A sweet, engaging story that neatly sidesteps YA clichés.
A charming coming-of-age tale set in the Florida Keys.
Sixteen-year-old Piper Wesley has one passion in life: fishing. Unlike most other girls in her small beach town of Islamorada, Piper isn’t interested in flirting, shopping or makeup. Perpetually clad in shorts and a tank top, she’d like nothing more than to spend every day on the water, searching for bonefish or helping her dad run sport-fishing trips for tourists (whose numbers have dwindled following a recent oil spill.) This summer, Piper’s one ambition is to enter—and win—the Scramble, a major fishing competition that comes with a $25,000 grand prize. The money, and the recognition, will help her family’s struggling business survive. To succeed, this young fisherwoman needs the help of her best friend, Benny. The two have been training for months, honing their technique and scoping out the best fishing spots. But now Benny is too smitten with his new girlfriend, Marina, to be of much help when it comes to preparing for the big contest. Fortunately, there’s a new guy on the scene, Logan, a recent arrival from Michigan. While Logan’s knowledge of fishing is nearly nonexistent, he manages to snag Piper with his good looks and nice-guy charm. When Benny bails on his commitment to help with the Scramble, Logan takes his place. The young couple suffers a few predictable teenage misunderstandings as they prepare for the tournament, where they’ll go head-to-head with last year’s winner, Wyatt Jacoby, a world-famous fisherman with his own show on the Expedition Channel. Bardenwerper understands her teenage characters, infusing them with a characteristic combination of moodiness, recklessness and stubbornness. The novel’s romantic plot intertwines nicely with the story of a young woman struggling to grow up and define herself, and by book’s end, Piper has emerged as a smart, self-aware teen with a bright future ahead of her. Many readers will be eager to see where her next adventure leads.
A sweet, engaging story that neatly sidesteps YA clichés.Pub Date: March 7, 2012
ISBN: 978-1470120191
Page Count: 354
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: June 7, 2012
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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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