A must-read page turner.
In a futuristic dystopia, three childhood friends in a small village are made privy to the deceit of the Temple City elders and the existence of an outside world.
Happy-go-lucky childhood friends Nathaniel Rush, Orah Weber and Thomas Bradford of Little Pond have only recently celebrated their coming of age. Despite living in a tightly controlled village where dreaming is strictly forbidden, Nathaniel dares to dream of knights and bravery. Little Pond revolves around farming, but the group spends most of its time at the Not Tree, a secluded treehouse in the woods. Moreover, all three are constantly aware of the tension between being labeled a “dreamer of dreams” and the fear of receiving a “teaching” to help keep the “darkness”—essentially man’s ability to think for himself—away. When Thomas is taken for a teaching, he returns stone-faced, with an empty look that hints at the horrors unveiled by the Big Brother–like elders in Temple City. Upon glancing at Thomas’ drained facial features, Orah says, “It remains to be seen whether what’s been taken from him returns or is gone forever.” While Litwak spends the first part of the text highlighting the simple, almost primitive lifestyle of Little Pond, the narrative assumes a frenetic, action-packed pace as Orah’s own teaching triggers a series of events that tests the friends’ pact of friendship and sacrifice. They encounter Samuel, the “first keeper,” guardian of the keep—an area where magical devices have allegedly been stored for millennia—who tells Nathaniel, “There once was an age of wonder, a time of magic and strife.” On their dangerous quest to find the storied keep, Nathaniel, Orah and Thomas learn the truth about the darkness: It’s the advanced, creative thinking that underscored societies of the past, so why are the elders intent on preventing it? Ignorance has allowed peace, but is it bliss? Despite a somewhat tedious beginning, the superb storyline and continually developing characters illuminate this engaging, futuristic tale. Perhaps most intriguing is the craftiness with which Litwack portrays today’s technological devices as magical emblems of darkness and evil. For instance, in the keep, Orah discovers telescopes and man’s visit to the moon, which leaves her in shock and disbelief regarding the existence of such an advanced, “magical” universe.
A must-read page turner.Pub Date: Sept. 25, 2012
ISBN: 978-1771150149
Page Count: 266
Publisher: Double Dragon Publishing
Review Posted Online: Dec. 20, 2012
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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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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