This review and many more can be found on my blog: Feed Your Fiction Addiction

This book is utterly wonderful! When you were a kid, did y0u ever imagine people living up in the trees or in the base of a volcano or some other place tucked away, hidden by nature? I know I did. Well, the authors of this book take that concept of hidden societies and imagine, what if those hidden worlds were in danger?

Kirra’s home has always been safe and peaceful, tucked away in a volcano. Her father’s stories of volcano demons have ensured that no one will find them. Until, one day, someone does. Takers come, and they destroy everything Kirra has ever known. She escapes to a society where everyone lives in the trees, and she blocks out everything from her past life, but nowhere is safe forever.

There is so much to love about this book—setting is incredibly important, and it’s imagined so vividly, it’s easy to imagine yourself right there, living in a volcano or in the very tops of the trees. Kirra is the type of character almost anyone can relate to. She has a sense of adventure and a curiosity to her. But after her world is destroyed she’s quenched all those old instincts. I found myself connecting to Kirra almost instantly, so when her world falls apart, I felt such complete empathy for her. This book is a very fast-paced read. The mystery of the Takers carries the book along during any parts where there isn’t immediate danger, but there’s definitely enough danger and excitement for any middle grade reader. I was pulled through the story, eager to find out what would happen to Kirra and to learn if she would ever find true happiness again after her village is destroyed.

So many moments in this book were magical, but the showdown in the end is spectacularly so! I would recommend this book to absolutely anyone, especially to those of us who love the idea of just a touch of mystery in nature!

***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher via Rockstar Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***

Read review here:
https://missmariahslibrary.wordpress.com/2020/03/25/if-we-were-giants-by-dave-matthews-and-clete-barrett-smith/

An adventure for kids of all ages.

Kirra and her father are the traveling storytellers for their hidden village in a dormant volcano. They travel to neighboring villages gathering stories and telling tales to protect their village. One of the stories they hear is about the Takers who are marauders destroying and pillaging villages. When they return to their volcano they learn the Takers have been seen nearby. Kirra recklessly decides to leave the safety of the volcano and investigate. Of course she is seen and inadvertently leads them right back to her home. She is the only survivor.

In despair, she throws herself in the river, but is fortunately saved by Luewan of the Tree People. She lives with them for four years becoming part of their family. The Tree People are more isolated than her volcano community but the Takers eventually find them as well. Kirra must rally the entire Tree community with the help of her friends to save everyone in her new family.

This was a great adventure, fantasy novel. I liked the diverse communities we are introduced to. The world building is great and you really feel like you know what each of these communities is like. I wish there was more information on who exactly the Takers were but it makes since because our characters don't know who they are. There is really no motive for them. We are also introduced to a sort of sympathetic Taker but then never see him again which was weird. So this book could have been a bit stronger, but it was still entertaining.

So, I’m not someone who reads middle grade children’s book generally but since this was co-written by my favorite artist, Dave Matthews, I had to give it a shot. If We Were Giants is about a young girl named Kirra who lives out in the wilderness at the center of an inactive volcano. Her community is attacked and taken over by a strange groups of “Takers” and as the only survivor, Kirra flees to find a new community. This story explores themes of making things right, working together, and building community. There are a lot of great messages and discussion points within this book, and I was surprised how much I enjoyed it as an adult. Great read!

This was a wonderful surprise story about a girl told in three parts. The first part covers her life with her first family and the lessons she learned from her storytelling father and her secretive group of peaceful folk who live as a close-knit community in a volcano and show respect for nature and her resources. After her village is decimated by the "Takers" she is taken in by a family who lives in the trees and whose village as a whole are just as respectful and caring of natural resources as her first people. However, in contrast, although they are kind they tend to live very independently of their neighbors. When the "Takers" come, Kirra has to revisit memories of her trauma and remember her storytelling talent to help her second people come together as a community to fight for their lives and their land. I absolutely loved this story and ended up reading it from beginning to end in one sitting. As I recall, Dave Matthews is not only a musician, but he is very much a humanitarian and an activist for protecting our planet. Together, this trio has written a wonderful tale of hope that should appeal to many middle school children, as well as older readers. I definitely recommend this story and would definitely read a sequel if they wrote one.

Thanks to #DaveMatthews, #CleteBarrettSmith, #NetGalley and #DisneyHyperion for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Imaginative and hopeful. An amazing read for the younger ones in your life.

A story about the strength of will, lovingly told.