4.5 ⭐️

A sweet coming of age story about a girl learning to speak up for herself, all thanks to the lone opossum she helps save. This story has a great lesson about learning HOW to speak up for yourself even if others don't agree with your beliefs. It's ok to agree to disagree.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story, both as an educator and as a human. Growing up Catholic myself, I could definitely relate to Agnes' questioning her religious teachings, but I also found it to be told in a way that won't put off those who aren't religious/Catholic.

Questions of religion, shopping cart tales, and opossums help make this fun, quirky novel by Ann Braden. Opinions and Opossums is about Agnes who is searching for her place in this world - who she is and who she wants to be. After her dad died, her mom is stuck working at a job with a boss who makes her wear stockings everyday and bases her chance at a promotion on whether or not Agnes goes to confirmation class. Agnes does go to confirmation (begrudgingly), but it’s there that she finally learns to stand up for herself and what she believes. With wise words from her neighbor Gracy, and from the inspiring Maya Angelou, Agnes finally starts down the road of figuring out the answer to her questions and not being afraid to stand up for what she believes in. This is a great book for middle graders who are searching for their own voice and place in the world.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy. All opinions are my own.

This book really made me think. At an age where many of my students prepare for confirmation, this book will be relatable. I loved the relationship with the neighbor and how comfortable Agnes is with her mom. The discussions among characters were very realistic. Agnes has a lot to grapple with and I loved being a part of that internal conflict.

This story is a wonderful combination of memorable characters, a thought-provoking plot, and funny bits that don't undermine the deft handling of serious topics. This would be a great choice for a book club or group discussion.

This is a book I needed as a kid and even as an adult. The themes of standing up for what you believe in, not conforming to authority when it means going against your beliefs, learning to think independently, and accepting and respecting others (especially when their beliefs and ways of thinking are not the same as yours), will give readers powerful tools to live their own lives and respectfully question status quo. I enjoyed learning more about women in history and religion as well as scientific facts about opossums. The way in which the facts were woven into the story felt natural and necessary. This is one of my favorite books so far this year and Agnes a favorite character. I highly recommend this book to all middle grade readers.

When she learns the story of resistance at the heart of the story connected to the patron saint whose name she carries, she finds St. Agnes's brave stance for her truth far more inspiring than the vague connotations with sheep she always connected with the name she shares with her maternal grandmother. When her mother asks Agnes to participate in a confirmation class at her church to honor her grandmother's religious beliefs, Agnes begins to question what she believes about the kind of god she could believe in rather than the God she is being told to honor in the process. Imagining that her "god's" voice must rhyme with the majesty and wisdom that rises from Maya Angelou's poetry, Agnes begins to explore what she believes about the world and the ways in which history has erased, ignored, diminished, or punished women. Ultimately, Agnes's search to “tell the truth, to [her]self first," leads her to more expansive, inspiring understanding of spirituality as a space that leads to light, love, and truth, for herself, her friends, and her family. And 0possoms!

I loved the characters in this book (the main ones and the side characters) and the purposes they served in telling this story. The journaling/storytelling from the opposum’s view on life was poignant and insightful on its own and added to the meaningful discoveries of Agnes, her mother and Miranda. I didn’t want to stop reading anytime I was forced to put it down. Such a thought-provoking story.

Middle school students are filled with questions. They’re seeking to make sense of their world. Agnes is in seventh grade, living with her single mother who is afraid to upset her boss and lose her job. Thus Agnes goes to confirmation class with the boss’ daughter. Agnes is expected to be a model, quiet, conforming girl. Agnes, however, has questions and opinions. At the same time, Agnes develops a relationship with their “old” neighbor Gracy who helps Agnes navigate her questions I loved the multigenerational relationship that developed and the way they looked out for each other.

Braden is one of my favorite middle grade authors. Her characters are believable and relatable. She faces current issues in a way that makes sense to middle grade readers. It is always a pleasure to recommend her books to students. Any time Ann Braden publishes a new book, count me in.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

You know what people find uncomfortable? Talking about anything that challenges their belief system, including God and religion. But you know what else? Kids wonder about a lot of things. They also really, really want to fit in. They are also at an age that begins to open their eyes to the wider world than what they have known, and that is confusing and scary and intense. And if adults don't allow uncomfortable conversations to happen, then kids keep their questions inside, and belief systems don't change.

Ann Braden--in all of her books, but most recently in her new novel, Opinions and Opossums--opens the door for these important conversations. The main character, Agnes, must attend religious confirmation class, but her relationship with God is complicated--and she has questions. With grace and respect, Braden allows Agnes, and the reader, to explore, ask questions, and challenge ideas about God, gender expectations, and "the way it's always been". With the help of her anthropologist neighbor and her knowledge of opossums (which, hey, are pretty cool!), Agnes finds the courage to speak up, and, it turns out, she's not the only one with questions.

I want to say, "hand this book to a kid you think is struggling with big questions", but, truly, that's EVERY kid. Share this book. Talk about this book. Give kids a safe space to ask questions, think for themselves, and form their own opinions. It's ok to be a little uncomfortable, especially when it can lead to better understanding and acceptance.

Thank you to Ann Braden and Netgalley for an e-ARC of this book!

This book made me think and made me feel. What more could you ask of a book? What an important story for kids struggling with the things Agnes struggles with. Another winner from Ann Braden!

This book truly resonated with me. Agnes and her mother are trapped by both their circumstances and gender. As Agneds begins to question her beliefs she must consider how her actions impact their future. I think kids will relate to this struggle.

A huge thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book. I have never read a book like this and I thoroughly enjoyed it! What a great book for readers of really all ages! This book gives kids permission to question what they are told to believe but in a totally respectful way. I love how Braden wrote the main character of Agnes. She is such a strong character and I was cheering for her all the way through the book. I can't wait to buy a copy to share with my 6th grade students. I would highly recommend this book to any middle-grade student.

Ann does it again! I seriously can not get over the character development in this story and just how relatable all of the characters are. From the mom as an adult to the kids in every story. This is a story kids need and I’m so glad it’ll be out there in the world!

Middle grade books that address faith are so very rare, especially ones that are not written for a specific type of (conservative) Christian. I so appreciated this book allowing space for the characters to question.

Absolutely loved this contemporary middle grade story about a tween girl grappling with her faith, gender expectations, and friendship issues. The characters felt authentic, and Braden's writing is thought provoking without being didactic.

I love all things Ann Braden, so I could not wait to get a hold of an arc of Opinions and Opossums. My teenage self had so many of the same questions that Agnes does, and I’m guessing many other young girls do also. I can only hope that my much older self has succeeded in being a Gracy to a girl or two.
You are going to want to preorder this one (it’s not out till May 2023). Read it, gift it to a girl who is full of burning questions, and then watch the conservative patriarchy trip all over each other trying to get it banned from libraries.

The main character Agnes begins the story as a quiet aka 'good' girl. Tamped down to fit in and conform. Because of her 70-year-old neighbor, Agnes begins to question the world around her. She finds her own voice and learns how not to place others’ opinions above her own truth.

I wish I had books like this growing up. Books that pushed against convention and allowed me to feel safe with my thoughts, even if they were different from my family's and friends.

This is a great book to recommend to middle schoolers, to help build self-acceptance and awareness, especially for kids who may feel stifled by exterior pressures of any kind. Fast-paced and funny, this novel will resonate with anyone who’s ever been afraid to say what they think.

LOVE this book! After encountering an opossum playing dead in the road, the main character realizes that this survival instinct may not always be useful--especially not when she applies the concept to her own life. She embarks on a journey in which she starts to question her mother's strict expectations--including the fact that she has to attend confirmation to please her mother's boss. What follows is a gorgeous exploration of the value of asking questions, especially as it applies to religion--done in a very respectful and engaging way that will help young readers think about their own relationship with God.

Ann Braden’s “Opinions and Opossums” is so relevant and timely for middle grade readers seeking their truth. Braden takes the experiences of confirmation class, navigating middle school friendships and unwritten rules, and learning to see the world through fresh eyes, and makes it all so relatable through the main character, Agnes. Some of my favorite parts are the nuggets of wisdom shared by Agnes’s septuagenarian neighbor-turned-mentor, Gracy: “‘History is a story,’ she says. ‘A story based on facts if the writer’s done their research and weighed all the evidence, but a story nonetheless. So you always need to be thinking about who’s telling the story.’” I wish I had had this story when I was growing up.

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the eARC for review.