I got a really crushing review on Netgalley.com recently. And I had to think: what makes a person do do this? Not because it's brutal or even a little mean. Because I get that that happens sometimes. But frankly--and I don't know if I should say this or not--but if I don't like a book, I can't finish it. Simple as that. What I find most fascinating about this particular review, is that it's probably the longest one I've gotten. So this person sat down and spent some time to say that my book was not worth the money, and they wouldn't recommend it to children or death row inmates(okay, I added that part). This thing was longer than letters I write to my favorite aunts. I'm not kidding--I love my aunties. They still tell me stories about how cute I was as a baby. That's very important for an author. Okay, maybe just this author. Anyway, as an author, I have to sit down and really consider what I put out that will add to this weird thing called your persona. I'm not sure what my persona is. This is my first book, so there's no way I could've written something that made this person feel that it was important that I be stopped, before I cause further harm to second graders and teens. Oh, I forgot to mention. One of my reviewers actually read my book to her second grader every night before she went to bed. That is serious y'all. I have no words for that. And the little girl loved it. There seems to be a trend of mothers reading Nyira with their daughters. I'm trying to encourage that in the giveaway I'm running right now. Perhaps that's something this latest reviewer might consider. Perhaps getting the opinion of a second grader. I take solace in the fact that I might have a leg up in that market. So the next time someone tells me that my book sucks, I will say: OH, YEAH? Well have you discussed this with the second graders? Because I beg to differ! LITTLE GIRLS RULE! #BETTERWITHAGIRLINIT