When the World Turned Upside Down by K. Ibura

Release: February 1, 2022
Format: Hardcover, eBook, Audiobook
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Source: Rockstar Book Tours
Find it at: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, Audible, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD, Bookshop.org

What do you do when the world shuts down? A heartwarming story of friendship and overcoming adversity in a time of COVID, When the World Turns Upside Down is about community, giving back, and understanding the world around us through the power of generosity from debut middle grade author K. Ibura.

Nobody expected a tiny little virus to change the whole world in such a big way, especially not Shayla, Liam, Ai, and Ben. But when school closes to keep everyone safe, their lives turn upside down. It is one thing to learn that the outside world isn’t safe, but why does it seem that the virus is causing trouble inside their homes too?

As they each struggle to adjust to life in quarantine, they discover they are not alone: their apartment building is full of people who need their help. Working together, they begin to see that there is power in numbers. When they cooperate, they can ease each other’s challenges and help their neighbors through tough times. It’s a lesson they’ll need when protests explode in the streets. Soon, each friend has to decide what it means to be part of a community—and how much they’re willing to do to make this world safer for everyone.

Set against the onset of COVID, When the World Turned Upside Down navigates issues of race and social justice in a heartwarming story of generosity, friendship, and the power of youth.

About the Author:

K. IBURA is an essayist, science fiction and fantasy short story writer, and painter from New Orleans, Louisiana. The middle child of five in a family of human rights activists, she grew up in a hardscrabble neighborhood with oak and fig trees, locusts and mosquitoes, cousins and neighbors. Her short story collection Ancient, Ancient won the James Tiptree, Jr. Award for 2012. Ibura’s debut YA novel will be coming out with Alloy and Harper Teen in spring 2022.

When the World Turned Upside Down Review:

“When the World Turned Upside Down” is the first middle-grade book I have read that is relevant to the current pandemic we are facing, and I thought the author executed it beautifully.

This book is one that I feel a reader of any age would relate to in the present time. The pandemic did not prepare anyone for their life to come to a standstill when it hit. The entire world went under lockdown, and people had to deal with the paranoia and uncertainty. The author touches upon what it is like for our four leads with different personalities to encounter the situation, and I loved reading how differently they all responded to it. The author gets personal with the characters, and you find yourself connecting to at least one of them closely because you would have reacted the same way.

Moreover, what’s lovely about the story is how the author gives equal importance to each character. My heart went out to Liam because of the panic attacks he usually faces. I also loved the dynamics between Shayla and Ai as they tried to adjust to the new environment. Shayla also goes through a lot, especially when the incident of George Floyd happens. Even Ai is interesting as she starts cooking due to her mother’s condition. My favorite scenes are what happens to Daisy or Ben reacts to his parents. Yet, the story is not all doom and gloom. The author beautifully spins the tale into a story of courage and hope that makes you optimistic about humanity and helping each other during tough times.

Overall, I thought “When the World Turned Upside Down” is a beautiful middle-grade novel where the author tackled the subject matter beautifully.