‘When the World Turned Upside Down’ by K. Ibura: A Blog Tour // Four Kids Living Through the Pandemic

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the When the World Turned Upside Down by K. Ibura Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours! Check out the other stops by clicking on the banner below!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Rockstar Book Tours, Scholastic & the author for this free copy.

• Title: When the World Turned Upside Down
• Author: K. Ibura
• Publisher: Scholastic Press
• Pub. date: 1 February 2022
• Series: standalone
• Page count: 288
• Source: Rockstar Book Tours
• Genres: middle-grade, contemporary

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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.

Content warnings: depression, panic attacks, police brutality, racism

I was so excited when I came across a middle-grade novel that addresses life during COVID-19! Full disclosure, I thought this book was a collection of short stories when in fact it was a a full length novel that followed a group of friends! Oops!

When the World Turned Upside Down follows a group of four friends who have known each other since childhood but have since drifted apart though they live in the same apartment building.

There’s Shayla, who is trying to fit in with a new group of friends who seem cooler. Ai is struggling with her overworked dad, depressed mother and her forever-studying older sister. Liam is on the autistic spectrum; he is also babysitting his twin sisters while his overworked mom gets some rest from work. Ben is struggling to deal with his parents’ growing arguments.

These four friends’ lives change drastically when COVID-19 hits their neighbourhood and school shuts down for the foreseeable future.

I think novels like When the World Turned Upside Down are important in this day and age. Middle-grade stories that focus on life during the COVID-19 pandemic and teach important lessons on coping mechanisms and various lockdown experiences that kids could relate to seem like something that would soon be taking over shelves right now. And with good reason.

When the World Turned Upside Down was told beautifully through the eyes of four young kids who are going through family and social difficulties during COVID-19 lockdown. There is something for almost every kid to relate to in this way. Each character goes through their own struggle with parents living with mental illnesses, single parent families, parents who argue all the time, as well supportive, loving parents.

The multiple POVs also highlighted everyday problems that kids go through no matter whether there is a pandemic or not: friends falling apart, feeling left out, worrying about their parents, worrying about grades and school. Also, I am pretty sure that one of the characters, Liam, falls on the spectrum, but I can’t really comment on the authenticity of the representation since I lack the personal experience.

The flow of the story was smooth and had a good pace that spanned over multiple weeks. The tone was serious but engaging, which I am sure many kids would love. I was also impressed by how the author stepped into difficult topics like George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement. There were some beautiful lines that I found deeply impactful in their delivery.

When the World Turned Upside Down by K. Ibura is a beautiful venture into some difficult events that have transpired in the last few years, like COVID-19 and the Black Lives Matter movement. Told through the insightful perspectives of four friends stuck in their apartments during a lockdown, this book explored recent events as well as everyday issues that kids would have no problem relating to. Told in engaging and wholesome writing, this book is a must-read for anyone who has felt alone during COVID-19 lockdowns!

More When the World Turned Upside Down content: Beth’s Q&A with the author and Tiffany’s review

3 winners will receive a finished copy of WHEN THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN, US Only.

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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.

Have you read When the World Turned Upside Down or will you be picking it up? Check out the other tour stops here.