A flashy bit of razzle-dazzle, with plenty of yuks and nary a yawn.
Amateur magician Quinn Purcell has a hard time separating reality from wishful thinking.
Actually, overthinking is 16-year-old Quinn’s biggest problem. He needs to wow the judges at the auditions for the Masters of Magic Fantasy Camp—and his main competition is his smart, driven, talented, and fantastically attractive new classmate, Dani Darling. Is Dani really drawn to him, cleverly messing with his head to get a leg up in the audition, or is she unsure herself what her motives are? Can the grizzled grifter he meets (supposedly) by chance in a cafe really teach him the Monkey’s Paw trick, or is he just being suckered? On top of that, his frontman and best friend, Perry Larsson, has suddenly become the world’s most perfect human being—brilliant, handsome, beloved by peers and grown-ups alike; heroically saving a toddler’s life here, lucky in love there, and still loyal to a fault. Along with this blend of teen angst and crude bathroom humor, Calame convincingly conjures the combination of patter, misdirection, relentless practice, and elaborate preparation that makes the magic happen (and not just on stage) as he sends his puzzled prestidigitator reeling through confusing and humiliating experiences. Happily, Quinn recognizes just in time the value and pleasure of doing something he loves. Alert readers will see through his ironic tone to the talented, fundamentally decent kid beneath. Main characters read as White by default.
A flashy bit of razzle-dazzle, with plenty of yuks and nary a yawn. (Fiction. 12-15)Pub Date: Oct. 12, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7636-9689-4
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Aug. 31, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2021
Despite the stale fat-to-curvy pattern, compelling world building with a Southern European, pseudo-Christian feel,...
Adventure drags our heroine all over the map of fantasyland while giving her the opportunity to use her smarts.
Elisa—Princess Lucero-Elisa de Riqueza of Orovalle—has been chosen for Service since the day she was born, when a beam of holy light put a Godstone in her navel. She's a devout reader of holy books and is well-versed in the military strategy text Belleza Guerra, but she has been kept in ignorance of world affairs. With no warning, this fat, self-loathing princess is married off to a distant king and is embroiled in political and spiritual intrigue. War is coming, and perhaps only Elisa's Godstone—and knowledge from the Belleza Guerra—can save them. Elisa uses her untried strategic knowledge to always-good effect. With a character so smart that she doesn't have much to learn, body size is stereotypically substituted for character development. Elisa’s "mountainous" body shrivels away when she spends a month on forced march eating rat, and thus she is a better person. Still, it's wonderfully refreshing to see a heroine using her brain to win a war rather than strapping on a sword and charging into battle.
Despite the stale fat-to-curvy pattern, compelling world building with a Southern European, pseudo-Christian feel, reminiscent of Naomi Kritzer's Fires of the Faithful (2002), keeps this entry fresh. (Fantasy. 12-14)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-06-202648-4
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2011
This is no didactic near-future warning of present evils, but a cinematic adventure featuring endearing, compelling heroes
A gripping thriller in dystopic future Los Angeles.
Fifteen-year-olds June and Day live completely different lives in the glorious Republic. June is rich and brilliant, the only candidate ever to get a perfect score in the Trials, and is destined for a glowing career in the military. She looks forward to the day when she can join up and fight the Republic’s treacherous enemies east of the Dakotas. Day, on the other hand, is an anonymous street rat, a slum child who failed his own Trial. He's also the Republic's most wanted criminal, prone to stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. When tragedies strike both their families, the two brilliant teens are thrown into direct opposition. In alternating first-person narratives, Day and June experience coming-of-age adventures in the midst of spying, theft and daredevil combat. Their voices are distinct and richly drawn, from Day’s self-deprecating affection for others to June's Holmesian attention to detail. All the flavor of a post-apocalyptic setting—plagues, class warfare, maniacal soldiers—escalates to greater complexity while leaving space for further worldbuilding in the sequel.
This is no didactic near-future warning of present evils, but a cinematic adventure featuring endearing, compelling heroes . (Science fiction. 12-14)Pub Date: Nov. 29, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-399-25675-2
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: April 8, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2011
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