Always sincere, occasionally shocking, this tale is required reading for kids and parents.
This young-adult novel by Cobb (Greta’s Magical Mistake, 2011) introduces Stephen, whose skill in baseball helps him cope with bullies and a learning disability.
In the small town of Lamington, N.J., nothing much happens. There are three different churches and no stoplights, and kids hang out at an ice cream place called the Dipper. Only Little League baseball enlivens the town. Stephen Miller, a 6-foot-2-inch seventh-grader who weighs 200 pounds, plays for the Lamington Giants. And he’s incredible. His brother Jack and best friend Charlie say he’ll play for the Yankees someday—if only he can learn to concentrate on anything else. In every class, Stephen compulsively relives ballgames in his head, frustrating his parents and teachers. Fellow students tease and bully him mercilessly—despite his large size—with embarrassing pranks (like sending pussy willow seeds to his home). Then, Megan Milton arrives in town. Stephen’s wealthy, warmhearted new classmate is from Connecticut and has an adorably crooked smile. She also had a severe bullying problem that prompted her move to Lamington. While she and Stephen grow closer, his own pack of tormentors plans its most humiliating stunt yet. Author Cobb brings home the supposed simplicity of small-town life with a patient eye: “During the day shopping gets done, dishes get washed, and houses get cleaned....” Stephen is a charming, funny narrator, and once he starts describing baseball games, this tale’s versatility begins to shine. Here’s his take on a particularly slow fastball: “I could have run to the snack shack, downed a couple of hotdogs, and still been back in time to catch [it].” Cobb’s long stretches of naturally engaging dialogue also help deliver characters and twists that positively outstrip stories merely about athletic glory. “I’m a nice guy,” says Stephen, “and that is who I want to be.” Rather than sounding trite, this statement is a rallying cry for those who must deal with bullies and don’t want to sink to their level.
Always sincere, occasionally shocking, this tale is required reading for kids and parents.Pub Date: Sept. 17, 2013
ISBN: 978-0615879239
Page Count: 288
Publisher: 10 to 2 Children's Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 7, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
In more ways than one, a tale about young creatures testing their wings; a moving, entertaining winner.
A fifth-grade New Orleans girl discovers a mysterious chrysalis containing an unexpected creature in this middle-grade novel.
Jacquelyn Marie Johnson, called Jackie, is a 10-year-old African-American girl, the second oldest and the only girl of six siblings. She’s responsible, smart, and enjoys being in charge; she likes “paper dolls and long division and imagining things she had never seen.” Normally, Jackie has no trouble obeying her strict but loving parents. But when her potted snapdragon acquires a peculiar egg or maybe a chrysalis (she dubs it a chrysalegg), Jackie’s strong desire to protect it runs up against her mother’s rule against plants in the house. Jackie doesn’t exactly mean to lie, but she tells her mother she needs to keep the snapdragon in her room for a science project and gets permission. Jackie draws the chrysalegg daily, waiting for something to happen as it gets larger. When the amazing creature inside breaks free, Jackie is more determined than ever to protect it, but this leads her further into secrets and lies. The results when her parents find out are painful, and resolving the problem will take courage, honesty, and trust. Dumas (Jaden Toussaint, the Greatest: Episode 5, 2017, etc.) presents a very likable character in Jackie. At 10, she’s young enough to enjoy playing with paper dolls but has a maturity that even older kids can lack. She’s resourceful, as when she wants to measure a red spot on the chrysalegg; lacking calipers, she fashions one from her hairpin. Jackie’s inward struggle about what to obey—her dearest wishes or the parents she loves—is one many readers will understand. The book complicates this question by making Jackie’s parents, especially her mother, strict (as one might expect to keep order in a large family) but undeniably loving and protective as well—it’s not just a question of outwitting clueless adults. Jackie’s feelings about the creature (tender and responsible but also more than a little obsessive) are similarly shaded rather than black-and-white. The ending suggests that an intriguing sequel is to come.
In more ways than one, a tale about young creatures testing their wings; a moving, entertaining winner.Pub Date: Nov. 11, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943169-32-0
Page Count: 212
Publisher: Plum Street Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A YA novel that treats its subject and its readers with respect while delivering an engaging story.
In the ninth book in the Bluford young-adult series, a young Latino man walks away from violence—but at great personal cost.
In a large Southern California city, 16-year-old Martin Luna hangs out on the fringes of gang life. He’s disaffected, fatherless and increasingly drawn into the orbit of the older, rougher Frankie. When a stray bullet kills Martin’s adored 8-year-old brother, Huero, Martin seems to be heading into a life of crime. But Martin’s mother, determined not to lose another son, moves him to another neighborhood—the fictional town of Bluford, where he attends the racially diverse Bluford High. At his new school, the still-grieving Martin quickly makes enemies and gets into trouble. But he also makes friends with a kind English teacher and catches the eye of Vicky, a smart, pretty and outgoing Bluford student. Martin’s first-person narration supplies much of the book’s power. His dialogue is plain, but realistic and believable, and the authors wisely avoid the temptation to lard his speech with dated and potentially embarrassing slang. The author draws a vivid and affecting picture of Martin’s pain and confusion, bringing a tight-lipped teenager to life. In fact, Martin’s character is so well drawn that when he realizes the truth about his friend Frankie, readers won’t feel as if they are watching an after-school special, but as though they are observing the natural progression of Martin’s personal growth. This short novel appears to be aimed at urban teens who don’t often see their neighborhoods portrayed in young-adult fiction, but its sophisticated characters and affecting story will likely have much wider appeal.
A YA novel that treats its subject and its readers with respect while delivering an engaging story.Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2004
ISBN: 978-1591940173
Page Count: 152
Publisher: Townsend Press
Review Posted Online: Jan. 26, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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