Penny, The Review Group's reviewer Penny for Your ThoughtsThe Review Group
Children's ✦ Penny’s Take

The Retake

Jen Calonita Β· 2022
78/100
πŸ‘ Worth It

Jen Calonita nails the emotional texture of tween friendships fraying and being repaired, and the social media pressure angle feels genuinely current rather than preachy. The magical app premise is a bit of a hand-wave, but the heart of the story is real enough that most middle-grade readers won't mind.

✦ Penny’s Take β€” 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 β€” not a page-by-page personal one. The gold βœ“ Penny Tested mark is reserved for books Penny reads cover to cover herself.
As an Amazon Associate and Audible affiliate, Penny earns from qualifying purchases. This never affects the verdict β€” see our affiliate disclosure.
Show the math
Verdict receipt0–100
safety96
substance74
craft77
originality70
accuracy80
hype75
age-fit90
human-eye76
Penny’s verdict78
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