Unfortunately this book wasnt really for me. I struggled to get into it, in fact i actually put it down and started a different book. The writing is a bit disjointed, i get there may be a purpose to this but it really put me off, it just didnt flow and I found mysef disliking the main character too.

Important message for sure, but for me the delivery was lacking, especially at the start.

An enjoyable read that highlights a key issue in todays society. Despite this, the choppy nature of the plot can result in said impact being lessened.

This book does a decent job of representing Penny’s struggles and friend’s mental illness. It is choppy though abs had a bit of trouble keeping my attention. I did like how it supported important topics for middle grade readers though. I received this novel as an advanced reader copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

So I think the reason that I didn't like this is the exact reason other people may love it. The writing felt really scattered and choppy to me. However, this is a book that really focuses on schizophrenia and I think the jumbledness of the writing was supposed to reflect that. Even though I can make that connection, it didn't make for an enjoyable reading experience for me and I felt like it took me a long time to read a short middle grade book.

I also felt like there was a lot going on in here. In addition to the main theme of a family dealing with schizophrenia, there's also themes of selective mutism, gender identity, different religious backgrounds (Muslim + Jewish), and also a brief dabble in providing consent for kissing. I also want to be clear about the gender identity theme in here - there's a transgender character, a main character who isn't transgender but figured she'd try out a different masculine name for a while, and the schizophrenic character who bounces between three different identities - two male and one female. Like I said, there's just a lot in here and it was all jammed into a middle grade read with choppy writing.

I think mental health is an important issue that needs to be exposed more in middle grade lit so I'm happy to see another book out there taking the plunge. Just because this one wasn't for me doesn't mean it won't touch someone else.

I'd like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for an honest review

The Lost Language of Crazy was a beautiful story about Penny who is currently writing a play but can't seem to find an ending that fits. She is surrounded by wonderful friends and a father but of course, feels the absence of her mother who she believes is dead.

I thoroughly enjoyed several aspects of this book such as the representation of different gender identities, expectations everyone feels from society and families, the way mental health problems are dealt with and talked about in the book

Although I could not fully enjoy the characterization of Zeina and her family. These characters are Muslim in the book, which could have been a wonderful chance to represent a minority community. I felt that certain aspects of their characterization were stereotypes such as Zeina being portrayed only as beautiful without her hijab and her father's anger issues.

Other than that, I think the book was overall a great and extremely quick read.

Here’s a story about 12 year old Penny who is living with her single Dad and is under the impression her Mom has died. She wrote a play for school about her relationship with her Dad but feels very unsettled about the ending. She doesn’t feel any ending she comes up with is the correct one. She goes on a quest for the perfect ending and it leads to more questions than answers.

I loved:
- the representation of Penny’s friend and of mental illness
- how strongly Penny feels about her friends
- penny’s grandparents
- penny’s curiosity

I disliked:
- the amount of times the ‘crazy’ is used, I get why it was done but whewwww, it’s a lot.
- the beginning was slow up until about p75
- the way the dad is portrayed as almost being afraid of mental illnesses

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book! Review of this book on Twitter, Instagram, & StoryGraph @astitchedspine ✨

This was a short, engaging read that i finished in 2 sittings (it would have been one if i had the attention span for that lol). I felt that the writing of this book was pretty immature and YA, although that made it easy to read and i found myself flying through it. Without giving anything away, the main character was very dramatic and the plotline was kind of… out there sometimes, but somehow still easy to follow.

Thanks to the publisher for providing an eARC of The Lost Language of Crazy in exchange for an honest review.

The Lost Language of Crazy is an admiral attempt to try and tackle a lot of underwritten topics in middle grade (I understand this is shelved as YA at least on Netgalley, but it has big MG vibes), but I think it tries to tackle too many things at once over the course of so few pages and it leads to things either feeling too quickly paced or too forceful to buy into.

Giving this 3.5-4/5 stars. This talks about Penelope and how she navigates through her daily life when she discovers her mother isn't really dead. I enjoyed the mental illness representation and how huge gender was a part of this. Considering how short the chapters are and the book itself I read through this quite fast. Overall, this book met my expectations and I really enjoyed reading it.

I don't know how to feel about this book. I liked the mental illness theme, but I was in shock and horrified at the terrible Muslim representation. The writing wasn't great either, to be honest. There's a way of writing about yourself without making it sound like a self-insert fanfic. Penny was just so dislikeable because she was sooooo 'quirky'

I was really, really upset about how Zeina was just such a stereotype, and it's unfair that a white, non-muslim author (I say this all as a South-Asian Muslim) gets to claim that she cares about representing non-observant muslims when in reality it's just easier to write what she sees on the news and in the media.

Sorry, but this just wasn't for me.

Thank you to @Netgalley and @Atmosphere Press for providing me with an ARC of “The Lost Language of Crazy”, to read and honestly review!✨

I really enjoyed this book! From its very first pages, The Lost Language of Crazy plunges into some serious topics, and the way our narrator, P, a 13 year old girl, perceives them, how they affect her world and what they truly mean for (to) her. Her narration gave this book a truly refreshing edge; with a complex, curious and creative mind, our heroine slowly discovered her world and gave the readers the chance to see what being a writer is truly like, and in how many different ways somebody can exist as one.

This book was character driven and had great representation! Mental illness, gender identify, Muslim rep, selective mutism, this book touched into some serious topics, yet all the while managed to retain its funny, engaging side. P’s humor, playful way of perceiving human life, made this read truly enjoyable.

I liked the way all of the mental health issues were dealt with and most of all I loved how while reading, you felt as if you grew along with P, as she slowly navigated and explored the world she and all of us, live in!

[3.5/⭐️]

This book was informative and lovely and had good mental health rep. I loved the inclusion of blog posts and everything in between. The MC was loveable and wonderfully written. Well done!!

<b>Twelve year old Penny explores what it means to have no voice, what it means to hear many voices, and what it means to have your voice squashed.</b>

This was such an interesting read. I really loved the author's style of writing and the exploration behind mental illness. The two illnesses in focus are selective mutism and schizophrenia and I particularly enjoyed the monologue behind the selective mutism and the familial experience of schizophrenia.

There were various characters with lots of confusion about their identity, but the theme of friendship is very strong, and lent a warmth to the otherwise troubled storyline.

However, I felt that the story was rushed, and there was a lot to unpack with not a lot of time. I think the book could benefit from refinement, but Laskin is surely an author to watch.

The first third of this book felt like it was missing substance. It felt empty, like it was missing something. At first, none of the characters (except for Penny, slightly) were likable, but this changed as the story continued and the characters became more developed. There is a definite turning point in the story, and the writing style improved from there. Overall, this is a compelling story about mental illness and its effects on multiple lives. The title is extremely apt. I enjoyed the parallels between some of the characters' families and how Penny's friendships with Zeina, Johnny, and Ava evolved. However, the overly exuberant writing style detracts from the overall effect--there were tons of exclamation points sprinkled throughout, and it was sometimes jarring.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning more about schizophrenia, selective mutism, depression, and mental illness and its effects on family dynamics. Definitely thought-provoking.

Penny is a middle school girl exploring who she is. When she discovers a big secret about her mother her world is turned on it's heard and she loses her voice, literally.

Navigating the newfound information, trying to force her voice out, and still being a young teen is a muddled mess for Penny.

Can she find peace with her family history? With who she is? Will she find her voice again?

I know it's an unedited version but the formatting was a bit difficult with how the columns aligned and the crazy footnotes, title and authors names were randomly placed breaking up sentences.

A breathtaking story about identity and mental health that weaves topics such as love, acceptance and resilience in a hopeful but aching manner that culminates into an unforgettable narrative. While slow to read, I ended up enjoying this and will be recommending it in the library and beyond that space.

This story talks about identity and mental health.

Here's the main character, P, who keeps changing their name frequently as a part of their creativity. The character is so lively and driven at the beginning; full of vibes and a strong mind that wouldn't budge easily.

The dad is quite understanding though and I love reading about parents with never-ending patience dealing with their stubborn, chaotic teen kids. Also, there's another character struggling with an eating disorder.

The plot is quite character driven. Here's another character dealing with their gender identity. I really appreciate the representation of these characters. The story also focuses on the struggles of immigrants in getting proper jobs apart from being discriminated.

I just love the grandparents! I love how loving the entire family is.

The humour in the writing makes the read so much enjoyable. I was expecting a rather serious read when I started the book.

The story takes a turn when P discovers something she shouldn't have.

And the second half of the book ensues. It made me cry! I just wanted to protect P, her dad, her friends and there's this character who I wanted to know the most. My heart broke into pieces.

But well, things end well. I love how the mental health issues have been dealt with except for one character's mental health disorder which is likely to be depression.

I'm going to read anything and everything written by this author.

Thank you, author and the publisher @Atmosphere Press for the advance reading copy.