fredrik Backman for this ARC. 


“Your mother loves nothing in this life as much as she loves dancing, and she chose to share her time on Earth with a man she can’t dance with without seriously fearing for her safety. She chose me. And then you came along. And you love music. And when you dance, you and she… If I could only choose one single moment to live inside for all eternity, it would be that. I can’t tell you anything about love. Nothing more than that.”



(my only reason for 4 stars instead of 5 was because the beginning of the book was very repetitive. It felt like fillers. But the book truly grew and he did a fantastic job showing us the Fredrik Backman we know and love in all his books. Thankful for such a talented writer and for his family, supporting him for all the world to get to enjoy.)