This story about a child driven by the pressures of high achievement into bad decisions rings true through and through. Interestingly, this story allowed everything to fall apart for the character. She really had to build back up from rock bottom when she finally came clean. I appreciated the honesty of the storyline. It hit home a lot harder seeing her go through the whole process rather than everything getting pulled together just before her deceptions came apart. This one impressed me.

I enjoyed this audiobook and narrator of "Golden Ticket, by Kate Egan. Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity for an advanced copy. It had a good message and was fairly short. I feel grades 3-5th would benefit/ enjoy this story. I look forward to reading/listening to others by this author.

This was one of the times I was surprised by the content of a children's book. Although the narrator sounded grown up, the words were quite appropriate and childlike, which made it entirely believable. Our central character is Ash McNulty, who knows no other way than to be part of the gifted student program at her school. Her parents have great hopes for her future based on the trajectory she has been on, and when she begins to struggle, she is paralysed by her uncertainties.
Ash is a sincere student with no hobbies (at least none that have been encouraged) other than participating in school activities like quizzes.
At a very young age, Ash was selected to be part of a small group with the personal attention of a teacher, and they are meant to go faster than the regular classes. Ash has reached the point where things are not as easy as they once were, and she does not know how to 'fix' it.
This story is of her seeing things around her in a different light, reassessing herself and how she interacts with the world around her. Her frustration with the difference in her sister's life is quite realistically portrayed, as is the eventual understanding of what it means to put in the effort.
Some relationship changes would seem too radical if the crowd were slightly older. For the preteen group described in the book, it makes sense for the girls to alter their behaviour as and when they feel less defensive.
I think this would be a good book for children who think they are different from the others around them (for whatever reason) and to consider that thought more carefully.
The audiobook format was a comfortable medium for me to absorb the story. I had not expected the emotional investment I would finally have in the outcome of the story. I would pick up another book either by the author or the narrator again.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own listening experience.

Middle grade will always be one of my favorite age ranges to read. This book was excellent and the audio was wonderful.

Sometimes we forget that even young students put a lot of pressure on themselves. This book has a great message. So many students will connect with this story. It is a must have.

Thank you to NetGalley for the audio version of this book.. My elementary school age child really enjoyed listening to this book. She told me this was a book that made her think and feel good. I have to agree.

The Golden Ticket is a junior novel for, suitable for a child in perhaps years 4 - 6 at Primary School.

Ais is a talented and gifted student, and has special classes at school that cater for her abilities. Ais is starting to fall behind at school and the pressures of keeping up her grades, to what is expected to her by not only her parents and teachers, but her friends and those around her also.

Ais decides to cheat on a school test, in hopes that by winning it two years in a row, her parents will be able to forgive her for her low report card and low score on her English Test.

Ais' plan comes undone when her cheating is found out by a fellow classmate.

There are lessons to be learned in this novel, not just to children about the consequences of cheating, but also to parents and caregivers about the pressure our children are under to succeed and always achieve the highest results.

Ais sees her sister and her peers having fun, playing sports etc, and going on hiking camps, whereby Ais has never been given these opportunities as she has always been epected to be the scholar of the family.

I quite enjoyed this story, and the lessons it teaches us.

4 Stars: I enjoyed it and would recommend it to people who like the genre. I will definitely want to read more books by this author.

Thankyou to Netgalley, RB Media and Recorded Books for my advanced audio copy in exchange for my honest review.

Please visit my Facebook page and blog to see all of my past and future book reviews.
https://www.facebook.com/kyliesbookaddictreviews
https://kyliesbookaddictreviews.blogspot.com/

I love this book and can’t wait to place it lovingly on my classroom bookshelf. I will also give it to many of my students as an end-of-year gift.
The message is lovely - “You are special. Do you.” I teach at a school where not only are students trying to get into the “honors” class, but they are also trying to get out of the EAL class because of the stigma attached. I am forever reminding my kiddos that it doesn’t matter what your class placement is based in a silly test, what matters is how much you are personally learning and growing and doing things you love. This special book will remind them of that when I’m not there to whisper in their ears. Everyone is special in a unique way. You don’t need to fit into a mold.

I really think the trials and tribulations, the self-doubt and the moments of growth will resonate with a middle school audience. Many different students will be able to identify with one or more of the characters in the story. Even the smaller characters are so integral to the whole story. I love the struggling learner who wins an award, the new girl frenemy, the helicopter parents. The main characters parents are immigrants and you can feel for them as they struggle to balance wanting the best for their kids, and wanting their idea of an American Dream fulfilled The little sister is the counterbalance and the promise that not following a predestined path can be ok. The tropes are out in full force in this book, but each is there for a purpose and they fit together like a perfect jigsaw puzzle. The teachers might be a bit too “good” but I viewed them more as conduits for the kids’ self-exploration.
The voice actor did a really good job of infusing a lot of the feelings of the preteen characters.
This one will definitely go towards the top of my recommendation list.
Thank you to #NetGalley and #RecordedBooks for the ALC in exchange for my honest opinions.

Ash is in her last year of elementary school but everything that she thought she knew is beginning to be called into question. "Golden Ticket" offered a bit of opportunity for reflection on the choices one makes and the perceptions of others, along with how to navigate that. Ash is part of the Gifted and Talented program but is finding it more challenging than it had been in the past. This story offers quite a few topics for discussion in the middle grade ages, along with painting a realistic picture of what these ages face between school, their own thoughts and goals, and friendships. Thank you NetGalley and RB Media for an advanced audio copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own!

Have you ever wondered what it's like to stand out? Have you known kids in the gifted and talented programs in schools? Are you curious how those programs come to be, who is selected to participate and what the classes are like? If you have ever asked any of those questions, or you just want a really great realistic look into the life of a 5th grader struggling in the GT program, this is the novel for you! Beware, there is a series of unfortunate events that haunt this story though!

Ash is in the gifted and talented program in 5th grade at her school. Her school is already the main attraction in the town she lives in and her program only has a few coveted seats open. So when Ash starts to slip in her understanding, her grades and the other academics that make up her whole world, she starts to have an identity crisis. Things spiral down from there as Ash desperately tries to stay on top, but slips further into mistakes and lies.

This novel is inspirational for students who feel academic pressure to succeed, have made mistakes and need ideas on how to fix them and who want to fix some of the injustices they see at their schools.

I really loved the partnered project idea in this novel- the students had to make an island and represent it and give a tour of it at a parent night: cool idea to incorporate economies, cultures, and geography. I could see this island project being used for a book report or an animal study and I love the idea!

As an educator, I thought this book included many important themes that many elementary and middle school students could relate to! This would be a wonderful book to discuss with students to help them learn and grow from.