Don’t Call Them Cute
Banunu and Yennie Fer
Independently Published, 2025
Ebook, 225 ppg.
ISBN: 9798293365821
NOTE: This review is based on an ARC I received from the authors. This book is scheduled for release in November.
***Thank you to authors Yennie Fer and Banunu for this digital Advanced Reader’s Copy! This review is voluntary, and all thoughts and opinions are my own.***
Weird dads! Weird dreams! Blueberry muffins!
No, it’s not the world turned upside down. It’s the middle grade horror novel Don’t Call Them Cute by Banunu and Yennie Fer. In this novel, a group of four kids who are trying to make sense of a lot of strange dreams that keep happening, and which seem to be connected to two people in the group.
Emile Carter begins to have weird dreams on the night she receives a stuffed lamb as a gift. Is the lamb cursed? A tool used by aliens?
Only her best friend, Mary, also 10 and a budding detective who devours mystery novels, would be able to crack the case. But Mary has dark secrets of her own, which could tear her world apart if her friends knew all about them.
Then there’s Logan, age 9 and the only boy in the group (who, according to Mary, is not really a boy) and the one who has a crush on Emile. But Logan remains in the friendzone, and he’s still happy to be included in the group all the same.
Then there is Lucy, the 12-year-old practical and prim member of the group who is actually (gasp!) normal. Lucy seems to be more mature than her friends, but probably because she is the oldest of the group.
Together, this group of best friends decide to form a mystery solving club to get to the bottom of Emile’s strange dreams. Because they seem different from most “normal” kids, they are often bullied, but they stand together to fight off anyone who tries to tear them down.
Emile is the daughter of the school principal, and while her dad often tries to remind her that she should get her act together because she has to set an example (for real??), Emile is more interested in getting her own phone. Her FIRST phone, to be exact.
But the weird dreams keep happening, and after Emile is hurt in one of them, she and her friends realize that this is serious business. More serious than getting a phone.
Together, the friends investigate this mystery to try and find out why these dreams are happening, and if the lamb stuffy is connected!
Children are often faced with horrible circumstances that are much bigger than them and too terrifying to understand, but with her friends at her side, Emile finds a way to make sense of the scary situation she is in and find a way to get out of it alive!
Don’t Call Them Cute is a heartwarming story of friendship, family, and what it takes to be brave. This story will offer teachable moments to young readers and open the lines for discussion with their parents. A story that could be enjoyed by readers young and old, it provides an entertaining mystery and a good dose of suspense that will keep readers hooked until the very end.
Five stars
Disclaimer: Thank you to authors Yennie Fer and Banunu for this digital advanced reader’s copy! Reviews are totally voluntary. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
Thank you so much for having us be included in your bookish blog! This review really makes my heart warm! :'D
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome! Thank you for the opportunity to review this fantastic book. I really enjoyed reading it.
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