Difficult, disturbing, and shocking but worth the effort.
The dark story of Carmen retold as a disquieting coming-of-age tale.
An unnamed 9-year-old boy narrates, announcing that he always carries a special ball, and though he hates fighting, he’ll do so if anyone takes it. He introduces his hero and friend Don José, a corporal in the Dragon Regiment of Alcalá, who, the narrator tells us, is a real dragon (he mostly appears as a man until later in the story). The boy also describes his plan to marry his beautiful, free-spirited neighbor Carmen when he grows up. Don José falls in love with Carmen, but his obsessive behavior leads to violence and tragedy. The innocent boy watches events unfold and in the end is left deeply disillusioned. The action is depicted as dance movements from Carmen as choreographed by the Spanish National Dance Company; the art portrays death and violence, and sexuality is implied. Complex black-and-white illustrations with touches of subtle color—bright splashes of red in Carmen’s costume and her signature rose, the green dragon in varying sizes, and the always-present brown ball—highlight and inform the text, translated from Spanish. In a few illustrations, Carmen and the dragon are shown as dolls, potentially causing some confusion. The boy shares profound, hard-won insights on the nature of love, though young readers might need to share this tale with a reassuring grown-up to fully understand it. Characters are light-skinned. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Difficult, disturbing, and shocking but worth the effort. (Picture book. 9-12)Pub Date: Oct. 4, 2022
ISBN: 978-84-18302-76-3
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Cuento de Luz
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2022
A worthy combination of athletic action, the virtues of inner strength, and the importance of friendship.
A young tennis champion becomes the target of revenge.
In this sequel to Legacy and the Queen (2019), Legacy Petrin and her friends Javi and Pippa have returned to Legacy’s home province and the orphanage run by her father. With her friends’ help, she is in training to defend her championship when they discover that another player, operating under the protection of High Consul Silla, is presenting herself as Legacy. She is so convincing that the real Legacy is accused of being an imitation. False Legacy has become a hero to the masses, further strengthening Silla’s hold, and it becomes imperative to uncover and defeat her. If Legacy is to win again, she must play her imposter while disguised as someone else. Winning at tennis is not just about money and fame, but resisting Silla’s plans to send more young people into brutal mines with little hope of better lives. Legacy will have to overcome her fears and find the magic that allowed her to claim victory in the past. This story, with its elements of sports, fantasy, and social consciousness that highlight tensions between the powerful and those they prey upon, successfully continues the series conceived by late basketball superstar Bryant. As before, the tennis matches are depicted with pace and spirit. Legacy and Javi have brown skin; most other characters default to White.
A worthy combination of athletic action, the virtues of inner strength, and the importance of friendship. (Fantasy. 9-12)Pub Date: Aug. 24, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-949520-19-4
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Granity Studios
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
Poet Alexander deftly reveals the power of the format to pack an emotional punch.
Basketball-playing twins find challenges to their relationship on and off the court as they cope with changes in their lives.
Josh Bell and his twin, Jordan, aka JB, are stars of their school basketball team. They are also successful students, since their educator mother will stand for nothing else. As the two middle schoolers move to a successful season, readers can see their differences despite the sibling connection. After all, Josh has dreadlocks and is quiet on court, and JB is bald and a trash talker. Their love of the sport comes from their father, who had also excelled in the game, though his championship was achieved overseas. Now, however, he does not have a job and seems to have health problems the parents do not fully divulge to the boys. The twins experience their first major rift when JB is attracted to a new girl in their school, and Josh finds himself without his brother. This novel in verse is rich in character and relationships. Most interesting is the family dynamic that informs so much of the narrative, which always reveals, never tells. While Josh relates the story, readers get a full picture of major and minor players. The basketball action provides energy and rhythm for a moving story.
Poet Alexander deftly reveals the power of the format to pack an emotional punch. (Verse fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: March 18, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-544-10771-7
Page Count: 240
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 17, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2014
SEEN & HEARD
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
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