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A review by vhenderson93
Calling Extra by Kristina Romero
5.0
UPDATE 2021:
I find it amusing that about this time two years ago I was reading this book. This is my second time reading this and I still feel the same way (I bought my own copy). I'm currently reading one of the books the author used in her research and I was very impressed at just how well researched and accurate everything was. I mean I knew it was good the first time I read it, but now I'm just blown away. This time I did notice a few typos but nothing that took away from the enjoyment. Highly recommend!!
2019 read:
Stop. Just stop whatever you're doing and add this book to your reading list. If you like historical fiction, ACCURATE historical fiction, I may add, that centers around the turn of the century New York, the newsies strike, and early immigration, you NEED to read this! If you are a fan of the Broadway production of Newsies or the Disney movie, like me, you MUST read this! Enough gushing, I'm sure you want to know WHY you MUST read this.
1)I didn't just read this book. I DEVOURED it. In ONE day. Not even a day...more like six hours. Just the IDEA of setting this lovely book aside was painful. I was hooked the moment I picked it up from the library. (my love of Newsies probably helped, but I've always found this particular era in history interesting. (I loved Haddix's Uprising too, it was about the Triangle Shirt Waist fire))
2) I was surprised at how short the book was, only 177 pages. The story was constantly moving and there was never a dull moment. There were parts where I found myself taking sudden sharp intakes of breath and probably grinning like an idiot. Just a side note...there was no language either.
3)THE CHARACTERS!!! They were so well developed and real, even the secondary characters were memorable. I found myself rooting for Elsie several times throughout and I was so proud of her for coming so far and finding her voice. GRIN! He was such a fun character and so likeable. I think he was my favorite.
4) As I mentioined earlier, the history was accurate and clearly well researched. The story literally drew me in. I could easily visulaize the dark hallways of the tenaments. I could hear the shouting and cheers from the newises during their meeting at Irving Hall. I loved how real everything about this book was. Well done, Romero!
SPOILERS......SPOILERS...….SPOILERS...…...SPOILERS...….SPOILERS...….SPOILERS...….SPOILERS.....
5)THE ENDING!! AHHH! It left me in a mix of emotions. As badly as I wanted Elsie and Grin to end up together....I think the fact that they DIDN'T, made it all the more realistic. Life happens and the people who CLEARLY BELONG TOGETHER, don't always get to be together. But the ending brought some closure and it left me grinning from ear to ear. Not gonna lie...if I was the type to cry over books (which I'm not) I would have cried. I do wish we could have known more about Grin's new life. What happened to his mom? Did she ever get better? Did his dad stay sober? AND WHY DIDN'T GRIN EVER COME BACK FOR HER LIKE HE SAID HE WOULD???
END SPOILERS......END SPOILERS......END SPOILERS.......END SPOILERS.....END SPOILERS.....
I hope I've given you enough incentive to peak your curiosity. Seriously, I think this is one of my favorite books I've read this year, next to the Brotherband Chronicles, of course....I just realized I like reading about displaced teenage boys who form their own brotherhood....
Anyway...I could probably say more about this book, but I'm going to stop there. If you made it through this super long review, congrats. Now go check it out. :)
I find it amusing that about this time two years ago I was reading this book. This is my second time reading this and I still feel the same way (I bought my own copy). I'm currently reading one of the books the author used in her research and I was very impressed at just how well researched and accurate everything was. I mean I knew it was good the first time I read it, but now I'm just blown away. This time I did notice a few typos but nothing that took away from the enjoyment. Highly recommend!!
2019 read:
Stop. Just stop whatever you're doing and add this book to your reading list. If you like historical fiction, ACCURATE historical fiction, I may add, that centers around the turn of the century New York, the newsies strike, and early immigration, you NEED to read this! If you are a fan of the Broadway production of Newsies or the Disney movie, like me, you MUST read this! Enough gushing, I'm sure you want to know WHY you MUST read this.
1)I didn't just read this book. I DEVOURED it. In ONE day. Not even a day...more like six hours. Just the IDEA of setting this lovely book aside was painful. I was hooked the moment I picked it up from the library. (my love of Newsies probably helped, but I've always found this particular era in history interesting. (I loved Haddix's Uprising too, it was about the Triangle Shirt Waist fire))
2) I was surprised at how short the book was, only 177 pages. The story was constantly moving and there was never a dull moment. There were parts where I found myself taking sudden sharp intakes of breath and probably grinning like an idiot. Just a side note...there was no language either.
3)THE CHARACTERS!!! They were so well developed and real, even the secondary characters were memorable. I found myself rooting for Elsie several times throughout and I was so proud of her for coming so far and finding her voice. GRIN! He was such a fun character and so likeable. I think he was my favorite.
4) As I mentioined earlier, the history was accurate and clearly well researched. The story literally drew me in. I could easily visulaize the dark hallways of the tenaments. I could hear the shouting and cheers from the newises during their meeting at Irving Hall. I loved how real everything about this book was. Well done, Romero!
SPOILERS......SPOILERS...….SPOILERS...…...SPOILERS...….SPOILERS...….SPOILERS...….SPOILERS.....
5)THE ENDING!! AHHH! It left me in a mix of emotions. As badly as I wanted Elsie and Grin to end up together....I think the fact that they DIDN'T, made it all the more realistic. Life happens and the people who CLEARLY BELONG TOGETHER, don't always get to be together. But the ending brought some closure and it left me grinning from ear to ear. Not gonna lie...if I was the type to cry over books (which I'm not) I would have cried. I do wish we could have known more about Grin's new life. What happened to his mom? Did she ever get better? Did his dad stay sober? AND WHY DIDN'T GRIN EVER COME BACK FOR HER LIKE HE SAID HE WOULD???
END SPOILERS......END SPOILERS......END SPOILERS.......END SPOILERS.....END SPOILERS.....
I hope I've given you enough incentive to peak your curiosity. Seriously, I think this is one of my favorite books I've read this year, next to the Brotherband Chronicles, of course....I just realized I like reading about displaced teenage boys who form their own brotherhood....
Anyway...I could probably say more about this book, but I'm going to stop there. If you made it through this super long review, congrats. Now go check it out. :)