by Rich Wallace ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 1, 2011
Readers will enjoy Brody’s story as he, in these few weeks, makes one small step toward manhood.
Twelve-year-old Brody Winslow says, “It feels like my whole life’s about to change. Moving into junior high is like stepping out of childhood, whether you want to or not.”
And the summer of 1969 is an exciting and confusing time to grow up. When Brody’s first-person account begins, it’s August 11th. Men walked on the Moon last month, Woodstock starts on Friday, the Vietnam War is raging in the background, the Mets are losing as usual and Brody is beginning to be interested in girls, even if he does see himself as uncool, scrawny and awkward. Older brother Ryan turns 18 soon, draft age, a cause for conflict with his father, who wants Ryan in college, safely deferred. Mr. Winslow may be gruff, but readers may see his point of view as much as Ryan’s, who never comes off as an angry young peacenik, more a kid playing at possibilities. Mrs. Winslow, from the background, offers food as a palliative for all family crises. Wallace (Wrestling Sturbridge, 1996, etc.) may throw a barrage of historical references in the opening chapters, details jammed in like rock fans at Woodstock, but he still manages an accessible story rooted in a colorful time.
Readers will enjoy Brody’s story as he, in these few weeks, makes one small step toward manhood. (Historical fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: June 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-670-01152-0
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: April 18, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2011
Share your opinion of this book
More by Sandra Neil Wallace
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
by Sandra Neil Wallace & Rich Wallace ; illustrated by Charly Palmer
BOOK REVIEW
by Sandra Neil Wallace & Rich Wallace ; illustrated by Agata Nowicka
by Katherine Marsh ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 7, 2018
A captivating book situated in present-day discourse around the refugee crisis, featuring two boys who stand by their high...
Two parallel stories, one of a Syrian boy from Aleppo fleeing war, and another of a white American boy, son of a NATO contractor, dealing with the challenges of growing up, intersect at a house in Brussels.
Ahmed lost his father while crossing the Mediterranean. Alone and broke in Europe, he takes things into his own hands to get to safety but ends up having to hide in the basement of a residential house. After months of hiding, he is discovered by Max, a boy of similar age and parallel high integrity and courage, who is experiencing his own set of troubles learning a new language, moving to a new country, and being teased at school. In an unexpected turn of events, the two boys and their new friends Farah, a Muslim Belgian girl, and Oscar, a white Belgian boy, successfully scheme for Ahmed to go to school while he remains in hiding the rest of the time. What is at stake for Ahmed is immense, and so is the risk to everyone involved. Marsh invites art and history to motivate her protagonists, drawing parallels to gentiles who protected Jews fleeing Nazi terror and citing present-day political news. This well-crafted and suspenseful novel touches on the topics of refugees and immigrant integration, terrorism, Islam, Islamophobia, and the Syrian war with sensitivity and grace.
A captivating book situated in present-day discourse around the refugee crisis, featuring two boys who stand by their high values in the face of grave risk and succeed in drawing goodwill from others. (Historical fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Aug. 7, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-250-30757-6
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: June 10, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018
Share your opinion of this book
More by Katherine Marsh
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
by Katherine Marsh ; illustrated by Kelly Murphy
by Alan Gratz ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 25, 2017
Poignant, respectful, and historically accurate while pulsating with emotional turmoil, adventure, and suspense.
Awards & Accolades
Likes
17
Our Verdict
GET IT
Google Rating
Kirkus Reviews'
Best Books Of 2017
New York Times Bestseller
Sydney Taylor Book Award Winner
In the midst of political turmoil, how do you escape the only country that you’ve ever known and navigate a new life? Parallel stories of three different middle school–aged refugees—Josef from Nazi Germany in 1938, Isabel from 1994 Cuba, and Mahmoud from 2015 Aleppo—eventually intertwine for maximum impact.
Three countries, three time periods, three brave protagonists. Yet these three refugee odysseys have so much in common. Each traverses a landscape ruled by a dictator and must balance freedom, family, and responsibility. Each initially leaves by boat, struggles between visibility and invisibility, copes with repeated obstacles and heart-wrenching loss, and gains resilience in the process. Each third-person narrative offers an accessible look at migration under duress, in which the behavior of familiar adults changes unpredictably, strangers exploit the vulnerabilities of transients, and circumstances seem driven by random luck. Mahmoud eventually concludes that visibility is best: “See us….Hear us. Help us.” With this book, Gratz accomplishes a feat that is nothing short of brilliant, offering a skillfully wrought narrative laced with global and intergenerational reverberations that signal hope for the future. Excellent for older middle grade and above in classrooms, book groups, and/or communities looking to increase empathy for new and existing arrivals from afar.
Poignant, respectful, and historically accurate while pulsating with emotional turmoil, adventure, and suspense. (maps, author’s note) (Historical fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: July 25, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-545-88083-1
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 9, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2017
Share your opinion of this book
More by Alan Gratz
BOOK REVIEW
by Alan Gratz ; illustrated by Judit Tondora
BOOK REVIEW
by Alan Gratz ; illustrated by Brent Schoonover
BOOK REVIEW
by Alan Gratz
More About This Book
PROFILES
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Hey there, book lover.
We’re glad you found a book that interests you!
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Don’t fret. We’ll find you.