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Magical Imperfect Paperback – June 14, 2022
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For fans of Wonder, Chris Baron's The Magical Imperfect is an affecting middle grade story of two outcasts who become friends…
Etan has stopped speaking since his mother left. His father and grandfather don’t know how to help him. His friends have given up on him.
When Etan is asked to deliver a grocery order to the outskirts of town, he realizes he’s at the home of Malia Agbayani, also known as the Creature. Malia stopped going to school when her acute eczema spread to her face, and the bullying became too much.
As the two become friends, other kids tease Etan for knowing the Creature. But he believes he might have a cure for Malia’s condition, if only he can convince his family and hers to believe it too. Even if it works, will these two outcasts find where they fit in?
- Print length336 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- Grade level4 - 6
- Lexile measure710L
- Dimensions5.05 x 0.85 x 7.6 inches
- Publication dateJune 14, 2022
- ISBN-101250833078
- ISBN-13978-1250833075
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Editorial Reviews
Review
A Junior Library Guild Selection
Etan’s honest and lovable voice, and its growing strength, that carries this tender novel." ― Publishers Weekly
Praise for All of Me:
A Southern California Independent Booksellers Association BESTSELLER!
BookRiot Best Children's Books about Kindness
Nerdy Book Club 2019 Award, Novels-in-Verse
A Literacious Favorite Middle-Grade Book of 2019
A National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Notable Book
"If you have ever felt lost in the world, betrayed by your body or buoyed by a glimmer of hope or the glow of friendship, then All of Me could be your story, too." ―The Los Angeles Times
"All of Me is for anyone who has been in search of a tribe, in love with a friend or in need of answers to questions that they can’t bring themselves to ask. In other words, everybody." ―San Diego Union Tribune
"Astute and stunning. All of Me is highly recommended and offers an eloquent and often-heartbreaking glimpse into the experiences of a layered, complex and relatable protagonist. Readers will surely root for Ari as his story unfolds." ―Jewish Book Council
"[A] beautifully written and psychologically acute debut. Readers will be glad to accompany Ari on his journey to self-discovery." ― Booklist magazine
"Any reader who has felt like an outsider will be drawn to Ari’s story, which means his audience should be legion." ―The Horn Book Magazine
"Baron’s free-verse poetry is immediate and lyrical, allowing us access to Ari’s thoughts and feelings in a way that prose would not. Baron’s first-person narration allows the reader to experience Ari’s pain and revelations, both of which are balanced with moments of grace and beauty....highly recommended for readers of all ages." ―Bookpage
"A unique perspective on weight loss and family told in beautiful, pitch perfect verse." ―Happily Ever Elephants Blog
"Tackling such difficult subjects as anti-Semitism, self-harm, and family instability with heart-breaking honesty and grace, All of Me deftly explores the complex layers of what it means to come of age. Baron’s evocative verse beautifully expresses the depth of Ari’s feelings; he will be a lifeline to anyone unsure of how they fit in the world." ―Joy McCullogh, National Book Award nominated author of Blood Water Paint
"I LOVE THIS BOOK. A moving and raw story that will stay with me." ―Remy Lai, author of Pie in the Sky
"In page after page of gorgeous verse, Chris Baron tells a story of hard-won healing, self acceptance, and hope." ―Jarrett Lerner, author of EngiNerds and the Geeger the Robot series
“Chris Baron’s gorgeous debut shines with strength, vulnerability, and humor. Ari’s journey to self-acceptance is hopeful and inspiring.” ―Jen Petro-Roy, author of Good Enough:A Novel
"Ari's story of love and loss and learning to live life on his own terms broke my heart and put it back together again. Beautiful and necessary!" ―Kelly deVos, author of Fat Girl on a Plane
"Baron’s writing is quick-witted and full of depth, allowing complicated characters to navigate growing up, identity and struggling with heavy things ― not just body image and bullying but absent parents, self-harm, faith, first loves, interrupted friendships and more. The book is compelling, hopeful and a total page-turner." ―The Voice of San Diego magazine
"A powerful story, beautifully told. Highly recommended." ―Middle Grade Minded Blog
About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : Square Fish (June 14, 2022)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 336 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1250833078
- ISBN-13 : 978-1250833075
- Reading age : 10+ years, from customers
- Lexile measure : 710L
- Grade level : 4 - 6
- Item Weight : 2.31 pounds
- Dimensions : 5.05 x 0.85 x 7.6 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #543,272 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2,729 in Children's Historical Fiction (Books)
- #6,462 in Children's Fantasy & Magic Books
- #8,226 in Children's Friendship Books
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Chris Baron is the award winning author of Novels for young (and young at heart) readers including All Of Me an NCTE Notable Book, The Magical Imperfect a Sydney Taylor Book Award Notable Book/ a SLJ Best Book of 2021 The Gray (23) a ProjectLIT 23-24 Selection, Spark (25) from Feiwel & Friends/Macmillan, and The Secret of the Dragon Gems, a Middle Grade novel co-authored with Rajani LaRocca from Little Bee Books (23) and editor of ON ALL OTHER NIGHTS: A MIDDLE GRADE PASSOVER ANTHOLOGY, from Abrams (24), and the author of Lantern Tree: (2012 CityWorks Press), winner of San Diego Book Award. He is a Professor of English at San Diego City College and the director of the Writing Center. He has an MFA in Poetry from SDSU. He is represented by Rena Rossner from the DH Literary Agency. Originally from New York City, he now lives in San Diego with his family.
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book easy to read and a great middle grade novel. They describe the narrative style as magical and poetic. The story is heartwarming, with themes of family, friendship, tradition, and hope. Readers appreciate the writing quality and find the characters enduring. Overall, they describe the book as beautiful and perfect.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the book easy to read and understand. They say it's a perfect middle grade novel with poems as chapters that offer wonderful reading divisions. The book is heartfelt and enjoyable for readers of all ages.
"...I also think this could be a great book for parents and kids to read together, and the poems-as-chapters offer wonderful divisions for reading, even..." Read more
"...In other words- everyone could benefit from and enjoy reading this sweet story. This is the first book I have ever read written in verse...." Read more
"...Highly and enthusiastically recommeded!" Read more
"...It’s a heartfelt MUST read for middle grade readers up! #BookPosse" Read more
Customers enjoy the narrative style. They find the book magical, heartfelt, and poetic. It's a blend of realistic magic and lessons on friendship. The book is filled with faith, family, and miracles.
"...This entire story is told in verse, with each poem doing the same work as a chapter...." Read more
"The Magical Imperfect is a heart-warming blend of realistic “magic” and lessons on friendship and acceptance plus tough issues like mental illness..." Read more
"...way the text flows from page to page in unique novel verse makes it poetic in its own sense...." Read more
"...in 1989, Etan's journey (both quiet and literally earthshaking) is told in verse that is sweeping and lyrical *and* detailed and grounded...." Read more
Customers enjoy the heartwarming story. They find it blends realistic magic with themes of family, friendship, tradition, and hope. The book is described as a brilliant, heartfelt tale told in verse filled with warmth and compassion. Readers love the compassionate young boy Eaton and his unexpected friendship. The power of healing through love and self-acceptance are also highlighted.
"The Magical Imperfect is a heart-warming blend of realistic “magic” and lessons on friendship and acceptance plus tough issues like mental illness..." Read more
"The Magical Imperfect I loved the compassionate young boy Eaton and his unexpected friendship with Malia who I was cheering for with every turn..." Read more
"There is so much to adore in THE MAGICAL IMPERFECT. Bursting with heart--themes of family, friendship, tradition, and hope spill from every page...." Read more
"...A magnificent, multilayered story of familial love, unexpected friendship, and the power of healing through love and self-acceptance, this of gem of..." Read more
Customers enjoy the friendship in the book. They mention it's filled with faith, family, and miracles. The book tells of the friendship between a young Jewish boy and a young girl with severe eczema.
"...is a heart-warming blend of realistic “magic” and lessons on friendship and acceptance plus tough issues like mental illness and medical conditions..." Read more
"...I loved the compassionate young boy Eaton and his unexpected friendship with Malia who I was cheering for with every turn of the page...." Read more
"...Bursting with heart--themes of family, friendship, tradition, and hope spill from every page...." Read more
"This book tells of the friendship between a young Jewish boy and a young girl with severe eczema...." Read more
Customers enjoy the writing quality of the book. They find it easy to read and entertaining. The writer is praised as talented.
"...I can’t wait to read more work by this exceptionally talented author. I recommend reading this as soon as you can." Read more
"From the first page, this book captures you with clever writing! No wonder it is so successful in all the schools!..." Read more
"Beautifully written novel in verse. I think shy kids will especially love this book because they will feel seen and valued. Highly recommend!" Read more
"This book is great! I recommend it for everyone. I like the way it was written. It's easy to read and entertaining." Read more
Customers enjoy the book's perfect storytelling. They find it magical and multilayered, with unexpected twists.
"...Food (so much good food!). Everything described to absolute, magical, perfection...." Read more
"...A magnificent, multilayered story of familial love, unexpected friendship, and the power of healing through love and self-acceptance, this of gem of..." Read more
"Magically Perfect..." Read more
"Magically perfect..." Read more
Customers enjoy the book. They describe it as a magical novel told through verse.
"A beautiful and magical novel told through verse and taking place in the 80s in a small town full of families that were refugees entering the US at..." Read more
"Chris Baron has written another gorgeous, heartfelt novel in verse filled with his trademark warmth and compassion...." Read more
"So beautiful. Just…magical." Read more
Customers enjoy the book's pacing and find the characters engaging.
"...on my face several times throughout this story and really fell in love with the characters...." Read more
"...All the characters are enduring, but Malia was one of my favorites (after Etan)...." Read more
"The emotional growth of the characters and their friendships, mixed with the magical realism of the natural world, the family dynamics, the impact..." Read more
Reviews with images
Highly recomend
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on January 14, 2023Eton is a young Jewish boy living in San Francisco. Set in a fictional close community of families, the older generation of which had immigrated to the area together. While a typical pre-teen in many respects, Eton is selectively mute - and has been since his mother was checked into a mental institution. Struggling to find his words, Eton turns to drawing as a way to express himself.
While delivering some produce one day, Eton meets Malia. Well, "meets" is a bit of a misnomer, since they only talk through the slightly opened door, with Malia hiding in the shadows. However, as Eton continues making deliveries to Malia's home, the two develop a friendship, and it doesn't take long for Eton to learn that Malia has eczema and has been struggling with it for a while.
But through their developing friendship, the two learn about themselves and each other, and they also learn just how magical friendship can be.
This entire story is told in verse, with each poem doing the same work as a chapter. I did not expect this when I first started the book, and I will admit to being a little wary of a novel told in verse. I have never been one to get into poetry, as I've always felt like I'm missing something when I do read it. It's like there's some sort of missing code, and without that code, I just don't understand what's being said.
That was not the case here. Not only did the poetry tell this story in a way that traditional prose couldn't (not that traditional prose wouldn't work, just that the sparseness of the poetry served to elevate the story to something more), but it did so in a voice that truly sounded like a middle school student. Baron captured the ups and downs of pre-teens perfectly in this book.
At the same time, I really enjoyed having the story set in the fall of 1989. Though I was just days away from my 11th birthday during the major event of this book (which I don't want to give away, because the build-up to it and the action during it are really well done), because I was living on the other side of the country, I only vaguely remember hearing about it on the news. Experiencing the event through the poetry of this story brought it to life, and I agree with Mr. Cohen that baseball saved everyone.
So, to make a long review short, I definitely think this book is worth reading. I also think this could be a great book for parents and kids to read together, and the poems-as-chapters offer wonderful divisions for reading, even if there's not a lot of time for reading at one time. This is also a book that I look forward to getting a physical copy of. What about you?
- Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2021The Magical Imperfect is a heart-warming blend of realistic “magic” and lessons on friendship and acceptance plus tough issues like mental illness and medical conditions that manifest in physical imperfections. All this and in the novel-in-verse format that has become so popular with my middle grade readers! Main character Etan has gone mute since his mother entered a hospital to learn how to cope with her worsening mental illness. His father and grandfather are both supportive in their own way, but he is still suffering. A delivery made to the home of a former classmate gives way to a friendship that brings healing not only to Etan, but to Malia, who endures such debilitating eczema that her eyes swell nearly shut and her skin is raw enough to bleed. If that wasn’t enough, author Chris Baron incorporates a variety of ethnic groups all living together in a town built on immigrants from all over the world. Readers will learn much about the culture of many outside their usual sphere of influence. And if all that isn’t enough, there is baseball and earthquakes to shake things up a bit! Great for libraries of grades 4-8, whether those be at home, school, or in town. No profanity, violence (except what is found in nature), or sexual content
- Reviewed in the United States on November 13, 2021The Magical Imperfect
I loved the compassionate young boy Eaton and his unexpected friendship with Malia who I was cheering for with every turn of the page. I adored the perseverance of Eaton, not only for his silent struggles in his parental situation, but his diligence in curing Malia. (I kept waiting for him to use one of his grandfather’s treasures that came from the jar). Malia’s light alone is magical and I loved how she could hear the language of the trees and listen to Eaton even though he had no words.
From the generational Jewish traditions, to grandfather's magical box of items he brought to America, each page was a new verse of intertwined feeling from these characters that held so much magic in themselves.
The implementation of family, music, baseball and even elemental moments told in such artistic verse had me at page one. There are so many layers to this story that many can relate to from different aspects and the way the text flows from page to page in unique novel verse makes it poetic in its own sense. I found myself re-reading certain sentences and folding pages where I'd like to revisit the delicate verse and read it again! (Loooved this!!!)
I thought I had finished the book but realized I didn't read the last couple pages of the detailed author's note on earthquakes, Angel Island and an explanation on Malia's condition. The trees shook, the baseball fans continued on and in the end, the community joined together to help each out.
Bravo to Chris Baron on this brilliant heartfelt story that took me away on a magical journey in my one-day read!
Top reviews from other countries
- DinaReviewed in Spain on October 25, 2023
5.0 out of 5 stars Great quality and no issues during transport
It was exactly as advertised and came in great condition.