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Zia Erases the World
"Luminous, empowering, and full of heart-healing truths, this is a novel that belongs on every shelf." — Katherine Applegate, Newbery Award winning author
For fans of Crenshaw and When You Trap a Tiger comes the extraordinary tale of a headstrong girl and the magical dictionary she hopes will explain the complicated feelings she can't find the right words for—or erase them altogether.
Zia remembers the exact night the Shadoom arrived. One moment she was laughing with her best friends, and the next a dark room of shadows had crept into her chest. Zia has always loved words, but she can’t find a real one for the fear growing inside her. How can you defeat something if you don’t know its name?
After Zia’s mom announces that her grouchy Greek yiayia is moving into their tiny apartment, the Shadoom seems here to stay. Until Zia discovers an old family the C. Scuro Dictionary, 13th Edition .
This is no ordinary dictionary. Hidden within its magical pages is a mysterious blue eraser shaped like an evil eye. When Zia starts to erase words that remind her of the Shadoom, they disappear one by one from the world around her. She finally has the confidence to befriend Alice, the new girl in sixth grade, and to perform at the Story Jamboree. But things quickly dissolve into chaos, as the words she erases turn out to be more vital than Zia knew.
In this raw, funny, and at times heartbreaking middle grade debut, Bree Barton reveals how—with the right kind of help—our darkest moments can nudge us toward the light.
For fans of Crenshaw and When You Trap a Tiger comes the extraordinary tale of a headstrong girl and the magical dictionary she hopes will explain the complicated feelings she can't find the right words for—or erase them altogether.
Zia remembers the exact night the Shadoom arrived. One moment she was laughing with her best friends, and the next a dark room of shadows had crept into her chest. Zia has always loved words, but she can’t find a real one for the fear growing inside her. How can you defeat something if you don’t know its name?
After Zia’s mom announces that her grouchy Greek yiayia is moving into their tiny apartment, the Shadoom seems here to stay. Until Zia discovers an old family the C. Scuro Dictionary, 13th Edition .
This is no ordinary dictionary. Hidden within its magical pages is a mysterious blue eraser shaped like an evil eye. When Zia starts to erase words that remind her of the Shadoom, they disappear one by one from the world around her. She finally has the confidence to befriend Alice, the new girl in sixth grade, and to perform at the Story Jamboree. But things quickly dissolve into chaos, as the words she erases turn out to be more vital than Zia knew.
In this raw, funny, and at times heartbreaking middle grade debut, Bree Barton reveals how—with the right kind of help—our darkest moments can nudge us toward the light.
256 pages, Hardcover
Published April 26, 2022
18 people are currently reading
471 people want to read
About the author
Bree Barton
4 books508 followersBree is an award-winning author, screenwriter, and mental health advocate who believes stories have the power to heal. She’s written four novels (HarperCollins, Viking/Penguin Random House) translated into six languages and published in nine countries.
As a seasoned speaker and workshop leader, Bree has worked with 30+ schools, colleges, and nonprofits nationwide, creating safe spaces where people of all ages can share their own stories of resilience and survival. She has collaborated with NAMI, United Way, Family & Children's Services, and other social service organizations to expand mental healthcare accessibility.
Through her advocacy and essays in Slate, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and USA Today, Bree uses authentic storytelling to destigmatize sticky subjects like mental illness. She’s also the founder of Rock 'n' Write, a dance-and-writing program for young folx—because sometimes you need to move your body before you can move your pen.
I N S T A G R A M: instagram.com/speakbreely
Y O U T U B E: youtube.com/breebarton
As a seasoned speaker and workshop leader, Bree has worked with 30+ schools, colleges, and nonprofits nationwide, creating safe spaces where people of all ages can share their own stories of resilience and survival. She has collaborated with NAMI, United Way, Family & Children's Services, and other social service organizations to expand mental healthcare accessibility.
Through her advocacy and essays in Slate, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and USA Today, Bree uses authentic storytelling to destigmatize sticky subjects like mental illness. She’s also the founder of Rock 'n' Write, a dance-and-writing program for young folx—because sometimes you need to move your body before you can move your pen.
I N S T A G R A M: instagram.com/speakbreely
Y O U T U B E: youtube.com/breebarton
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
June 16, 2022
We had less words when I was a kid. It's true! When I was growing up the same concepts and ideas as today were all around, but so many of their terms were unknown to the general populace. I had a friend with OCD but we didn’t have a name for it. I had a friend who was certainly non-binary, but the idea of personal pronouns had entered few children’s lexicons. We had kids who were neurodivergent or suffered from anxiety and yet the terms we used for these conditions were so clunky and broad. I don’t know that we quite understood how important it would be to name things for what they were. Names have power. If you can name something, you can tackle it. And for so long our children have wrestled with the nameless. They’ve been on their own, maybe making up their own names when they couldn’t shove themselves into the already existing lexicon. I say all this, but it’s not like the kids born today are gifted every word out there instantly upon birth. They still need to find the words and the names that fit who they are inside. This is a concept that would be difficult to put into a novel for children in the first place, so what do you do? Perhaps you turn it into a fantastical narrative. A metaphor of sorts, that manages to balance the magical with the deadly serious. In Zia Erases the World author Bree Barton takes on that challenge. Her concept is small, even silly, when you hear it. But the implications? You may find yourself grasping for words to describe them.
How do you tackle something you can’t even name? For at least a year now, Zia has been dealing with something that she calls the Shadoom. It's not something she likes to think about. Fortunately, there’s plenty to distract her. She and her mom are currently moving her very Greek grandmother (her yiayia), into their tiny home, she’s avoiding her old friends at school, and she’s met a new girl who’s not only nice and cool but funny too. Still, on the outer edges of everything, Zia knows that the Shadoom is just waiting to pounce. Words are Zia’s thing, so she buries herself in them a lot. Maybe that’s why she’s so drawn to a mysterious old book in her yiayia’s attic called the C. Scuro Dictionary, 13th Edition. Turns out, when Zia uses the eraser tucked inside on the book, she can literally erase any word, and its reality, out of existence. If you could get rid of any word, what would you erase? And what would you do if the one thing you’re trying to get rid of didn't seem to have a name?
I read a lot of contemporary middle grade graphic novels to my daughter. She’s just about the perfect age for Zia too, and sometimes I wonder how her reading experience would compare to my own at her age. For example, if I read her a book and a character is counting and tapping things a lot, she’ll look at me and say without hesitation, “OCD”. If someone is missing the signs that a friend or family member may be suffering from depression, she’ll call that out instantly. Would she be able to identify that the Shadoom in “Zia” is really anxiety and depression? Would other kids? Maybe some, but there is a distinct possibility that there are kids out there who have never even heard of these concepts before. Looking at the cover of this book, it resembles nothing so much as a light-hearted fantasy novel. So perhaps some fantasy enthusiast will pick it up, read it, and come to realize that this book is naming their own Shadoom as well. When you’re an author writing about serious subjects, you can’t rule out the possibility that some kid is going to see themselves in your book. I once heard someone, I think it was the author Ann M. Martin, say that because some kids write to her about their very serious issues in their lives and at home, she would hire a therapist to help her craft the correct responses to some of the cries for help they’d send to her. That may yet happen to Ms. Barton. After all, books can be mirrors, even when the person who picks them up is expecting a window.
I worry that when I talk in this review about something like Barton’s take on naming your pain, I’m making the book sound a lot more serious and dour than it actually is. The fact of the matter is that this light-hearted book jacket isn’t really all that misleading. Written in the first person, so much of the story hinges on Zia’s voice. And many is the middle grade novel I’ve put down (and kids as well, I guarantee you) when the main character's voice doesn’t work. With Zia, I was particularly wary. After all, this is a kid that smashes together words on a regular basis to make her own original combinations. That's the kind of thing that could go real twee, real quick. Instead, Barton pulls it off. Zia’s new words aren’t cute but they have their own inherent charm. You like Zia. Even when she’s doing things that are clearly wrongheaded, you might be mentally screaming at her but you’re still rooting for her all the way. Flawed heroines are tricky creatures to conjure to life, but this book pulls it off. You’d want Zia to be your friend. You’d just also have to acknowledge that that kind of friendship isn’t, what you’d call, easy.
Big concepts necessitate a smaller focus. If you’re not writing an epic fantasy novel of 500+ some pages, then you have to keep things simple. This is both a good and a bad thing. Good for the writer, since they don’t really have to broaden their focus much outside of their protagonists’ firsthand experiences. Bad, because anytime you attempt to take their concept to the logical next step the whole idea falls apart. Zia suffers from this conundrum a little. In this book a girl is capable of erasing the very concept behind a word out of existence. In doing so, she gets rid of some pretty huge ones, like “pain”. Now if, in fact, all pain were to cease in the world at once, the effects would be immediate, worldwide, and even if humanity itself couldn’t remember ever having felt pain, there’s be a general societal collapse in some way, yes? In this book, though, all the effects are local and, quite frankly, relatively small. Barton protects the reader from the darker implications, but that focus I talked about? It just zeroes in on Zia, her experiences, her friends and family, and that is it. At no point in this book does she ever see a news article related to her actions. And you understand completely how and why Barton made this choice. Just be aware that when you hand this book to a literal-minded reader, they’re gonna come back to you with some questions.
I’ll be frank with you when I say that I have no idea how one would go about writing a book like Zia. To get a book like this right, it has to read like a piece of well-oiled machinery. It needs to be able to balance out what seems like a fluffy magical concept alongside generational trauma and contemporary takes on personal mental health issues. When I sit back and think about the kids it could help, it sort of blows my tiny mind. It falls into that category of fantasy that cuddles right up to realistic fiction. Do we have a word for that kind of a book? I betcha Zia would. I betcha she’d also adore this book, if she happened to find it crammed in a corner of her grandmother’s attic. Fun and heart wrenching by turns, this book never flounders when trying to find the right words. We should all be so lucky.
How do you tackle something you can’t even name? For at least a year now, Zia has been dealing with something that she calls the Shadoom. It's not something she likes to think about. Fortunately, there’s plenty to distract her. She and her mom are currently moving her very Greek grandmother (her yiayia), into their tiny home, she’s avoiding her old friends at school, and she’s met a new girl who’s not only nice and cool but funny too. Still, on the outer edges of everything, Zia knows that the Shadoom is just waiting to pounce. Words are Zia’s thing, so she buries herself in them a lot. Maybe that’s why she’s so drawn to a mysterious old book in her yiayia’s attic called the C. Scuro Dictionary, 13th Edition. Turns out, when Zia uses the eraser tucked inside on the book, she can literally erase any word, and its reality, out of existence. If you could get rid of any word, what would you erase? And what would you do if the one thing you’re trying to get rid of didn't seem to have a name?
I read a lot of contemporary middle grade graphic novels to my daughter. She’s just about the perfect age for Zia too, and sometimes I wonder how her reading experience would compare to my own at her age. For example, if I read her a book and a character is counting and tapping things a lot, she’ll look at me and say without hesitation, “OCD”. If someone is missing the signs that a friend or family member may be suffering from depression, she’ll call that out instantly. Would she be able to identify that the Shadoom in “Zia” is really anxiety and depression? Would other kids? Maybe some, but there is a distinct possibility that there are kids out there who have never even heard of these concepts before. Looking at the cover of this book, it resembles nothing so much as a light-hearted fantasy novel. So perhaps some fantasy enthusiast will pick it up, read it, and come to realize that this book is naming their own Shadoom as well. When you’re an author writing about serious subjects, you can’t rule out the possibility that some kid is going to see themselves in your book. I once heard someone, I think it was the author Ann M. Martin, say that because some kids write to her about their very serious issues in their lives and at home, she would hire a therapist to help her craft the correct responses to some of the cries for help they’d send to her. That may yet happen to Ms. Barton. After all, books can be mirrors, even when the person who picks them up is expecting a window.
I worry that when I talk in this review about something like Barton’s take on naming your pain, I’m making the book sound a lot more serious and dour than it actually is. The fact of the matter is that this light-hearted book jacket isn’t really all that misleading. Written in the first person, so much of the story hinges on Zia’s voice. And many is the middle grade novel I’ve put down (and kids as well, I guarantee you) when the main character's voice doesn’t work. With Zia, I was particularly wary. After all, this is a kid that smashes together words on a regular basis to make her own original combinations. That's the kind of thing that could go real twee, real quick. Instead, Barton pulls it off. Zia’s new words aren’t cute but they have their own inherent charm. You like Zia. Even when she’s doing things that are clearly wrongheaded, you might be mentally screaming at her but you’re still rooting for her all the way. Flawed heroines are tricky creatures to conjure to life, but this book pulls it off. You’d want Zia to be your friend. You’d just also have to acknowledge that that kind of friendship isn’t, what you’d call, easy.
Big concepts necessitate a smaller focus. If you’re not writing an epic fantasy novel of 500+ some pages, then you have to keep things simple. This is both a good and a bad thing. Good for the writer, since they don’t really have to broaden their focus much outside of their protagonists’ firsthand experiences. Bad, because anytime you attempt to take their concept to the logical next step the whole idea falls apart. Zia suffers from this conundrum a little. In this book a girl is capable of erasing the very concept behind a word out of existence. In doing so, she gets rid of some pretty huge ones, like “pain”. Now if, in fact, all pain were to cease in the world at once, the effects would be immediate, worldwide, and even if humanity itself couldn’t remember ever having felt pain, there’s be a general societal collapse in some way, yes? In this book, though, all the effects are local and, quite frankly, relatively small. Barton protects the reader from the darker implications, but that focus I talked about? It just zeroes in on Zia, her experiences, her friends and family, and that is it. At no point in this book does she ever see a news article related to her actions. And you understand completely how and why Barton made this choice. Just be aware that when you hand this book to a literal-minded reader, they’re gonna come back to you with some questions.
I’ll be frank with you when I say that I have no idea how one would go about writing a book like Zia. To get a book like this right, it has to read like a piece of well-oiled machinery. It needs to be able to balance out what seems like a fluffy magical concept alongside generational trauma and contemporary takes on personal mental health issues. When I sit back and think about the kids it could help, it sort of blows my tiny mind. It falls into that category of fantasy that cuddles right up to realistic fiction. Do we have a word for that kind of a book? I betcha Zia would. I betcha she’d also adore this book, if she happened to find it crammed in a corner of her grandmother’s attic. Fun and heart wrenching by turns, this book never flounders when trying to find the right words. We should all be so lucky.
October 26, 2022
I don't encounter a lot of middle grade novels that deal with generational trauma and clinical depression (or as Zia calls it at first, "The Shadoom"), so that alone makes "Zia Erases the World" stand out to me. However it's also an imaginative work of speculative fiction that deftly balances heavy topics with humour and wordplay.
The premise is: A tween girl discovers a magic dictionary in her grandmother's attic, that allows her to erase words from existence. At first she thinks she's helping people by erasing words like "pain" and "fear", but eventually the consequences of erasing these words spin out of her control, and she starts to realize how necessary all feelings are to the human experience.
Pretty good stuff, and the perfect recommendation for a sensitive, bright young reader who keeps their feelings bottled up inside.
The premise is: A tween girl discovers a magic dictionary in her grandmother's attic, that allows her to erase words from existence. At first she thinks she's helping people by erasing words like "pain" and "fear", but eventually the consequences of erasing these words spin out of her control, and she starts to realize how necessary all feelings are to the human experience.
Pretty good stuff, and the perfect recommendation for a sensitive, bright young reader who keeps their feelings bottled up inside.
October 9, 2025
This is a terrific novel about a girl in sixth grade who begins to experience some mental health challenges she is unable to name or really cope with. It becomes speculative in nature when she gets hold of her grandmother’s beautiful old dictionary and finds she might be able to take matters into her own hands.
Themes include friendship, family, community, aging, and poverty, along with the speculative aspects. Highly recommended for middle grades and up, in both print and audio formats.
Note: The author’s acknowledgment section is not to be missed. My audio version, narrated by Cassandra Morris, did not include it, so be aware. I can’t speak to the ebook version, which presumably has it.
Themes include friendship, family, community, aging, and poverty, along with the speculative aspects. Highly recommended for middle grades and up, in both print and audio formats.
Note: The author’s acknowledgment section is not to be missed. My audio version, narrated by Cassandra Morris, did not include it, so be aware. I can’t speak to the ebook version, which presumably has it.
January 25, 2024
artık 26 yaşımda elimden tutan kitaplar diye bir liste yapacağım. zia’da listeden bize el sallayacak. bazı cümleleri nasıl kurdunuz siz bu çocuk kitabında ya! vicdansızlıktır! (ama nefistir de.) gölgoda’sı olan herkese tavsiyemdir.
August 4, 2022
The extraordinary tale of a headstrong girl and the magical dictionary she hopes will explain the complicated feelings she can't find the right words for—or erase them altogether.
April 12, 2022
Another magnificent, heartwarming book from the QUEEN of fantasy, Bree Barton.
Zia Erases the World is a MG novel that everyone out there, ages 9+, should read. It talks about mental health, that terror inside when anxiety strikes and how, despite our darkest moments, we can still find the light coming into our lives through the cracks our wounds have left.
I laughed, cried and connected with all of the characters in this beauty, especially since there's Greek representation in it.
I highly suggest you read Bree Barton's debut MG novel, as it'll take you to infinity and beyond! And it'll help you deal with some of your own dark moments.
Zia Erases the World is a MG novel that everyone out there, ages 9+, should read. It talks about mental health, that terror inside when anxiety strikes and how, despite our darkest moments, we can still find the light coming into our lives through the cracks our wounds have left.
I laughed, cried and connected with all of the characters in this beauty, especially since there's Greek representation in it.
I highly suggest you read Bree Barton's debut MG novel, as it'll take you to infinity and beyond! And it'll help you deal with some of your own dark moments.
February 16, 2024
✨10/10✨
Zia, anneannesinin evinin çatı katında bulduğu sözlükteki kelimeleri sildiğinde o kelimelerin hayatından çıktığını fark ettiğinde hayatını kötü etkileyen kelimeleri tek tek siliyor. Hüzün, korku, şeftali, iş vb. kelimeleri sildiğinde daha mutlu bir hayatı olacağına inanıyor ama dünyanın dengesi bozulmaya başladığında yanlış bir şeyler yaptığını anlıyor.
Kurgu, olay örgüsü ve karakterler mükemmeldi. Hem Zia’yı hem de Alice’i çok sevdim. Kitabın fikrine ve verdiği mesajlara bayıldım. Son sayfalarda ağladım. Fantastik ve bilim kurgu okumak isteyen +11 yaş gençlere kesinlikle tavsiye ederim.
Zia, anneannesinin evinin çatı katında bulduğu sözlükteki kelimeleri sildiğinde o kelimelerin hayatından çıktığını fark ettiğinde hayatını kötü etkileyen kelimeleri tek tek siliyor. Hüzün, korku, şeftali, iş vb. kelimeleri sildiğinde daha mutlu bir hayatı olacağına inanıyor ama dünyanın dengesi bozulmaya başladığında yanlış bir şeyler yaptığını anlıyor.
Kurgu, olay örgüsü ve karakterler mükemmeldi. Hem Zia’yı hem de Alice’i çok sevdim. Kitabın fikrine ve verdiği mesajlara bayıldım. Son sayfalarda ağladım. Fantastik ve bilim kurgu okumak isteyen +11 yaş gençlere kesinlikle tavsiye ederim.
March 21, 2024
Çocuklar ve gençlerde zorlu duygulara dair çooook güzel bir kitaptı. Etrafınızdaki gençlere, ergenlere okutmalısınız bence. Yazar da benzer şeyler yaşadığı için çok iyi aktarabilmiş.
February 17, 2022
I had the ENORMOUS pleasure of reading an advance copy of this book, which means that my life got to be enriched by it a few months before the rest of you get to share the pleasure. THIS IS AN AMAZING BEAUTIFUL CARING THOUGHTFUL FUN BOOK, a book that hearkens back to all my favorite middle-grade adventure stories (From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, Wrinkle In Time, etc.):
When the logophilic Zia discovers a magical dictionary, she learns that words can very literally change her world -- and she sets about making it better. Of course, things do not go as planned -- especially since the thing that she most wants to improve is something she isn't able to put into words: her depression.
Yes, this is a book about mental health (operative word: HEALTH), but even more than that, it is a caring, loving romp through a cast of characters who are all rich with complexity. This is a book about a girl who learns to articulate her feelings -- and it is also unspeakably fun to read. It belongs on every single bookshelf.
When the logophilic Zia discovers a magical dictionary, she learns that words can very literally change her world -- and she sets about making it better. Of course, things do not go as planned -- especially since the thing that she most wants to improve is something she isn't able to put into words: her depression.
Yes, this is a book about mental health (operative word: HEALTH), but even more than that, it is a caring, loving romp through a cast of characters who are all rich with complexity. This is a book about a girl who learns to articulate her feelings -- and it is also unspeakably fun to read. It belongs on every single bookshelf.
May 13, 2022
This is a beautiful book and it made me tear up while I was sitting at the desk, and I want more of it.
May 21, 2022
Premise/plot: Zia, our young heroine, discovers that she has the power (with a little help from a magical eraser and a magical dictionary) to change the world. But are her changes for the better or for the worse? Does erasing a word and all its meanings (definitions) ultimately helpful and healing to her anxiety? Or are words themselves part of the solution to what troubles her?
Zia struggles with 'the Shadoom.' It is her word for the shadow-y doom-y haunting weightiness of the anxiety that she's dealt with (mostly on her own, but sometimes with a little bit of reaching out for support) for the past year.
Quite a bit is going on in her life--at school and at home--and the Shadoom seems to be a little out of control. Will finding this magical dictionary be the solution she so desperately craves?
My thoughts: I wanted to love, love, love this one. I didn't quite love it. But I did really enjoy aspects of it. I'm not sure that magic realism is my cup of tea. I want to be clear that it isn't so much a problem with the book itself as I don't happen to enjoy magic realism. I like realistic fiction. I like fantasy. I don't necessarily like them together.
My absolute favorite quote:
Maybe it’s weird that an old dusty book of words gives me comfort. But words aren’t mean. They don’t make you feel small or broken. And if someone else does, you can look up small and broken in the dictionary and find them in permanent ink, proving someone else felt those things, too. Probably lots of someones. Who wouldn’t be comforted by that?
Zia struggles with 'the Shadoom.' It is her word for the shadow-y doom-y haunting weightiness of the anxiety that she's dealt with (mostly on her own, but sometimes with a little bit of reaching out for support) for the past year.
Quite a bit is going on in her life--at school and at home--and the Shadoom seems to be a little out of control. Will finding this magical dictionary be the solution she so desperately craves?
My thoughts: I wanted to love, love, love this one. I didn't quite love it. But I did really enjoy aspects of it. I'm not sure that magic realism is my cup of tea. I want to be clear that it isn't so much a problem with the book itself as I don't happen to enjoy magic realism. I like realistic fiction. I like fantasy. I don't necessarily like them together.
My absolute favorite quote:
Maybe it’s weird that an old dusty book of words gives me comfort. But words aren’t mean. They don’t make you feel small or broken. And if someone else does, you can look up small and broken in the dictionary and find them in permanent ink, proving someone else felt those things, too. Probably lots of someones. Who wouldn’t be comforted by that?
September 22, 2022
A very interesting story! A coworker mentioned it and we had a decently long conversation about what words we would choose to erase, and what the potential impact would be. I love approachable JFIC stories about mental health issues - where the author doesn't beat you over the head, but gently incorporates it into the character's lives in such a way that the reader can relate when they are dealing with similar issues. I also appreciated that the author was able to touch on how someone can go about their daily life and "seem fine" but be battling horrible demons inside - even stopping them from doing what they love, or distancing them from their friends.
At times, I thought the author was trying a little too hard to be relatable to young readers through her vocabulary choices, like a "cool parent" trying to be hip with their kid's friends. In all, a fast, enjoyable read, and a concept that I have yet to read about!
At times, I thought the author was trying a little too hard to be relatable to young readers through her vocabulary choices, like a "cool parent" trying to be hip with their kid's friends. In all, a fast, enjoyable read, and a concept that I have yet to read about!
March 6, 2022
This is a fabulous book. I was not sure what to expect, but I found there to be just the right amount of magical realism to balance the true reality of depression and its affects on children and young adults. Zia is living a normal life until the night the Shadoom first visits; the Shadoom is a place where Zia gets lost in the reality and pressures of daily life. The Shadoom haunts her day and night, affecting her every thought. The Shadoom, Zia's word for the murky shadows of doubt and fear which follow her, is gaining strength until one day she pays a visit to her Greek grandmother's attic, Zia discovers a way to erase those fears which follow her when she finds a family heirloom: the C. Scuro Dictionary, 13th Edition. Slowly Zia begins to erases those fears which are within her. As Zia regains confidence and light in her life, she makes a new friend, and her life begins to feel a little more normal. However, once again the Shadoom begins to creep back and the shadows gain strength. Zia must face her fears, or risk erasing herself and all that is truly important to her.
This book is a gift to the world. In light of all these banned book discussions in our news today, I think it is even more relevant that young readers have a chance to find books to resonate to them for whatever reason - mostly to know they are not alone. Kids need the chance to see themselves somewhere in a book, and I truly hope that if some child needs it, they find this book.
This book is a gift to the world. In light of all these banned book discussions in our news today, I think it is even more relevant that young readers have a chance to find books to resonate to them for whatever reason - mostly to know they are not alone. Kids need the chance to see themselves somewhere in a book, and I truly hope that if some child needs it, they find this book.
July 17, 2024
Zia içerisinden istemediği kelimeleri çıkarabildiği bir sözlüğe sahip olan ana karakterimiz. Sözlükten çıkarttığı kelimelerin hayatımızdan çıkıyor olması gibi ufak bir problem var sadece. Hüzün ve korku gibi hayatımızda olmadığında her şeyin daha iyi olacağını düşündüğümüz duyguların da aslında bugün olduğumuz insanın oluşmasında oldukça büyük bir öneme sahip olduğu mesajını veren bir kitap. Verdiği mesajı ve genel olarak karakterleri sevsem de tam olarak bende beklediğim etkiyi uyandırmadığı için bu puanı veriyorum. Tabii bir çocuk kitabı olduğunu da unutmamak gerek.
November 22, 2022
4.5 stars
This is a really fantastic, and at times very hard to read, depiction of depression. One of my students said that she liked it but “never wanted to pick it up” and I def get that. I cried a lot. It’s also charming and funny in moments though. Overall, I highly recommend it, but def expect to maybe feel very seen.
This is a really fantastic, and at times very hard to read, depiction of depression. One of my students said that she liked it but “never wanted to pick it up” and I def get that. I cried a lot. It’s also charming and funny in moments though. Overall, I highly recommend it, but def expect to maybe feel very seen.
November 5, 2025
A message to adult readers: If you expect this to be a light hearted tweenie story, illuminated with dashes of magical realism, you're in for a sobering surprise. Yes, the protagonist is a twelve year old girl, and yes there's plenty of magic going on. And I suppose the novel is aimed at that age group.
But this is far from being a piece of light YA entertainment.
It's really about somehow being brave and honest and vulnerable; which has to be just about the hardest thing anyone might attempt, especially while facing the grim reality of acute depression.
As a bonus, Bree Barton is an exceptional wordsmith, and by building her story around a most unusual dictionary, she's able to give full rein to her linguistic talent, thereby lightening up what might otherwise have been emotionally heavy going.
Impressive!
But this is far from being a piece of light YA entertainment.
It's really about somehow being brave and honest and vulnerable; which has to be just about the hardest thing anyone might attempt, especially while facing the grim reality of acute depression.
As a bonus, Bree Barton is an exceptional wordsmith, and by building her story around a most unusual dictionary, she's able to give full rein to her linguistic talent, thereby lightening up what might otherwise have been emotionally heavy going.
Impressive!
October 25, 2022
I thought this was a great book. I loved how it addressed mental health in middle grade kids - things like anxiety and depression. I also really enjoyed all of the wordplay.
June 7, 2022
If anything is certain, it's that words are Bree Barton's superpower. This book is so incredible, so funny, so poignant, so warm. This should be in every person's library, no matter the age. The perfect window into what it's like to live with depression in all its shades and colors. I will be thinking about this book for a LONG time.
December 29, 2022
Cute and unique! Good for upper elementary school age girls. Addressing depression, anxiety, friends, confidence. All the things that seem to turn us upside down at that age. It’s told in a cute way with cute characters. Zia uses a magic eraser in an old dictionary to take out the words that she doesn’t like. She learns along the comical & chaotic adventure that each word has its place. We can’t have the happy without the sad or the light without the dark. We need each other to make it. Equal parts funny & sad & sweet!
3.5 stars
3.5 stars
October 4, 2022
I should disclose that this story perhaps hit a little close to home for me to be perfectly objective about it. I found the imaginative premise of a dictionary that helps its users change their realities quite captivating, and Zia and her family and friends (especially Alice) were engaging and relatable for me. This book does an excellent job of capturing the complicated nature of intergenerational emotional dysfunction, and Zia ultimately finds a supportive place from which to begin her healing. Unfortunately, I found Barton's writing--especially the pervasive wordplay--a bit gimmicky and I definitely spotted a few cliches here and there. On a more macro scale, the ending was both a little too pat (intergenerational dysfunction runs deep and doesn't usually get acknowledged and addressed so easily) and had glaring loose ends. I think this could be a really helpful book in the hands of the right reader, but the writing itself lacked the vigor I am always looking for.
January 10, 2022
How does one write about depression for a middle grade audience, kids that are in 6-8th grade or so. There is depression in that age group, but it is largely not explored, because kids are good at making it look as though everything is fine.
The author does this by writing about Zia who has something she calls the shadoom, which is her room in herself that is dark and scary. She has always had to hide and bury her feelings, so that her mother will be happy, because her mother has enough on her mind.
But it makes life hard to have this sadness inside her, and when she discovers a magic dictionary, of her yaiyai’s that allows her to get rid of words, she decides she will remove words that cause her pain, such as the swimming pool, which she finds so humiliating to have to go in.
But of course, removing words from the language causes problems, because of course it would. Removing fear means that people don’t care. Removing pain means people dont’ know when they are injured.
Quick read, that I just had to finish, so I could find how this was all solved. Well written. Good voice for Zia, and good use of throwing Greek words in from her Yaiyai.
I like how three dimensional the characters are as well, and when someone is hurt they dont’ decide that they will never speak to that person again. And that bullies are bullies for a reason, and often it is because they have things that are hurting them.
Good book for children who think they might be alone in their depression, and having to bury their feelings so they won’t feel pain, but that stops tˍem from feeling joy as well.
This book is coming out in April of 2022.
Thanks to Edelweiss for making this book available for an honest review.
The author does this by writing about Zia who has something she calls the shadoom, which is her room in herself that is dark and scary. She has always had to hide and bury her feelings, so that her mother will be happy, because her mother has enough on her mind.
But it makes life hard to have this sadness inside her, and when she discovers a magic dictionary, of her yaiyai’s that allows her to get rid of words, she decides she will remove words that cause her pain, such as the swimming pool, which she finds so humiliating to have to go in.
But of course, removing words from the language causes problems, because of course it would. Removing fear means that people don’t care. Removing pain means people dont’ know when they are injured.
Quick read, that I just had to finish, so I could find how this was all solved. Well written. Good voice for Zia, and good use of throwing Greek words in from her Yaiyai.
I like how three dimensional the characters are as well, and when someone is hurt they dont’ decide that they will never speak to that person again. And that bullies are bullies for a reason, and often it is because they have things that are hurting them.
Good book for children who think they might be alone in their depression, and having to bury their feelings so they won’t feel pain, but that stops tˍem from feeling joy as well.
This book is coming out in April of 2022.
Thanks to Edelweiss for making this book available for an honest review.
May 2, 2022
4.5. I could relate a lot to Zia and her battle with Shadoom. I so appreciate her voice and can relate to her attempts to rid the world of all that is dark but without the dark, there can be no light.
October 8, 2024
Small thanks to Libby for helping me find a title starting with Z to finish out my A-Z challenge for 2024!
I listened to this one on audio, and phew is it a story. This is a big ole book of feelings - both good and bad - but mostly bad. The main character starts the story stating she has this deep feeling she has no name for, so she made a name. Then, she finds a magical dictionary where she is able to erase bad things and have them disappear from the world. Little did she know, there is a cost...
For every thing erased away, life went on okay for a while but ultimately came crashing down. Evan small fixes like erasing "cough" from the dictionary had unintended consequences. The main character did have the foresight to use this "power" to help others, instead of just herself, and she does have some good character development as this dictionary helps her learn along the way. Of course, most of the lessons are learned the hard way, but that's what growing up is all about - making your own decisions and then learning from them.
When I talk about Big Feelings, this book really deals with them. Depression, anxiety, loss of family members, terminal illness, bullying, embarrassment, pregnancy, miscarriage, losing touch with friends....all the things that kids go through but might not be talked about. The reason the MC didn't have a name for these things is because she didn't even know to start talking about them, or how to go about it. She does in the end, aided by both her mother and best friend that also have Big Feelings, but they both helped invite the MC to have an open conversation about how she's really feeling.
This is the type of book that can good so so much good in the right hands. The author doesn't just say "she has depression" and moves on, she goes on to explain what it might look like or how it might affect people differently, while still making the topics easy for kids to discuss. And opening it up so that kids shouldn't feel shame or embarrassment to bring these topics up to someone they love. This book gets real dark there near the end, but I think it provides a good message to this age group. Plus, you know, it does end on a happy note - so it isn't all doom and gloom!
Overall, I was interested in the prospect of a world with words erased out of it, but this book gave me so much more. On audio I was able to get through this book in 6 hours (on 1.4x speed), so it's a relatively short but impactful read. This book is set for the right audience, and I can only hope that it affects at least one kid in a positive way, in showing them that they aren't alone, and that Big Feelings don't have to be that scary.
Content warnings: death, dementia/terminal illness, pregnancy, medical content, depression, anxiety, panic attack, bullying, mental illness, grief, domestic abuse, child abuse, transphobia
I listened to this one on audio, and phew is it a story. This is a big ole book of feelings - both good and bad - but mostly bad. The main character starts the story stating she has this deep feeling she has no name for, so she made a name. Then, she finds a magical dictionary where she is able to erase bad things and have them disappear from the world. Little did she know, there is a cost...
For every thing erased away, life went on okay for a while but ultimately came crashing down. Evan small fixes like erasing "cough" from the dictionary had unintended consequences. The main character did have the foresight to use this "power" to help others, instead of just herself, and she does have some good character development as this dictionary helps her learn along the way. Of course, most of the lessons are learned the hard way, but that's what growing up is all about - making your own decisions and then learning from them.
When I talk about Big Feelings, this book really deals with them. Depression, anxiety, loss of family members, terminal illness, bullying, embarrassment, pregnancy, miscarriage, losing touch with friends....all the things that kids go through but might not be talked about. The reason the MC didn't have a name for these things is because she didn't even know to start talking about them, or how to go about it. She does in the end, aided by both her mother and best friend that also have Big Feelings, but they both helped invite the MC to have an open conversation about how she's really feeling.
This is the type of book that can good so so much good in the right hands. The author doesn't just say "she has depression" and moves on, she goes on to explain what it might look like or how it might affect people differently, while still making the topics easy for kids to discuss. And opening it up so that kids shouldn't feel shame or embarrassment to bring these topics up to someone they love. This book gets real dark there near the end, but I think it provides a good message to this age group. Plus, you know, it does end on a happy note - so it isn't all doom and gloom!
Overall, I was interested in the prospect of a world with words erased out of it, but this book gave me so much more. On audio I was able to get through this book in 6 hours (on 1.4x speed), so it's a relatively short but impactful read. This book is set for the right audience, and I can only hope that it affects at least one kid in a positive way, in showing them that they aren't alone, and that Big Feelings don't have to be that scary.
Content warnings: death, dementia/terminal illness, pregnancy, medical content, depression, anxiety, panic attack, bullying, mental illness, grief, domestic abuse, child abuse, transphobia
November 15, 2025
Zia Erases the World was not on my reading radar or on any TBR. If not for the fact I needed a book that started with the letter Z for my alphabet reading challenge, I don't think I would have ever picked up this book.
But it was a short audiobook, was readily available at my local library, the concept seemed interesting enough, and most importantly, knocked off the letter Z from my challenge.
Zia Erases the World is about a preteen girl who is struggling to come up with the word to describe the complicated and dark emotions paralyzing her. In her quest to cure herself of the shadows, she seeks to remove the things it represents to her via a magical family dictionary. And in doing so, confronts her family's intergenerational trauma while revealing why ostensibly "bad" things exist and the ways it brings colour and contrast to our lives, even as they cause us pain.
I appreciated the way the author Bree Barton personified Zia's mental health challenges, and in a way that was inclusive for many who deals with that kind of darkness in their minds. She stripped it of all labels outside the made up one Zia concocted in an attempt to bring meaning to her feelings.
But I couldn't internalize or buy into Zia's journey in the way that I believe I was meant to. If anything, I related more deeply with her mother, which perhaps shows my age and mindset. That really underscores the fact that beyond not being this book's target audience, I may have actually been mentally too old to fairly read this.
At first, I thought it was entirely on the audiobook, and that I shouldn't be doing any children's books on audio. Except I have no trouble with the Redwall series in audiobook, nor any other children's classic.
It was then I realized the difference: Zia Erases the World uses first person perspective. All the other children's audiobooks I have enjoyed are in third person.
So, turns out I need narrators for my children's book consumption. Just someone playing the adult and creating distance, so to speak, in retelling the child characters' adventures. Apparently, there's something about being directly in the head of a preteen girl - especially via audiobook format - that keeps me from being able to relate enough to care.
It's not a bad story, and I can see where and when I could recommend this to young readers as an opportunity for them to better understand the challenges of confronting one's mental health struggles.
It just wasn't my particular cup of tea.
But it was a short audiobook, was readily available at my local library, the concept seemed interesting enough, and most importantly, knocked off the letter Z from my challenge.
Zia Erases the World is about a preteen girl who is struggling to come up with the word to describe the complicated and dark emotions paralyzing her. In her quest to cure herself of the shadows, she seeks to remove the things it represents to her via a magical family dictionary. And in doing so, confronts her family's intergenerational trauma while revealing why ostensibly "bad" things exist and the ways it brings colour and contrast to our lives, even as they cause us pain.
Words exist to help us understand and describe the world around us. If no one remembers what they mean, then they're not really helping anyone. The way I see it, sometimes that's the absolute best thing a word can do. Vanish into the great word beyond.Outside of the books of my childhood that I love for nostalgia's sakes or children's classics, I'm not much of a middle grade reader at all. And to be perfectly honest, this book kind of underscores to me why I should stick to books written for adults.
I appreciated the way the author Bree Barton personified Zia's mental health challenges, and in a way that was inclusive for many who deals with that kind of darkness in their minds. She stripped it of all labels outside the made up one Zia concocted in an attempt to bring meaning to her feelings.
But I couldn't internalize or buy into Zia's journey in the way that I believe I was meant to. If anything, I related more deeply with her mother, which perhaps shows my age and mindset. That really underscores the fact that beyond not being this book's target audience, I may have actually been mentally too old to fairly read this.
At first, I thought it was entirely on the audiobook, and that I shouldn't be doing any children's books on audio. Except I have no trouble with the Redwall series in audiobook, nor any other children's classic.
It was then I realized the difference: Zia Erases the World uses first person perspective. All the other children's audiobooks I have enjoyed are in third person.
So, turns out I need narrators for my children's book consumption. Just someone playing the adult and creating distance, so to speak, in retelling the child characters' adventures. Apparently, there's something about being directly in the head of a preteen girl - especially via audiobook format - that keeps me from being able to relate enough to care.
It's not a bad story, and I can see where and when I could recommend this to young readers as an opportunity for them to better understand the challenges of confronting one's mental health struggles.
It just wasn't my particular cup of tea.
June 24, 2024
It’s hard to believe I just finished another English book and finally enjoyed it a bit, instead of struggling with all the new vocabulary.
I chose this book because it was on a library reading list for 3rd-5th grade kids. And it’s a big shock for me, both in terms of the topic and the vocabulary. 3rd-5th grade kids are facing depression? And there are even therapy healing groups for young kids in the US! What a big shock for my limited knowledge!
Back to the book, I really appreciate the author’s imagination. The Chiaro Scuro dictionary, where you can erase the words you don’t want in your real life, and how after the erasure the world changes for the worse. It’s like watching “Black Mirror” but with a happy ending. However, as an adult, I have a problem with the happy ending. I know the mom can’t get rich in one day and decide to give her daughter and herself therapy. And the rich kids not getting attention from their parents is not an accident. It’s just how life is.
Although I’m really glad to see the book also shows the weaknesses of adults and normalizes that depression is not something you should be ashamed to talk about.
But still, as a book, I want a good ending. Or at least let me believe the happy ending is real. But this book lacks that. The whole idea is that if you speak out about your problem, it will go away. Well, IT’S NOT TRUE.
I chose this book because it was on a library reading list for 3rd-5th grade kids. And it’s a big shock for me, both in terms of the topic and the vocabulary. 3rd-5th grade kids are facing depression? And there are even therapy healing groups for young kids in the US! What a big shock for my limited knowledge!
Back to the book, I really appreciate the author’s imagination. The Chiaro Scuro dictionary, where you can erase the words you don’t want in your real life, and how after the erasure the world changes for the worse. It’s like watching “Black Mirror” but with a happy ending. However, as an adult, I have a problem with the happy ending. I know the mom can’t get rich in one day and decide to give her daughter and herself therapy. And the rich kids not getting attention from their parents is not an accident. It’s just how life is.
Although I’m really glad to see the book also shows the weaknesses of adults and normalizes that depression is not something you should be ashamed to talk about.
But still, as a book, I want a good ending. Or at least let me believe the happy ending is real. But this book lacks that. The whole idea is that if you speak out about your problem, it will go away. Well, IT’S NOT TRUE.
May 3, 2022
Sixth grader Zia is a word nerd. She loves words and is an expert at making up her own words if she can’t find a word that fits a specific situation. Zia’s world changes suddenly when the “Shadoom” descends upon her while at a friend’s birthday party. This feeling of darkness causes her to lose interest in spending time with her friends and leads her to opt to eat her lunch alone in a bathroom stall at school. Zia is hesitant to tell her already stressed and stretched mother about her feelings of sadness. When Zia’s grandmother moves in with Zia and her mom because of her worsening dementia, she brings with her a mysterious dictionary with a charmed eraser that allows the user to erase words. Initially Zia finds pleasure in erasing words like pain and fear from the dictionary, but she discovers that the removal of words results in some significant consequences. Zia needs to find a way to return the words to restore order to the world and to restore her own peace and happiness. This book does a beautiful job of addressing the challenging but important topics of depression and mental health in a way that will be accessible to a middle grade audience.
January 13, 2023
Peaches, pools, and pain. All these things and more bring out the Shadoom- a room of shadows inside of Zia. Luckily she’s found a magic dictionary with a magic eraser. It’s simple, erase the word and it disappears from the world. She starts erasing all the things that bring out the Shadoom, until unintended consequences start to make themselves apparent that is. This is the type of book I wish I had when I was younger. Bree Barton approaches middle school and mental illness with creative, delightful, and touching writing. The character of Zia is awkward, spunky, and fun. We see Zia walk through middle school with a single mom, not a lot of money, and a grandmother developing dementia. Not to mention the feelings she doesn’t have a name for- depression and anxiety. This book includes bullying and mentions of child and domestic abuse. It would be a great way to engage the conversation on mental illness and describing your emotions with kids and preteens. It is recommended for ages 8-13.
March 15, 2024
✨9/10✨
Zia kelimelerle hep iyi anlaşmış çok tatlı bir kız olsa da hem kendisine hem de sevdiklerinin karşılaştığı zorlukları görünce sözlükten bazı kelimeleri çıkarmaya karar veriyor. Bunun her şeyi düzelteceğini düşünüyor ama nasıl bir kaosa yol açtığının farkında değil maalesef. Korkuyu acıyı hüznü dünyadan silmek Zia'nın hayatını kolaylaştırmak yerine her şeyi karmaşık bir hale getiriyor...
Kitabın kurgusu anlatımı karakterleri mükemmeldi diyebilim. Sadece kitabın orta kısımlarında anlatım çok tekdüze gittiğinden birazcık sıkıldım ama kitabın sonlarına doğru gayet güzel bir şekilde toparlandığını söyleyebilirim. Zia karakterini çok sevdim arkadaşlarını çok sevdim ailesini çok sevdim ve gerçekten çok şanslı bir kız olduğunu da söyleyebilirim. Fantastik Bilimkurgu okumayı seven herkese şiddetle tavsiye ederim.
+11 yaş
Zia kelimelerle hep iyi anlaşmış çok tatlı bir kız olsa da hem kendisine hem de sevdiklerinin karşılaştığı zorlukları görünce sözlükten bazı kelimeleri çıkarmaya karar veriyor. Bunun her şeyi düzelteceğini düşünüyor ama nasıl bir kaosa yol açtığının farkında değil maalesef. Korkuyu acıyı hüznü dünyadan silmek Zia'nın hayatını kolaylaştırmak yerine her şeyi karmaşık bir hale getiriyor...
Kitabın kurgusu anlatımı karakterleri mükemmeldi diyebilim. Sadece kitabın orta kısımlarında anlatım çok tekdüze gittiğinden birazcık sıkıldım ama kitabın sonlarına doğru gayet güzel bir şekilde toparlandığını söyleyebilirim. Zia karakterini çok sevdim arkadaşlarını çok sevdim ailesini çok sevdim ve gerçekten çok şanslı bir kız olduğunu da söyleyebilirim. Fantastik Bilimkurgu okumayı seven herkese şiddetle tavsiye ederim.
+11 yaş
April 30, 2022
This book is such a gift to readers all ages. It touched me as an adult who has experienced my own periods of darkness or “the shadoom”, as Zia refers to it. The characters are so real and give voice to the fears so many people experience. It is also such a beautiful story that is magical, heart warming and enlightening.
My 13 year-old is reading the book now and we plan to suggest it to our mother-daughter book club. This is a great book for middle school age readers and can lead to important discussions about mental health.
Also, as a school social worker, I know this book will help so many youth that are struggling with depression to feel not so alone. And feeling not so alone in our pain is a first step towards healing.
My 13 year-old is reading the book now and we plan to suggest it to our mother-daughter book club. This is a great book for middle school age readers and can lead to important discussions about mental health.
Also, as a school social worker, I know this book will help so many youth that are struggling with depression to feel not so alone. And feeling not so alone in our pain is a first step towards healing.
October 17, 2023
As someone with depression/anxiety most of my life, this is the sort of book I wish I had growing up.
Zia Erases the World is all about naming the feeling inside you - this one being depression. It's balanced with a really entertaining plot, too, where she finds a way to erase words from the dictionary and as a result real life. It's interesting watching the repercussions of this play out in the world. Having depression and anxiety, especially when you don't know what it is, often leads to that feeling of just wanting to get rid of whatever's making you feel that way. Even though this is a girl-targeted book that definitely approaches the subject from a female perspective, it still resonated with me quite a lot.
Zia Erases the World is all about naming the feeling inside you - this one being depression. It's balanced with a really entertaining plot, too, where she finds a way to erase words from the dictionary and as a result real life. It's interesting watching the repercussions of this play out in the world. Having depression and anxiety, especially when you don't know what it is, often leads to that feeling of just wanting to get rid of whatever's making you feel that way. Even though this is a girl-targeted book that definitely approaches the subject from a female perspective, it still resonated with me quite a lot.
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