I understand this is book based on a 10year old however I lost interest in it several times. I did finish it and I'm not sure if I am glad I did? You follow Gilly and her bestie Oggy to find her dad. She does end up making it through the forest to where her dad is. It was a "fun" adventure for her however like I said I lost interest so it wasn't all that fun for me. I will say that Casey did great narrating!

My first impression was that the audiobook narrator has a really nice voice, this is not always the case so it was a welcome change.
Now for the book in itself: I don't usually read "stream of consciousness" books, i find them confusing, and i enjoy more plot-focused books. But because it's a book originally destined for children, it's still accessible. Maybe if I would have read it as a child I would not have enjoyed it as much, so I think there's value in reading it as an adult.
This book has little plot, and it's more of an exploration of this little girl's mind. Really reads like a diary.
If you are able to read books physically or on a e-reader, maybe go for that instead. Don't get me wrong, the audiobook is really well crafted, but i feel like this kind of book is easier to read than to listen to, because it's easier for you to adjust the speed of your reading, or reread certain passages.

This is such a beautiful story and the narrator did an amazing job. I loved the themes of family and friendship. My kids and I would definitely listen to this again!!

A heartfelt, imaginative journey through a child's eyes—Tangerines by Tsvi Jolles is a sweet and touching story about love, family, and finding hope in unexpected places. Perfect for readers young and old.

Thank you to NetGalley, Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op, Brave Fawn Books, Tsvi Jolles, and Casey Montgomery (audio narrator) for the opportunity to read and listen to the audiobook of Tangerines in exchange for an honest review.

Tangerines is a short novel, easy to read in an afternoon, following 10-year-old Gilly. She loves writing in her journal under her favorite tree, where her imagination takes her all kinds of places beyond the woods she live in. She enjoys spending time with her best friend, Oggy, who lives nearby. He likes to make up words and also shares words with Gilly that he acts knowledgeable about, but maybe only heard in passing.

Gilly's dad lives with a friend across the forest, and she isn't sure why he never visits or why he doesn't stay with his mom after getting sick. Gilly makes for an unreliable narrator because of the dream and fantasy world she lives in and a sense of reality that might not quite be reflecting her own truth.

Whimsical and fun, this novel makes for an easy and quaint read for young or middle grade aged readers. The novel explores family and friendship in the innocent lens of a child who may not quite understand the goings-on around her, but at least tries. It also explores the whimsical thoughts that an innocent child delves in, with a blend of the fantastical. The age is that border between childhood innocence and transitioning into a young adult, exploring the realities of the world around.

I received the Tangerines audiobook in exchange for my honest review.
Tangerines is a tale from a 10 year old girl named Gilly. She and her friend Oggy play near tangerine trees, use tangerine peels when adventuring into the woods so they can find their way back home.
They have a special spell they need, to be able to get Gilly's dad back home. They need different items from magical creatures. When obtaining the items, they allow two unique creatures to join them on their journey from their home through the woods to where Gilly's dad is.
This is a magical story of two children full of secrets. In the end, the writings and thoughts Gilly once had, completely change once she makes it to her destination.
It's a cute story and I loved the narrator as a ten year old. This is a lyrical story with alot of different thoughts that might go through a ten year old's mind daily. It was thought provoking!
Recommended for 13-17 year olds.
Thank you for the ARC NetGalley.
Children's Fiction/Middle Grade/Teens & YA
#Tangerines #NetGalley

Thank you to Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for the audio ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

I will be honest. I found this book a little confusing. With talk of magic and spells and made up words, I was unclear about what some things were--whether they were magical or real with made up names. I was fond of Gilly. Given her response to school and writing style, I wondered whether she was neurodivergent, perhaps on the spectrum. I was sad that her father seemed to have left her and her mother, and unclear why, if he had left for another woman, she still did not have contact with him. I loved her connection to nature, particular the tangerine tree.

As this was an audiobook, I will say that I thought the narrator was appropriate for the voice of Gilly. I typically rate narrators based on how well they voice a variety of characters, but this book was entirely from Gilly's perspective, in her voice. I would be curious to hear Montgomery narrate a book in multiple character's voices.

I found the premises intriguing but the execution wasn't for me. The writing felt disjointed and unfocused. So, combined with the rather heavy-handed messaging, I couldn't enjoy it. Everything felt a bit forced. Speaking as a former KidLit bookseller, "even in middle grade novels" we can expect nuance. This didn't deliver as I hoped, unfortunately.

Thank you to Netgalley for the audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a super sweet children’s story following Gilly and Oggy the grand adventures. The audio narration was perfect and I found the descriptions enchanting. It’s a slice of life narrative weaving together stories of the past and present through a 10 year olds eyes

3.5/5.0

Firstly, thank you to NetGalley and Brave Fawn Books for this audio ARC copy of Tangerines.

I have to admit, what drew me into this story was the cover. After I read the summary I wanted to give this a try as it sounded like a very nice and cute child story.

During this short story, you follow Gilly, a 10-year-old girl that lives with her mother and wants to reunite with her father who lives on the other side of the forest. With the help of her best friend, Oggy, and his magical spells (or so he says), they prepare their journey to cross the forest.

Through the book, you can see the innocence of a child's mind and how whimsical everything seems to Gilly, making you think you might be in a fantasy world. This makes the narration unreliable for obvious reasons and adds a lot of magic and sweetness to the plot.

This story touches on some complex themes like family dynamics and grief, which I did not expect and it definitely added more depth. It was my first time attempting a book aimed at middle-graders and it was definitely an interesting experience.

I must also add that Casey Montgomery made a great job at narrating this story and her soothing voice had me enjoy the story greatly.

𝑻𝑨𝑵𝑮𝑬𝑹𝑰𝑵𝑬𝑺 𝒃𝒚 𝑻𝒔𝒗𝒊 𝑱𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒔 is a middle grade story out by @victoryeditingngc Brave Fawn Books and came out on March 5th. I'll be honest & admit I don't read much of this genre, but often they surprise me. This one ended up having deeply moving themes through which the 10-year-old Gilly is grappling. Told in a diary format, as she is practicing her writing to do as a vocation someday, it is very stream-of-consciousness bouncing from topic to topic as the days require. Her best friend Oggy is with her as she strives to understand why her father has left, especially since she knows where he is. This journey of discovery and understanding is fused with the imagination of childhood held against jarring and painful realities. I am curious what a Middle grade reader would think of this one, as it felt like one that could grow with them. Casey Montgomery narrated and captured all this tension in her reading, though I am curious to see the spelling of some of the imagined beings!

This novel made me feel as if I had jumped into the mind of a child and experienced life through a different set of eyes. Navigating the good and bad and the sometimes random along the way. Cute book for a younger crowd.

4.5 ⭐️

Wow this was absolutely whimsical and such a sweet read! Thank you NetGalley for this listeners arc!!

I found the voice actor be so engaging and captured our sweet Gilly perfectly. I haven’t read very many middle grade stories, but they tend to be enchanting and this one definitely was. The story is set in the real world, but Gilly and her best friend, Oggy, have such a big imagination that it often felt like they’re in their own special world. I will say there are a lot of made up words in this and not being able to visually read them left me lost in some moments 😆

Our narrator is a 10 year old girl who is on a journey to find her dad and try to bring him home. This is a very stream style of conscious writing, which is fitting for the story haha. We would be on our way to go down one path, and next thing Gilly is going on and on about different fruits she loves or memories of her family. Being a teacher myself, it really felt like being in the mind of a child.

I can see this being a story full of adventure and silly moments for children. Reading this as an adult you see the greater picture and Gilly’s naïveté is both endearing at a little bittersweet. While it’s a pretty short read, I still enjoyed Gilly’s journey and how different moments of her life and history are revealed to her (and the audience).

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Brave Fawn Books in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book is like opening up the mind of a 10 year and diving straight in. Gilly is an excitable, talkative, dreamer. She takes everything in a literal sense. She writes every single detail of her life into her diary. Her best friend is Oggy, the keeper of “made up” words.

So many questions. So many opinions. At times it was a little too much but it was a great reminder that so much goes on in the the brain of a 10 year old. Perspective is everything.

It touches on some hard topics and how it is always best to have open communication because when you don’t, many misunderstandings happen.

There wasn’t anything really wrong with this, it just wasn’t for me. I think that for the right person it could be a very heartwarming, lovely story.

What an adorable book.

A young girl by the name of Gilly gives us a glimpse into her life, by allowing us to read her journal. With the support of her best friend, Oggy, her imagination & a few creatures they meet along the way, they are determined to bring back her father. But where is he?

This book is targeted towards kids, but I am surprised at how thought provoking it is. It is clever, fun, whimsical & enchanting, all while discussing complex familial dynamics. Casey Montgomery did a wonderful job bringing this creative work by Tsvi Jolles to life.

Is there a true plot to this book? I am not sure. But either way, I’ll keep this one tucked in my heart for a long time.

I need to purchase a physical copy ASAP.

Thank you to NetGalley for the audiobook of Tangerines.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a free audio arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a middle grade story following the diary of Gilly a 10 year old girl and some of the occurrences in her life including leaving school to being picked on, living in the woods away from people with her mother and having a close friend Oggy who she confides in, and trying to figure out why her father left to the other side of the woods and never came back to be with someone named Mississippi who happened to be her mom's friend.

This story was not very cohesive, and though it definitely seemed as if it was told through the thoughts of a child, sometimes she seemed a little younger in mindset. I was trying to figure out the main themes of the story like possible grief due to her father leaving and finding ways to cope with her friend and using their imagination as the friend has also been through trauma in his life and this is what bonds them? If so, I feel the story was done well and also portrayed a young mind well, constantly jumping from idea to idea.

I feel like the undertones may be a little much for younger minds to understand and sometimes with her thoughts being all over the place could be a little confusing for them, but it was still a decent story.

This was a simple, yet complex story for a children’s literature book 🤍 The innocence of a mind at that age, but as a listener/reader, yk everything isn’t always as her mind depicts. Things being kept from her due to her age, but you understand it. It was lowkey sad, but Oggy sure brightens the moods. Overall such a bittersweet read!!

"When scared and hopeful meet in the woods at night, they have a sword fight. Only scared has an actual sword, but for hopeful to win, it just needs to believe it's holding a sword- One twice as sharp, three times as long, and five times as dangerous."

Loved this quote 🤍

I received an advance audiobook copy of Tangerines by Tsvi Jolles from netgalley.

The narration for this audiobook was wonderfully done.

Tangerines is a sweet story told by a child. Seeing the world through her eyes. Her questioning how the world works and her reasoning for why things are.

Tangerines is emotional and sweet. And easy quick read (or listen).

I’ll start by saying that the author did such a brilliant job of capturing the gears in a curious child mind that never stop turning. I do know this book is being published as a children’s book but I truly believe the people who would get the most out of it are actually adults. I loved the very amusing observations 10 year old Gilly makes about the world around her. It kind of reminds me of when you take your kid to the park and another child comes and sits down and just starts telling you every single thing that pops into their head and their whole life story, and they say things in such a non challant and matter of fact way that makes it clear that they’re a little naive to the reality or severity of a situation, but they definitely observe more than the adults around them likely think that they’re do.

It was an incredible exploration of the perception of a child and how that often is vastly different to that of the adults around them. A good reminder that adults see things that children don’t, but children also have the ability to see things that adults can’t. So while Gilly may be oblivious to the reality of her situation, that may be overwhelming obvious to an adult listener, she also makes observations about things/life that at some point we seem to grow out of being able to see.

I appreciate NetGalley and the author for giving me an opportunity to read and review this.