Official Review: Out Loud by Luz Agudelo

[Annelore Trujillo]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Out Loud" by Luz Agudelo.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Out Loud by Luz Agudelo is a children’s book about bullying. There is a sandcastle building contest on the beach and June wants to enter. However, when everyone is pairing up, she gets left out. She decides to enter the contest anyway, but then her castle is trampled down by a bully. Will she build it back up or will she give up? Will stand up to this bully? You’ll have to read this book to find out.

The message of this book is one of the most important lessons that a children’s book can teach. Bullying is something that children deal with almost every day. Whether they are the bully, are being bullied, or know someone who is being bullied, it’s part of their lives. I love when books teach children that bullying is not okay and to stand up to bullies.

The story was well-written. It was easy to follow, and it had a clear problem and solution. Children’s books often lack this clarity, especially when written in rhyme. I appreciate that the author had a solid story to promote the anti-bullying message. I also enjoyed the illustrations in this book. They were creative and depicted the story well. The only issue I had was that the people in the story were blue, but there wasn’t an explanation for this. From my experience with children, they will ask why the characters are blue. I’m not always the most creative, so coming up with an answer for them will be difficult for me.

I wasn’t really a fan of the rhyming pattern. It changed with each stanza, which stunted the flow. Changing patterns would have made more sense if they changed with each chapter instead of each stanza to give the book some consistency. The flow is important for books that need to be read out loud to the audience. Because of the difficulty of the vocabulary in this book, younger children might need the book to be read to them.

I give this book 3 out of 4 stars. The message and story were good, but the rhyming pattern was inconsistent and disrupted the flow of the book. Because of this, I took away one star. The book was well-edited. Even with the inconsistency of the rhyming, I would recommend this book for any children who are dealing with bullying. The recommended age group on Amazon is 7-10. I think this is a suitable age, and I would encourage parents to read it with their children.

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Out Loud
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

[kandscreeley]

If you are going to have a rhyming pattern, it should be well done and consist. It's too bad that it isn't because this is a very important topic. I do hope that June stands up to the bully and rebuilds her castle. It sounds like a cute story. Thanks!

[Mai Tran]

A children book with a solid plot is so hard to find, it's too bad that the book doesn't flow well. I'm not sure how I would explain why the characters have blue skins either. (Umm- they're Smurfs?) Thanks for the analysis and insights.

[maggi3]

This book has an important message that kids need to hear. Bullying, especially in schools, is often overlooked. I wonder if more books like this were available, minus the problems with the flow, if we would start to see a decrease in bullying. Thanks for the review!

[Gathoni1991]

Good of the author to write about so much of a contemporary issue-bullying. Thank you for the great review.

[kdstrack]

Bullying is a current issue, and I have seen quite a few children's books on this subject. It seems like June has several issues to deal while at the beach. The uneven cadence of the rhymes would make the reading difficult. I enjoyed your review!

[gali]

A children’s book revolving around a shy girl who stands up to bullying sounds profound. The book's message is sure an important one. I agree it is odd that characters are blue. Too bad about the inconsistent rhymes, but at least the book was well edited. Thank you for the review!

[Hester3]

Thank you for the review, this is a very important topic and I will definitely read this book to my children. My youngest son will be starting school next year and I was wondering how to teach him about bullies and how to handle them.

[Vickie Noel]

I never tire of children's books with viable lessons that can be incorporated in teaching my school pupils. Bullying is always a hot topic, and I'm glad this book clearly shows how children can stand up to bullies, especially better if they don't use their fists. Too bad that the rhyming pattern was inconsistent. Thanks for the clear review.

[Scerakor]

Through the metaphor of a sandcastle, the important theme of bullying is addressed in this book.

[Erin Dydek]

It’s good to know that the problem and solution are clearly presented in the plot, even if the rhyming patterns change. This sounds like a great story to share and read to the 7-10 age group since bullying is a common issue faced by school children.

[Ferdinand_Otieno]

This is an interesting book on bullying, friendship, facing one's fears and childhood. It is an excellent book for children aged 6-12. I liked the well-written review, thanks.

[aacodreanu]

An excellent review by anneloretrujillo! As I had guessed from sampling the book, the reviewer confirmed: it is about bullying, and the importance of the topic is duly emphasized.
I also tend to agree with her as regards the way rhymes are used. I don't know about the blue people, I have seen so extravagant extensions of reality in children's books that I doubt the blue people will be an issue for them. Even if it is, some fanciful explanation, like them having drunk ink, or eaten Curaçao oranges can be provided. I am sure it could be fun to let them come with an explanation.
Great review!

[Verna Coy]

I agree that a book using rhyme should use rhyme that is consistent with its rhythm. This book sounds like a great story that covers bullying in a way that kids will identify with on a personal level. Everyone has experienced it in some way I think. Thanks for the great review!

[Amy+++]

I love the message of this book, and I have only read the sample but she stands up to the bully. Great review.