A 5-year-old boy discovers a magical land just beyond his backyard in this debut picture book for young children.
After receiving permission from his mother, Eric—who had his birthday the previous day—takes his favorite gift, a new soccer ball, out to the backyard. He wants to excel in the sport the way his older sister, Alexandra, does, so he gives the ball such a hard kick that it travels over the goal and into a hedge. Despite the hedge’s scary darkness, he bravely goes after it. But instead of the ball, he finds a magical land with a green sky. The first thing he sees is a short man in a blue tuxedo and top hat who’s searching for pairs in a multicolored mountain of socks. Eric politely asks the little man if he’s seen his soccer ball and soon learns that the man calls himself The Keeper and that they’re in the magical place where all lost things go. When another two dozen socks fall out of the sky on The Keeper’s head, the man expresses his frustration with trying to pair them all. Eric shares his mother’s wisdom that only one sock from each pair gets lost, which would make pairing them impossible. With this realization, The Keeper collapses but quickly recovers. He happily decides that it would be more useful to sort lost books and thanks Eric for his insight. As they approach the mountain of books, Eric finds his soccer ball, says goodbye to The Keeper, who invites him to return, and then heads home to take his nap. Although the story is simple and short, it provides a satisfying sequence of events and several lessons: asking permission, making polite requests, and being responsible and kind. It leaves open imaginative possibilities for its audience: The youngest readers may be engaged by finding socks or books of different colors and patterns, while older children may imagine what else they could find in the Land of Lost Things and what will happen when Eric returns. The colorful, painted illustrations clearly distinguish the ordinary world of Eric’s home from the magical land, mirror the story’s emotional ups and downs, and invite exploration, although adult readers may notice that Mr. Keeper’s facial features are somewhat inconsistent and that Eric’s cheeks sometimes seem excessively red.
A simple, fun encounter with magic for young children.
Pub Date: May 19, 2014
ISBN: 978-1495301650
Page Count: 32
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: July 29, 2014
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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