Review - J. K. Rowling

J. K. Rowling (Work It, Girl)
by Caroline Moss
illustrated by Sinem Erkas
Date: 2019
Publisher: Frances Lincoln Children's Books
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book non-fiction
Pages: 64
Format: e-book
Source: NetGalley

A new series of empowering biographies featuring modern women in the world of work.

When Joanne Rowling was a young woman, she found herself down and out of luck. But, she had a best-selling idea and a tenacious spirit. If only she could find someone who wanted to publish her book...

Discover how J. K. Rowling became a best-selling author and publishing sensation in this true story of her life. Then, learn 10 key lessons from her work you can apply to your own life.

(synopsis from NetGalley; see it on Goodreads)

While there are parts of this book that I really enjoyed, I found definite problems in other areas.

Rather than simply being a biography, the book aims to be inspirational... and it's in this area that it's at its weakest. There are confusing mixed messages, such as "failure is good"... while simultaneously telling kids to work hard so they won't fail. (This made me wonder if we would've even had Harry Potter if Rowling had gotten into Oxford when she was a young adult. Her life might have gone in an entirely different direction!) I was also confused by the emphasis put on university education for a writing career. There are plenty of authors who haven't gotten a degree, so I don't know why this book makes it sound like Rowling couldn't have written Harry Potter if she hadn't gone to university.

The writing is definitely weak in spots. It mangles some sayings, leaves out words so that the meaning of the sentence is different, and drops sentence fragments here and there. The book also refers to MS as a "muscular disease", when it's not; it's neurological.

What I did enjoy about this book were the layout and illustrations. The pages of text are interspersed with illustrated pages of quotes. The pictures themselves are done with cut paper in a limited colour palette (orange, yellow, blue, purple, brown, black, and white), which gives the book a really unique look. I also thought Chapter 9 ¾ was a cute touch.

So this was a bit mixed for me. If it had stuck to the facts rather than trying to make this more of an inspirational title (the "key lessons" bit at the back was unnecessary), I might have liked this one more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Frances Lincoln Children's Books for providing a digital ARC.

Premise: 3/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 2/5
Illustrations: 4/5
Originality: 3/5

Enjoyment: 3/5

Overall: 3 out of 5