Leah Johnson

What happens when a middle schooler wakes up with a necromantic super power after an early morning earthquake? I really appreciate that this book tackles some serious subjects in a lighthearted framework. It has a lot to say about friendship dynamics, and about how sometimes friendships are toxic and you have to re-negotiate them or leave them. That's a hard lesson at any age, but a really good one to learn young. It's also very good as a model for how to think about, cope with, and pursue show more new talents and interests, even when they make you the center of attention. I also really liked that while Ellie's story is clearly at the center, her friends are vibrant characters with their own arcs to contend with. Really stellar book. show less

You Should See Me in a Crown is a perfect YA contemporary book.

The book's so well written and the realism and issues folded together nicely. My critical brain was fully able to step back and just enjoy this book. And what a great book it was?

Liz Lightly is a music nerd, a Black girl, and likes girls. In the small town of Campbell, none of the things really endear her to running for Prom Queen, especially not in a town where Prom is a Really Big Deal. When a scholarship for her dream school show more doesn't pan out, the $10,000 awarder being voted Prom Queen feels like the only way out. And Liz is game. She's a fighter. It's the Lighty way.

I like Liz or many reasons, but one of these reasons was because she's messy. Liz Lighty is an underdog in so many ways and she's such a strong person because when the world kicks her down, so gets back up again. Every. Single. Time. Most of this book feels like just a normal semester in Liz's life but as you read further and further, you feel Liz's exhaustion and the burdens she bears every day by just being who she is, let alone trying to get the scholarship. There are so many brilliant thing Leah Johnson did in You Should See Me in a Crown, one of which was that the fact that Liz would be the first Black Prom Queen in town... but that was never the Point of the story. Johnson keeps this story about Liz, not about making a statement about changing the world. Instead, she showed the world from Liz's perspective and helped make the reader aware of the problems. There are people who are terrible in the universe and people who are trying to do better.

I liked that this story about about Liz, and not about racism, homophobia, or a specific issue. Issue books are important and have their place, but books about people are important, too. This is an important book in its own right, but it's important to see the people in stories and not just the issues. And You Should See Me in a Crown touches on so much! Liz feels so alive in this book, with so many interests and worries and small joys, and I was really rooting for her the whole time. And, don't get me wrong - the issues here are important and need to be given their consideration. But Liz isn't taking on the world here. She's taking care of her world.

You Should See Me in a Crown is a great story about life and love and friendship and dreams and fear and hope and just... it's genuinely such a good book. It has a lot to teach its readers, it makes you mad at times but in the ways it aims to. It's an enjoyable read alongside being an important one. I totally, completely, 100% recommend it. show less

Where do I even start with this book? I bought You Should See Me In A Crown during the summer when it came out, but hadn’t had a chance to get to it yet. When it popped up as a choice on Libro.FM I knew it was going to be my next audiobook and I’m so glad that I made that choice! Leah Johnson has crafted one heck of a story here. Liz Lighty is my kind of character, and I loved every second of my time with her.

First off, can we give kudos to how well the whole relationship is done in this show more story? So often I get disenchanted with a story because of uncomfortable instant love that appears out of nowhere. Not here, my friends. Not here. In fact all of Liz’s relationships, from her friendships, to her family interactions, to her love interest are all beautifully done. Liz feels like someone who could be your best friend. I warn you, you’re going to get attached and you’re probably going to grin a lot during this story.

I also couldn’t get over how well done the high school backdrop is built up here. Liz lives in a city that frowns upon anything that isn’t “perfect” and well-mannered. We’ve seen that before. However I appreciated how this story went deeper and showed how ready the younger generation was to show up for Liz no matter what. I won’t spoil anything, but this story perfectly points out how often those kinds of negative attitudes are actually deeply seeded in the adult population. When I tell you I cheered more than once during this book, I’m being serious.

Honestly I could gush about this book for an entire term paper’s worth of time, but I feel like I’d definitely accidentally give something away that you should discover for yourself. I’ll leave it at the fact that I was so impressed with this entire story. The characters, the plot, the development, all of it just blew me away. If you’re looking for a read that is heartfelt, deals gorgeously with some tough topics, and gives the teen population a big old hug for being themselves, this is it. show less

Ellie Engle lives in her best friend Abby Ortega's shadow, until the first morning of middle school, when a freak earthquake changes Ellie forever: her senses are heightened, and she has life-giving powers over plants and animals. She's able to keep it a secret from everyone but Abby, until an incident in science class where she resurrects a frog and a classmate catches it on video. Suddenly, Ellie is in the spotlight, Abby is jealous, and Ellie feels completely alone and confused - and then show more the more-famous-than-Taylor-Swift Willa Moon shows up on her doorstep, asking her to resurrect her dead dog. But there's no give without take, which Ellie learns from a surprising source: her grandpa's best friend Mr. Walker, who owns the bakery where Ellie's mom works. He too gained surprising powers after an earthquake, after he returned from Vietnam, and has spent a lifetime figuring them out, so he is able to help Ellie. Ellie is ready with plenty of superhero knowledge from comics and movies, and while Abby keeps her distance, Ellie discovers that Sammy Spencer, a popular kid with two moms, is also a comics nerd.

A fun and thought-provoking premise with a special main character ("ribbit").

Quotes

It used to bother me, people noticing Abby and not me, but not anymore. I like how calm it is in her shadow. (4)

It's easier, sometimes, in the dark, to say what you mean. (14)

You don't know what you don't know until what you don't know is staring you right in the face. (46)

p. 64-65, when Ms. Winston is teaching about the Irish potato blight, she neglects to mention the role of English landlords in creating famine conditions.

[My powers] may be scary, but they're mine....The possibilities suddenly feel limitless. (69)

She had her thing and I had mine. We met in the middle, and the middle was us. Together. (94)

"Being different ain't bad. Makes you grow." (Mr. Walker, 95)

It would feel good to tell an adult, right? Isn't that what you're supposed to do when you have a problem too big to handle on your own? (96)

One of the reasons I stick to what I know is because it's easier that way. If you don't have to learn anything new, you don't make as many mistakes. (103)

...there are a lot of people who hate what they can't understand - who love power, but only if they can control it. (173)

Some people are meant to be in the spotlight. And some people, people like me, are meant to watch from the wings. Or, at least that's what I always thought. (184)

I feel like a balloon that just got popped, all the air rushes out of me so fast. I didn't realize how badly I just needed someone to believe me, to trust what I say without my having to explain every little detail to them. (211)

Because that's the worst part about being different. The loneliness. (216)

"The only way out is through." (218)

...making one person your home is a bad idea because there's nowhere to run when it falls apart. (231)

...if I leave how I feel about myself up to other people, I'm always gonna feel horrible. (246)

Poppy used to say that the bad guys aren't all so bad, and the good guys aren't all so good, and that's what makes stories interesting. That there is always some room for change. (247) show less