Mini-Review! - Some Places More Than Others by Renée Watson

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Title: Some Places More Than Others*

Author: Renée Watson

Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Middle Grade/MG (Kids)

The Verdict:

This book was on my 'From My TBR: 15 Young Adult and Middle Grade Books By Black Authors' post that I wrote a little while back, and I happened to see it when I was browsing my library's digital doo-dah. 

So, of course, I borrowed it! 

Some Places More Than Others is the sweet and enjoyable story of Amara, a young Black girl from Oregon who has never met her father's New York family. 

After a lot of prodding, her family finally allow her to go along to Harlem with her father when he heads to New York on a business trip.

It's simple, but it manages to add in all sorts of family issues, as well as a lovely infusion of Black history along the way.

This book is also #OwnVoices for Black American representation.

As with my previous Renée Watson read, Piecing Me Together, this is beautifully written, and manages to tie in all sorts of issues without becoming overly heavy. 

This is a lighter read - in length and subject matter - than Piecing Me Together,* which is plenty appropriate, given this is MG rather than YA.

There were a couple of missed opportunities here, though, to both address an issue, and not leave a plot thread hanging.

Those points were the discussion of natural hair, and dispute over traditional gender roles.

Amara and her cousin have some issues over their differing hair, with Amara's being straightened and her cousin's being natural. 

And as Amara herself is confused over what the problem is, it would've been nice to see some resolution there.

The traditional gender roles was partly addressed, but not as fully as it needed to be (imho.)

This is disappointing because Amara's dislike of dresses and 'girly' fashion, as well as her church insisting that women don't wear trousers to services, could have been explored in a way that's affirming for everyone.

Given Amara's levels of discomfort when made to wear a dress, a full discussion with both parents would've been nice.

All in all, though, Some Places More Than Others is cute, well-written, and just plain lovely!

Content Warnings:

- family issues

- grief/bereavement

- estrangement

- miscarriage and problem pregnancies

- pressure to conform to gender roles

- references to racism, slavery, and other painful aspects of Black history

#OwnVoices reviews:

• 2 star review from Goodreads user Olukemi
• 3 star review from Goodreads user Shari
• 4 star review from Goodreads user Teonna Taylor
• 5 star review from Olivia @ Olivia's Catastrophe
• 5 star review from Afoma Umesi

If you have an #OwnVoices review of this book that you'd like me to link here (or you want your review removed from the list,) please let me know.

Buy Now USA* - Goodreads - Author's Site

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Related reading:

• From My TBR: 15 Young Adult and Middle Grade Books By Black Authors

• Review Time! - Piecing Me Together by Renée Watson

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