“Every burned book enlightens the world.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Hello Book Nerds!

First off HAPPY BOOK BIRTHDAY Jett Jamison! Kimberly’s book came out YESTERDAY, August 3, 2023 and I hope she had the greatest book birthday.

Now, let’s share what this book is ABOUT and then I will share what my thoughts are.

First off…this COVER! It’s stunning. The dark clouds, Jett looking up at the sky. Ugh! So gorgeous. Also, looking at it and finding the little details inside the cover and knowing what they symbolize-one of my favorite parts of books.

Jett Jamison can’t catch a break. Her home in small town Wisteria is noisy as a zoo, and her mind buzzes with bits of a traumatic memory she’d rather
forget. She’s filled a shoebox with one hundred thirty-three
to-do lists, her roadmaps to peace, but they only lead to dead ends. Sister Gia, master gardener and cat-whisperer extraordinaire, suggests a book by an anonymous author, but it’s disappeared from all local libraries, and nobody wants to talk about it. Enraged at the injustice, Jett continues to dig for answers and is drawn into a censorship battle with a high-profile radio host. Her peaceful protest backfires big time, and the town goes berserk. Now, for peace to be within reach, Jett must either face up to her past or remain forever bound by silence much more suffocating than the din in Wisteria.

Synopsis from Goodreads

My Review

Jett Jamison and the Secret Storm by Kimberly Behre Kenna
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What a powerful book told in such a short amount of pages (side note: we need more short middle grade). I was given this book by Books Forward and my views are my own.

This book was described on the front as a “Speak” book for preteens and it was. It was a powerful book about assault, finding your voice, and book censorship too. I think it covered the issue of assault well for younger readers-it was enough to know that something happened with a male that was not okay. I also really loved the message at the end about the importance and value of sharing your story and how it can bring people together. This is a second book in a series called Brave Girls and I will be reading the first.

View all my reviews

One of my favorite parts of the book was when Jett discovers Ralph Waldo Emerson, especially the seven quotes I included in my blog graphic and I will post it below. These quotes were all so powerful and honestly…make me want to read some RWE! I might even put some of these quotes in my classroom-especially the one about what you do speaks louder than what you say.

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Elevating Voice, Breaking Barriers

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Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy this book and find it as important as I did!

Happy reading!