Another teen dealing with consequences of dishonesty and cover-ups from Cappo (Cheating Lessons, 2011), though the stakes are higher in this murder mystery set in a small, blue-collar Michigan town.
We first meet Milo Shoemaker, an upstanding high school senior, the day of his father’s funeral. Milo’s dad was an accountant at Wolverine Motors, manufacturers of fire trucks in the town of Valeene, and the company prides itself on not having taken a government bailout like the big three automakers. The circumstances surrounding the death of Milo’s father are suspicious—was it an accident, suicide for insurance or, worse, murder? Clues pop up that lead Milo to finagle a job at the plant where he can snoop out the truth. Did his dad cook the books to pay off a gambling debt? Or is it something more sinister? Proving his dad’s innocence could take down the town’s biggest employer and tarnish the reputation of its president, a hero of sorts that Milo holds in high regard for hiring his father when he was down on his luck. Milo is a teen with character and morals; he helps out around the house and takes care of his younger twin siblings. Adding the virginal quality, although commendable, is a tad overdone and predictable in young adult fiction lately. Cappo’s occasional odd choice of adjectives can seem arbitrary and a bit befuddling, as in “the oily Pearce” when referring to the shady, suspect payroll supervisor, and the line “J’azzmin had stealthily replaced their headsets.” It’s when Milo’s best friend—the athletic, charming Zaffer, whose summer job in security and grounds keeping at Wolverine gives him access to off-limit areas of the building—and the boss’ attractive daughter, Ellie, join in on the sleuthing that the plot moves along at a brisk pace with plenty of action, romance and intrigue. Milo’s unyielding determination to discover the truth and expose corporate fraud will likely make Cappo’s page-turner a hit with those sympathetic to the Occupy Wall Street movement.
Pub Date: Oct. 26, 2011
ISBN: 978-0983822202
Page Count: 318
Publisher: Tadmar
Review Posted Online: Dec. 5, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2012
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
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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