I love getting to read really good middle grade books. And this is one of those!

I love the way these two authors work together to write books. Their characters are always amazing. And their plots are believable. If you haven’t yet read Mustaches for Maddie by them, you need to!

This whole book is written through the eyes of Flint. Flint is a seventh grade boy who can’t see, so some of his peers have chosen to call him Squint. I loved that he doesn’t let that get to him, instead he uses the name as a comic book character in the comic book he’s drawing. Obviously, things are hard at school for Flint, he can’t see and the kids aren’t the nicest to him. One day he meets McKell. That meeting changes things for both of them.

McKell hasn’t lived very long in the same town as Flint. She has some challenges that have been given to her to be kind to others and to put herself out there a little bit. She chooses to use Flint to do that. I loved the way she chose to include him in the things she was doing. But my favorite part was that when things got hard for McKell, Flint was able to be there to help her. These two supported each other as they went through hard things. Isn’t that a perfect lesson for kids dealing with life in Junior High? And ultimately for all of us.

I loved everything about this one and I can’t wait to share it with my Junior High daughter!

#Squint #NetGalley


I always enjoy a book with medical issues. I learn about things I would not otherwise.

I liked both McKell and Flint/Squint, and I felt for them with their struggles.

I did not like the bullying in the book..


I did like the friendship and the talents both characters displayed in the book.

So a winner, and recommended by me for y'all to read.

my thanks to Netgalley for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was great!! I thought the characters were believable and the book was a quick read. I will absolutely add this to my classroom library and recommend to my students!!

Incredible! Reinforced the power of kindness to my 11-year-old son. It was personal and emotional and made sense to both adults and to my son. HIghly highly recommended for Middle Schoolers! The authors have a great handle on what it is like to be a current middle schooler, which is why I think mine liked it so much. He could relate - and he loves comics, I mean, graphic novels! It covers every emotion and I think this will get kids to really think about how and what they say, as well as their actions..It covers journies that show kids that there are tough situations that come along, but you can and you will survive. It was such a wonderful journey and I cannot wait to see what else comes from these authors!

Middle school is hard, and having a disability like Flint’s makes it even harder. This is a good story about how you never know who would make a good friend or what someone else is going through until you get to know them.

Flint (Squint) is living with a disease that makes it difficult to see. Interestingly, with the help of a new classmate, he begins to see life differently. Then, when he receives a new cornea, he not only sees life through a new set of lens, he begins to realize that he has not been paying attention to the important things in life. As he looks more carefully at those around him, he begins to see that they, too, need care.

I read this book in one day--and it's rare I manage to do that anymore! I thought Squint was adorable and McKell was definitely a character I could root for. The writing is both light and easy, while dealing very masterfully with difficult topics. I would recommend this for a classroom read, coupled with discussions on kindness and how sometimes our biggest strengths come about because of our challenges.

Squint is the second book by husband/wife duo Chad Morris and Shelly brown. (I reviewed their first book, Mustaches for Maddie, and I’ll recommend that one, too.) Flint’s personality is irrepressible, and I think older elementary readers and middle grade readers will love him. We all have our ways of coping and Flint and McKell delight in theirs while dealing with bullies and personal struggles.

I gave this book four-and-a-half stars!

NetGalley gave me an advanced reader copy but all thoughts and opinions are my own.

I found the metaphor in this one a bit heavy handed. It's a solid concept, the kid in danger of losing the one thing by which he defines himself. BUt to have him in danger of losing his sight and then, in the aftermath of his surgery, to gain new insight into his life - it's a bit much. Additionally there were a fair number of plot thin points.

A boy losing his vision and a new girl whose brother is dying navigate the realities of middle school social life. I love Flint who is socially awkward and delightfully quirky. His comic strips and McKell's rhyming add a contemporary zing to what in many ways is a timeless school/family story. Highly recommended for middle grade readers. Based on an ARC from NetGalley.

Flint is in middle school and doesn’t have the easiest of life, for starters he has problems with his eyes so he can hardly see. Thats how he got his nickname, Squint. Despite his vision problems, he happens to be a gifted artist and has been working on a comic book for the contest. Squint also lives with his grandparents with not much contact from his Mom and often times gets picked on at school. He is pretty used to life this way, but when a new girl starts paying attention to him his life gets much more interesting!
This story is so adorable and inspiring! I missed out on the chance to read the advanced copy because it was archived the very next day after being approved, but I wanted to read this story so bad I went out and bought it once it was published.
For anyone that’s ever felt like they didn’t fit in, or afraid to put yourself out there, this is the perfect story. This book deals with death, illness, bullying and family dynamics. Thanks to NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

WHAT’S COOL…
1) I loved Squint. I definitely felt for him and his insecurities as he navigated through the rough waters of middle school. I was rooting for him the entire book.

2) The Danny subplot was really good, and I liked how it merged with Squint's story. The authors were able to capture the hurt and emotion necessary to make this work. And yes, I cried at several parts in the book! And there's a twist with regards to Danny and Squint's eyes that I didn't see coming...

3) I loved all the discoveries and the twists. I saw some of them coming, but there were others that I didn't anticipate. However, once I read those parts I couldn't believe I hadn't seen it before!

4) I enjoyed how the comic (the story-within-a-story) worked with Squint's real life. It was nice to see how Squint took the events of his world and worked them into his comic world.

5) Also, what a roller coaster of emotions this book was! There's a great scene with Squint and his grandfather. And then there's McKell. There's a stunning moment when Squint begins to wonder if he's just an item for McKell to tick off her challenge-list. I liked how this book shows that friendship isn't always easy.

6) And I liked how things don't exactly work out in the most ideal way... that things aren't perfect by the end of the book. And I think that is part of this book's power. (Not that this story doesn't have a satisfactory ending, but it's more a realistic/happy ending.)

7) Love that book cover!

WHAT’S NOT COOL…
1) While I liked the story-within-a-story, I did find was a skipping some of it a bit. I wonder if I would have liked it more IF it were actually the comic itself?

FINAL THOUGHTS
My rating is 5 Stars (out of 5) – I don't often give 5 starts. But this is probably one of the best MG reads I've read this year. Highly recommend it! :)

This was a perfect story for middle school readers - and I have one at home so I felt it was very much true to what kids are going through. It has a common theme for this age- dealing with friendships and the desire to fit in. Characters were wonderfully developed and overall a really enjoyable story! Would highly recommend!

What can I say with out giving things away? This is a heart warming story about a 13 year old boy with a serious vision problem. He loses more than football when his vision changes, and it's a classmate named McKell and her brother Danny that help him see, really see, the world around him.
This is a story that will have you smiling, crying, and laughing.

I received an ARC from the publisher and voluntarily leave this review.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this title, for which I am happy to offer my honest review.

One of my favorites of the year; this book has it all: humor, pathos, character development, bullying, service learning, and many possible connections for teachers and students. Readers will enjoy the way the comic reflects what is going on with Flint and McKenna; at times, you might think you know what is going to happen, but then the story takes another turn. There are so many wonderful metaphors that relate to vision and seeing. There are so many situations that we can all relate to, even if our situation is very different from these characters.

Perhaps some of the parallels I was experiencing at the time that I read this added to the book's impact on me; the day I read most of it, my sister had eye surgery. This was also the same week that Tyler Trent from Purdue University was in the news for his inspiring quest to attend the Ohio State football game. In the case of both Tyler and Danny, we know that death is imminent, but revel in their strength.

Flint is a hero, but a flawed protagonist. His realizations of his own strengths and weaknesses could be such a boon to students who read this. At the same time he can physically see his family and friends better, his perceptions of their relationships sharpens its focus as well. None of the characters are all bad or all good, which Flint eventually realizes. The power of the friendship between Flint and McKenna is transformational in so many ways. I can't count the number of times that I have thought about my school, "If only that student had one good friend or one supportive adult." What a difference that would make.

Students will enjoy the story told through Flint's comic; I imagine that it might take on a different form in the published book. I especially appreciated the fact that even the comic did not have an epic over-the-top, fight-to-the-finish, violent ending, but one of realization.

I would love to see teachers use this books with students; there is so much they could learn. What if they took on #DannysChallenge? What if they reflected on their actions toward others and considered the power of forgiveness?

I highlighted and commented on so many passages while I read; it is a delight to look at them to remind me how much I enjoyed this book.

Touching, uplifting, beautifully written story of a child undergoing something many adults would have trouble with. This book delivers life lessons with all the feels! I will definitely be recommending this title to our middle grade patrons...who I am kidding, I'll be recommending this title to everyone!

Squint is another homerun book for team Morris and Brown. Squint is a boy trying desperately to finish his comic book before his vision is totally ruined due to a rare disease. Squint use to be normal like everyone else, he even played football, but now his world has changed and fast, and there is so much more to what Squint can see than he thinks.

This book is another awesome book by Chad Morris and Shelly Brown I didn't think they could top Mustaches for Maddie but they did and in such a endearing way, Squint just keeps you cheering for him but at the same time you want to buddy punch him and say "DUDE!!!, what the heck are you thinking". This book will show you the good and the bad of so many different side of things (I don't want to say here so it will be a surprise when you read the book) that it will have people of all ages thinking about this book long after finishing it.

This book was a quick, but impactful read. It is the kind of story more young people need to read and that adults can benefit from as well. I think the comic book aspect with excerpts from the main character's superhero tales will be fun for young readers, even though it's not a part that drew me in quite as much.

The story made me think about my sight--both literally and figuratively. Reading about someone whose eyes can't always see clearly made me grateful and reflective of all the little details I can see in people's expressions and other things around me that gives me a much fuller understanding. Likewise, the main character's experiences made me think about what I'm failing to 'see' symbolically all around me.

It reminded me of Wonder by R.J. Palacio in several ways through the tone, feel, and messages. But it never felt like it was trying to be a copy of that book and there were many differences in the stories as well.

I loved reading about the friendship and character development throughout the story and I felt connected and invested in their story.

Flint's eyes are terrible - he has a disease that affects his cornea. As a result he has blurry vision, can't participate in sports, and even worse he looks weird. Everyone class him squint. But, he loves to draw and he's hoping to win a comic book contest with his newest story.
McKell is a new girl. She hangs out with some of the popular kids but then, for some strange reason she starts sitting with him. Although Flint later finds out it is part of a challenge there is something to their friendship.
There is also more to the challenges. They have been set by McKell's brother who also suffers from a rare disease. But, on his YouTube channel he encourages people to be kind, try new things, and do the things that he can't.
Can Squint and McKell follow through on some of the challenges facing them?
I liked this - good friendship, good growth even with the "bully" in a realistic way, and a feel good story about challenging yourself.

Thank you net galley for the advance reader copy of the novel. This was a wonderful story of growing up and friendship between McKenna and "Squint". I loved the rules that Squint points out. This is a very appropriate novel for middle grades. I did not read mustaches for Maddie and this book by same authors makes me want to go check it out from my library. I would recommend this novel.