I liked “The Ten Steps For Effective Disagreements.“ Especially step 4, which talks about using the principle of charity. This is a critical thinking idea that says you should assume the best possible interpretation of a person's argument. I like how this part of the chapter goes into detail about how the “looping technique“ (a repeating and editing technique for arguments) is a good way of practicing the principle of charity.

In chapter 5, “How to Debunk and Disagree,“ something I found to be really interesting was the idea of “cognitive immunity.“ Andy Norman thinks that we should think of the brain as having its own defense system, and he imagines an entire “mental immune system,“ that fights against false information that you want to keep out (“mind parasites“).

Something that caught my attention in this book was the chapter about social media and algorithms (“algorithmic bananas“). What really stuck out to me was when Dr. Yasmin said, “Social media algorithms can act like rabbit holes that lead you into a swamp of quicksand where misinformation is shoved at you... But that content, instead of getting buried, gets boosted and spotlighted by algorithms...“ (page 214)

I don't usually read nonfiction, but I found this book to be really interesting. I liked how it dealt with the subject of news and the way the media can twist it and mold it to specifically fit different purposes and agendas. I could really tell that Dr. Yasmin was trying to get to readers understand that there is way more to being media literate than knowing how the news is reported.

I like that Malida Lo included the time period and the struggles of unbending family ideals in this book. Although this story is fiction, there are many people who have faced similar events to that of Lily and Kath, and I think that this book gives readers a little bit of an inside look at some of the very real struggles that they were faced with.

I like the thought and detail that Lo put into the coming of age aspect of this book. I think that allowing us to have a look at Lily's thoughts, questions, and ideas about the girls she sees in the pageant as a young child and then picking up the story when she is a student in high school gives us a sense of progression in the story that we wouldn't otherwise have, especially if the prologue had been different.

I think Malinda Lo did a great job of taking us through Lily's journey of self-discovery, and I think that the progression of the story and the way it's told makes this is a good book for high school students. Lo takes us through Lily and Kath's timeline showing Lily's growing feelings for her in way that young readers will understand, and also shows us how the time period and Lily's family both play a part in her self-discovery.

I enjoyed this book very much. As someone who is heterosexual, I think that we often don't think about just how many hardships and struggles people in the LGBTQ+ community face, and this book really made me consider how Lily had to face this in 1954 as a Chinese American, facing backlash from those around her, including her family.

I liked how the mystery of what happened to Whimsy and Faerry's siblings was revealed to them. Because this took up a part of their lives and caused the depression and sorrow that they are having to face, they couldn't find closure in order to fully heal. I think this also represents the amount of times many people end up going back tot he hospital, like Whimsy does. It's hard to heal when something deep rooted remains with no explanation.

one thing I especially liked about this novel was the representation of friendship that is there through hardships and difficult times. Whimsy and Faerry take on a lot together, the forest at the edge of Marsh Creek Lane included. I think that the “monsters“ within the forest can also be seen as things that are hard to deal with for the friends. In a way, we all have “monsters“ in that forest, and sometimes it's nice to not deal with them alone.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I also liked the writing style. Reading something in verse is definitely different from what i'm used to, but I found it to be a good change of pace. I also thought the thematic material in this book
(such as clinical depression, etc...) is something that we need to talk about more, and i'm glad McBride doesn't shy away from it. I think that this is a good book for high school age readers to take on.

“I will ride the winds and surmount endless waves. Setting sail on the vast ocean, I will one day reach the distant shores.“ This quote is a poem that Lingsi had to read in “The Difficult Path.“ It makes me think about her fascination with the ocean, and reminds me of my own love for it.

A lot of these stories are good for middle school readers to read because of the different topics and situations that they deal with. Stories such as “The Difficult Path“ and “The Beans and Rice Chronicles of Isaiah Dunn“ deal with things that younger readers might not have a lot of experience reading, or might be curious about. For example, take Lingsi being sold to the Li family, and the topics of homelessness, and alcoholism.

I feel that all of the stories in “Flying Lessons & Other Stories“ are good for middle school students to read. Because of the nature of the stories and the way they seem to all be told from a young narrator's point of view, I feel like this makes them more relatable and will resonate with younger readers.

Something that stuck out me was how in “Welcome to the Neighborhood“ from FL&OS the narrator talks about his father's views on hospitality, and how it doesn't matter how little or how much you have. You always offer what you can and invite someone into your home. I especially took note of how he ties this into the topic of reading a book. “Books are homes, have been homes, will continue to be homes.“ It is a writer's job to invite the reader in.

There are so many moments in the reading that made me feel emotional or got me thinking, and I marked certain quotes in those scenes that suck out to me. There are many instances where Javier is observant, and I marked a quote in the memoir where he says, “I remember the man in the boat. The Guatemalans on the bus. Strangers, but I remember some of their faces. The wrinkles when one of them cried... I hope everyone is ok. That they're in La USA.“

One thought that I keep grappling with about this memoir is the importance of why Javier writes his experiences that he had as a nine-year-old with such attention to detail. While it's definitely worth the read for us, I think that this memoir is meant to be more than an intriguing read. Javier's telling of his experiences throughout his journey gives un an insight to what he endured, but also to what migration is like for countless others.

As I read, I noticed that among the themes of survival and migration was the theme of family. Even at the age of nine, Javier was able to connect with strangers of different ages because of the perilous journey and experiences that they shared. This just goes to show even further that blood ties aren't always what makes a family. The experiences we share and the bonds we make through those experiences can last a lifetime, as we see with Javier.

I found this book to be really emotional and moving in the way Javier recounts his journey. When I first started reading, I didn't know how the perspective of a nine-year-old would work, but Javier Zamora did an amazing job. I felt like his descriptiveness involving situations and occurrences helped me envision what was happening throughout the novel.