Ann Braden has a knack for creating characters I wish I'd had as a child, that still speak to me as an adult. I am a questioning, truth-seeker, who wants to see the good while also noticing the bad that needs to be changed. Agnes is a character who needs to be shared with young readers who may be trying to figure out who they are separate from their families and friends. Kids who are trying to determine their own truths and how they want to tell their stories.

I have loved all of Ann Braden's books and this one does not disappoint. Opinions and Opossums is a wonderful book about discovering your own voice and deciding things for yourself. In it, Agnes, is forced by her mother to attend religious education confirmation classes. Agnes' mother is hoping for a promotion at work and is wanting to impress her very religious boss, whose daughter is also in the class. However, Agnes starts questioning the image of God supplied by the church. I wish I had this book when I was growing up and going through confirmation classes. This book would be great for a classroom read aloud as it could lead to wonderful discussions. Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC.

Wow! This title has a lot to uncover for middle grade, young adult and even adult readers. Agnes is doing her best trying to do what her mother needs her to do. Yet, as a young girl she is trying to discover who she is and what she believes. She seeks truth and strength while asking questions and building relationships. Through her journey, others find their strength, truth and voice. This is a great addition for school or classroom libraries. I foresee myself utilizing it as a book club choice.

Braden does it again! Opinions and Opossums relates the story of Agnes (named for St. Agnes and her stuffy grandmother). Agnes’s mom asks her to participate in confirmation classes at church when mom’s boss puts undue pressure on mom to “raise her daughter right” along with his unwritten chauvinistic rules. Mom hopes that Agnes can help her win brownie points toward a promotion they desperately need.

Also lovely are supportive characters. There is Gracy, their wise, elderly neighbor; Mo, Agnes’s longtime best friend; Miranda, the antagonistic daughter of Mom’s chauvinist boss; and Pastor Paul, who leads the confirmation classes. So many layers fit together to reveal how Agnes, her mom, Mo, and her new friends all grow!

A wonderful book I was ready to pick up again as soon as I finished. A girl faces her self image and belief system and learns to nurture both. Young teen relationships with family, friends and peers are dealt with gently in a way I have come to expect from Ann Braden.

“But still, like dust, I'll rise.” —Maya Angelou
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Agnes is being told by her mom that she needs to attend confirmation classes because her mom’s religious boss is expecting it. His own daughter will also be in the confirmation class as well and Agnes needs to be on her best behavior, but what will she do when the church’s idea of God doesn’t match her own. Talking with her best friend, her mom, her neighbor and girls from church help Agnes grow and solidify her beliefs, even when they differ from those of the church. When Agnes starts thinking and writing for herself, a whole new light fills up in her life.
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Where was this MG book when I was growing up? I would have connected with it so much! @annbradenbooks has the amazing gift to take tough topics and make them understandable and thought-provoking for young readers. Topics such as questioning one’s religion, feminism, racial issues, dress code and more are all covered age-appropriately & with care. She is definitely in my top 5 of all time favorite middle grade authors. There isn’t one book she’s written that hasn’t been a 5 ⭐️ review for me. I cannot wait until this novel is out in the world on May 2.

CW: death of a parent (mentioned), misogyny

Ann Braden has done it again! Her new novel Opinions and Opossums is a beautiful story about finding your voice, opening your mind to different ways to see the world, and friendship. I wish I was friends with the main character Agnes when I was in middle school. She is ahead of her time. Plus, this character is inspired by the gorgeous poetry of Maya Angelou. I highly recommend this middle grade novel.

I loved Ann’s previous two books so much they have a permanent spot on my top bookshelf. And now, this book does too. It is a delightful, yet serious, glimpse into the world of Agness, a middle grade child grappling with how the world works around her. Living with her single mother, she’s been conditioned to follow the rules and stay quiet in hopes of reaching for a better life. Say the right things. Wear the right things. Think the right things…including how to think about God. But interactions with her 70 year old anthropologist neighbor has set her mind on fire. Why are things the way they are? Why do we believe certain things over others? Why does it matter who told our stories and how they were captured? These questions send Agnes on a journey of self-discovery so powerful that she cannot help bring her best friend and mother along for the ride, too. That’s what I love most about this book: the feeling of finding your voice and learning how not to place others’ opinions above your own truth is contagious for readers, too.

Agnes is having questions about many things and when her mom signs her up for confirmation classes, Agnes realizes she may not believe in God. She’s not even sure there’s a heaven. These thoughts lead Agnes to come up with some thought provoking questions which leads her to other things she always assumed were true and now she finds “asking questions is its own higher power.” It’s great to see Agnes thinking for herself and standing up for her beliefs even if others don’t always agree.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-ARC of this new middle grade novel.

A fan of Ann Braden's, I was excited to jump into this one. I intentionally had not read much about the content and subject matter. When I started reading, I wasn't sure that I was going to love it. Religion isn't a central theme in many middle grade novels, and I couldn't decide how I thought that this was going to play out. In the end, it was so much more than I hoped it would be. It's the perfect book for parents to read with children who are questioning faith, and I can't wait to share it with friends and students.