A straightforward and positive portrayal of a young singing sensation.
This biography of the teen singer/songwriter shows a talented young woman in charge of her art and career.
Touted as the first artist born in this century to hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200, Eilish is presented here as someone who knows what she wants, is full of creativity, and is an an embodiment of Gen Z proclivities. Beginning with her early childhood in a Los Angeles neighborhood (described here as being improved by gentrification) where she was home-schooled with Finneas, her brother and fellow musician, and moving on to the overnight sensation of her first song, this book covers the period up to the many awards she received at the 2020 Grammys. Exploring the writing and recording process of each hit song and video, it can serve as an empowering book for teens, who will see how Eilish kept control of her work and her life. While, due to her youth, others continually tried to take over her career, she is portrayed as being unapologetic about being a teenager with valid experience and perspectives. There is a chapter on Finneas’ own musical successes, and breakout text goes into specific aspects of her life, such as her veganism, Tourette syndrome, synesthesia, and her relationships with other pop stars, making some of this information feel isolated rather than integrated into the overall portrait of the artist.
A straightforward and positive portrayal of a young singing sensation. (picture credits, index) (Biography. 12-18)Pub Date: Feb. 2, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-72842-417-0
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Zest Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 8, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2020
Catnip for scandal junkies, with a bit of historical perspective stirred in.
A gleefully explicit catalogue of the past century’s headline-grabbing bad behavior.
Aimed at readers who don’t need to be told who Brangelina is but may be hazy on “twisted besties” Leopold and Loeb or even Monica Lewinsky, this edutaining survey presents a wide-angle array of murders, sexual follies, controversial trials, race violence, political corruption and general envelope-pushing from the 1906 killing of Stanford White on. Each of the chronologically arranged entries opens with a capsule “Scoop” followed by a slightly fuller account under a “What Went Down” header. Along with a small black-and-white photo and one or two sidebar quotes, the author tacks on subsequent developments, sometimes-perceptive suggestions about “Why We Still Care” and a short roster of similar incidents in recent history. Though she misspells “Symbionese” and repeatedly awards FDR only three Presidential wins, in general Fryd presents reasonably accurate summaries of events and issues while giving all sides of the more muddled conflicts at least a nod. Additional cred is provided by a teen panel of editorial advisors.
Catnip for scandal junkies, with a bit of historical perspective stirred in. (index) (Nonfiction. 12-16)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-9827322-0-5
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Zest/Orange Avenue
Review Posted Online: Jan. 8, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
A welcome illumination of a historically under-appreciated art form.
Selecting 11 illustrators popular in the past decade, among them Chris Raschka, Lois Ehlert and Mo Willems, and adding postscripts to 10 he had interviewed for Ways of Telling (2002), Marcus mines the A-list, producing fascinating insights into the lives of picture-book creators and the format itself.
Organized alphabetically, each interview is preceded by a photograph and brief introduction. In contrast to the representative reproductions in the earlier title, the accompanying color insert presents process. Studies, sketches and scenes that didn’t make it are accompanied by instructive captions. The historian’s command of publishing trends, personalities, formal elements and psychology leads to customized questions, although common themes emerge. These include the power of teachers to enable artists to recognize their potential or doubt it, the role of encouraging relatives, the ways sensitive people grapple with family issues and economic or political realities and the impact of Charles Schulz and Maurice Sendak. The inclusion of Quentin Blake, Yumi Heo, Peter Sís, and Lisbeth Zwerger adds an international perspective. It is curious, though, that Marcus recycles so much from his previous book; except for Sendak’s seven-page commentary on Bumble-Ardy (2011), not much value is added. Why not a full-fledged second volume? That said, these discussions of the relationship between artists’ lives and the stories they produce, preferences regarding medium or style, and the unique confluences of circumstance, market and passion are indubitably worthwhile.
A welcome illumination of a historically under-appreciated art form. (bibliography, source notes) (Nonfiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: April 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-7636-3506-0
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Feb. 14, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2012
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