by Sheryl Berk & Carrie Berk ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 29, 2019
A vanilla-flavored depiction of middle school for kids who aren’t there yet.
Exuberant Emma, back after series opener Ask Emma (2018), is determined to be one of her middle school’s representatives to the National Student Congress.
But first, she has to prove to her principal that she can keep her (strong) opinions to herself for a full 48 hours, not easy for a person who thrives on dishing out advice. Although Emma manages to succeed—barely—in the process she alienates her two best friends by not taking sides to settle an argument and then posting an ill-conceived message about them on her popular blog. The girls retaliate by immediately beginning to exclude her from their three-way friendship. Some pithy advice from her mom helps Emma regroup and restore the peace, and she’s off to the stress-filled Student Congress in D.C., where she and her favorite boy, Jackson, must debate in front of a huge crowd. Her spontaneity and enthusiasm prove essential, of course. The white-default young teens model lots of problem-solving skills as they navigate common if rather trivial issues of their age group. Characters suffer from a lack of depth, overreacting to minor provocations but then being just as easily placated by equally minor interventions, reducing most of the conflict to insignificance. A long chapter of advice on how to start a mother-daughter book club follows the tale.
A vanilla-flavored depiction of middle school for kids who aren’t there yet. (Fiction. 9-11)Pub Date: Jan. 29, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4998-0648-9
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Yellow Jacket
Review Posted Online: Oct. 14, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2018
Share your opinion of this book
More by Sheryl Berk
BOOK REVIEW
by Sheryl Berk & Carrie Berk
BOOK REVIEW
by Sheryl Berk
BOOK REVIEW
by Sheryl Berk & Carrie Berk
by Chad Morris & Shelly Brown ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 3, 2017
Medically, both squicky and hopeful; emotionally, unbelievably squeaky-clean.
A 12-year-old copes with a brain tumor.
Maddie likes potatoes and fake mustaches. Kids at school are nice (except one whom readers will see instantly is a bully); soon they’ll get to perform Shakespeare scenes in a unit they’ve all been looking forward to. But recent dysfunctions in Maddie’s arm and leg mean, stunningly, that she has a brain tumor. She has two surgeries, the first successful, the second taking place after the book’s end, leaving readers hanging. The tumor’s not malignant, but it—or the surgeries—could cause sight loss, personality change, or death. The descriptions of surgery aren’t for the faint of heart. The authors—parents of a real-life Maddie who really had a brain tumor—imbue fictional Maddie’s first-person narration with quirky turns of phrase (“For the love of potatoes!”) and whimsy (she imagines her medical battles as epic fantasy fights and pretends MRI stands for Mustard Rat from Indiana or Mustaches Rock Importantly), but they also portray her as a model sick kid. She’s frightened but never acts out, snaps, or resists. Her most frequent commentary about the tumor, having her skull opened, and the possibility of death is “Boo” or “Super boo.” She even shoulders the bully’s redemption. Maddie and most characters are white; one cringe-inducing hallucinatory surgery dream involves “chanting island natives” and a “witch doctor lady.”
Medically, both squicky and hopeful; emotionally, unbelievably squeaky-clean. (authors’ note, discussion questions) (Fiction. 9-11)Pub Date: Oct. 3, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-62972-330-3
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Review Posted Online: Aug. 1, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2017
Share your opinion of this book
More by Chad Morris
BOOK REVIEW
by Chad Morris & Shelly Brown
BOOK REVIEW
by Chad Morris & Shelly Brown ; illustrated by Garth Bruner
BOOK REVIEW
by Chad Morris & Shelly Brown
by Elizabeth Eulberg ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 6, 2016
A smart, fresh take on an old favorite makes for a terrific series kickoff
A modern Sherlock Holmes retelling brings an 11-year-old black John Watson into the sphere of know-it-all 9-year-old white detective Shelby Holmes.
John's an Army brat who's lived in four states already. Now, with his parents' divorce still fresh, the boy who's lived only on military bases must explore the wilds of Harlem. His new life in 221A Baker St. begins inauspiciously, as before he's even finished moving in, his frizzy-haired neighbor blows something up: "BOOM!" But John's great at making friends, and Shelby certainly seems like an interesting kid to know. Oddly loquacious, brusque, and extremely observant, Shelby's locally famous for solving mysteries. John’s swept up in her detecting when a wealthy, brown-skinned classmate enlists their help in the mysterious disappearance of her beloved show dog, Daisy. Whatever could have happened to the prizewinning Cavalier King Charles spaniel? Has she been swiped by a jealous competitor? Has Daisy’s trainer—mysteriously come into enough money to take a secret weekend in Cozumel—been placing bets against his own dog? Brisk pacing, likable characters, a few silly Holmes jokes ("I'm Petunia Cumberbatch," says Shelby while undercover), and a diverse neighborhood, carefully and realistically described by John, are ingredients for success.
A smart, fresh take on an old favorite makes for a terrific series kickoff . (Mystery. 9-11)Pub Date: Sept. 6, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-68119-051-8
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: June 21, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2016
Share your opinion of this book
More by Elizabeth Eulberg
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© 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.