Save this disquieting tale for sophisticated readers who have a high tolerance for both ambiguity and distress.
A gritty middle-grade story about suicide’s aftermath.
It has been a year since 11-year-old Kaia’s older brother, Moses, killed himself by slitting his wrists. It was Kaia who found him, and since that day she has been “frozen,” unable to move forward in her life—until she sees a mysterious, ragged boy in her school. The boy doesn’t speak, but he and Kaia become friends anyway, and he gradually leads her back to growth. With Kaia’s first-person narration, Avery paints an uncomfortable portrait of a child overcome by trauma, existing almost wholly within her damaged psyche. Readers may wonder at Kaia’s lack of external support—her mother is drinking herself into oblivion, her teacher exhibits not empathy but impatience, and her former friends ignore or bully her. Another off-key note is Kaia’s lack of anger toward Moses, who visits her in the guise of an angel. She seems to accept his suicide even as she can’t process it. It’s hard to tell whether the author is underscoring Kaia’s loose grip on reality or whether these are plot-credibility issues—the answer probably lies with individual readers. However, by the end of the story, everything wraps up pat, undercutting the story’s realism but providing welcome relief.
Save this disquieting tale for sophisticated readers who have a high tolerance for both ambiguity and distress. (Fiction. 10-13)Pub Date: Sept. 9, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-385-38487-2
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random
Review Posted Online: June 29, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2014
A quick, agreeable caper, this may spark some discussion even as it entertains.
Myla and Peter step into the path of a gang when they unite forces to find Peter’s runaway brother, Randall.
As they follow the graffiti tags that Randall has been painting in honor of the boys’ deceased father, they uncover a sinister history involving stolen diamonds, disappearances, and deaths. It started long ago when the boys’ grandmother, a diamond-cutter, partnered with the head of the gang. She was rumored to have hidden his diamonds before her suspicious death, leaving clues to their whereabouts. Now everyone is searching, including Randall. The duo’s collaboration is initially an unwilling one fraught with misunderstandings. Even after Peter and Myla bond over being the only people of color in an otherwise white school (Myla is Indian-American; mixed-race Peter is Indian, African-American, and white), Peter can’t believe the gang is after Myla. But Myla possesses a necklace that holds a clue. Alternating first-person chapters allow peeks into how Myla, Peter, and Randall unravel the story and decipher clues. Savvy readers will put the pieces together, too, although false leads and red herrings are cleverly interwoven. The action stumbles at times, but it takes place against the rich backdrops of gritty New York City and history-laden Dobbs Ferry and is made all the more colorful by references to graffiti art and parkour.
A quick, agreeable caper, this may spark some discussion even as it entertains. (Mystery. 10-12)Pub Date: May 30, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4197-2296-7
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Amulet/Abrams
Review Posted Online: Feb. 19, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Raisa's sister, Henda, has earned enough money to send for Raisa to join her in the goldineh medina of America. When Raisa arrives in 1910 New York from her Polish shtetl, she finds Henda missing. Responsible for supporting both herself and a newly orphaned toddler, Raisa finds a job at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. Raisa's friends, described in language rich with the cadences of Yiddish, each have jealousies, loves and flaws; they're not mere trajectories toward tragedy. But tragedy does strike, with the real-life factory fire that killed 146 workers. Vivid description of the deaths—of workers trapped on higher floors or leaping from windows to choose a faster death—unavoidably invites comparisons with another, more recent tragedy. The comparison serves the novel well; when the prose isn't strong enough for sufficient horror, visceral memories of 9/11 will do the trick (at least for those readers old enough to remember). After some tear-jerking, the happy conclusion comes too suddenly—shockingly so. The journey, however, is satisfying enough on its own. (Historical fiction. 11-13)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-670-01245-9
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Sept. 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2010
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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