Briskly paced, humorous and warm; an enjoyable but somewhat predictable read.
A seventh-grade girl writes an advice column for the school newspaper in this YA novel.
Corey Lawrence, 12, always has her nose stuck in a book. When her mother urges her to choose an activity and make friends, Corey takes up her English teacher’s suggestion that she join the student newspaper, which needs another advice columnist. She’d be working with cool, stylish Andi Greene, and despite her nervousness, Corey agrees. Before long, their column is a big hit, and the two girls are fast friends—but who left that nasty note in the advice letterbox? And what’s up with the destroyed French-English dictionary in the school library? As these mysteries unfold, along with the mystery that is adolescence, Corey learns more about herself, her past and paying attention to those around her. Kimball (Corey Saves the Day!, 2013, etc.) presents a believable middle-grade world and a hero who isn’t too perfect (she’s afraid to get her ears pierced) but has some real strengths. The focus on female friendship, free of mean-girl nastiness, is also refreshing. Her male friends on the school paper are also likable, with their good-natured teasing. Their dialogue is amusing but not implausibly sophisticated, as when Bruce says of a former algebra teacher, “They say she killed herself right over there because her students couldn’t—or wouldn’t—solve for x.” The book offers few surprises, however. The mystery angle is easily guessed, and Corey’s progress from invisible bookworm to popular and well-dressed preteen is too smooth. Skimpy to begin with, the narrative sometimes spends time on unnecessary details: “I go into my room and turn on my lights. There are two overhead bulbs that turn on with the same wall switch, and I also have a really nice floor lamp.”
Briskly paced, humorous and warm; an enjoyable but somewhat predictable read.Pub Date: Nov. 14, 2013
ISBN: 978-1493777501
Page Count: 178
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Jan. 30, 2014
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
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