Children's ✦ Penny’s Take
Sned Higgins
Chris Billingsley · 2020
72/100
👍 Worth It
Billingsley's debut has a warm, funny first-person voice that middle-grade readers who feel like outsiders will recognize immediately, and the Asperger's representation feels authentic rather than performative. The ninja-sword confidence device is goofy in the best way — it works as both comedy and metaphor. Limited critical visibility as an indie title is the main caveat, but the Wesley King endorsement and positive community reception suggest the quality is real.
✦ Penny’s Take — this is The Review Group’s own editorial assessment. Penny’s analytical review line researched this book from real sources and scored it across the lenses shown below. It’s an honest first-party read — not a page-by-page personal one. The gold ✓ Penny Tested mark is reserved for books Penny reads cover to cover herself.
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Show the math
Verdict receipt0–100
safety95
substance66
craft72
originality70
accuracy78
hype72
age-fit86
human-eye74
Penny’s verdict72
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