Less harrowing than the usual war novel but equally gripping.
The crew of the USS George Dewey braves storms and enemy gunfire near the end of the Korean War in this first in Tennent’s series.
Friends Jim Taylor and Mike Shannon, newly commissioned line officers in the U.S. Navy Reserve, receive assignments as America takes the offensive to undermine North Korea’s stall tactics regarding the cease-fire agreement. Taylor’s love of sailing quickly gets him appointed forward observer, one who leads missions in whaleboats to scout targets on Korean soil. Meanwhile, both he and Shannon undergo rigorous training aboard the destroyer, while Taylor must contend with a lieutenant who’s taken a rather strong dislike to him. The author’s wartime novel quickly sets a fraught mood. It opens with the two friends anticipating a week off; instead they’re sent immediately to their station. Scenes on the Dewey are often anxiety-inducing, particularly the few times that the ship is attacked. Much of the story is told from the perspective of Taylor, whose adjustments to the constantly pitching sea can be a welcome relief from the tension of the ship. He continually bumps his head on girders while trying to get to his bunk on the first night, occasionally toppling, and even lodges a knee and ankle under pipes so he’ll stop rolling and be able to sleep. Taylor forces himself to use nautical terms, which helps readers unfamiliar with the jargon. Dramatic conflict comes mostly in the form of Haigal, an officer who hassles Taylor. Not surprisingly, there’s little female presence. But the few women who appear, including the matriarch of a family aboard a junk (a boat used, in this case, for fishing) and a table of Navy nurses at a club, add nothing to the plot, as they’re all nameless. The most exhilarating sequences involve Taylor in action, as he and his crew elude patrol boats and dodge mines. But even back on the destroyer, Taylor, Shannon and the rest face stressful episodes such as a typhoon and the dreaded hang fire—when a discharged gun doesn’t fire, leaving a projectile that could explode at any moment.
Less harrowing than the usual war novel but equally gripping.Pub Date: June 29, 2012
ISBN: 978-1468120318
Page Count: 390
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Sept. 17, 2012
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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