Will give some readers inspiration and ideas for ways that they can help their own communities right now (Collective...
People from different countries and eras who have achieved significant accomplishments by the age of 18 are the subjects of this contemporary collective biography, which opposes jaunty, intensely colored portraits against breezy, one-page descriptions.
Under each illustration, there is often a personal quotation. For example, Katie Stagliano, who started a foundation called Katie’s Krops that encourages young people to grow vegetables to feed the hungry, said: “I believe that youth have the power to do incredible things.” Indeed. Pablo Picasso, Louis Armstrong, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Clara Schumann are well-known for having developed their talents early. Perhaps the more interesting figures are the kids who are still teenagers or in their early 20s now. Young women, including trans woman activist Jazz Jennings, and young men from countries including the U.S., Canada, Zambia, India, Pakistan, Brazil, and Syria are among the currently living biographees. Joining Malala Yousafzai are Mongolian Aisholpan Nurgaiv, a champion eagle hunter (unusual both for her age and gender), and Rhode Islander Nicholas Lowinger, a young Jew who founded Gotta Have Sole, an organization that provides new shoes to kids in homeless shelters. Unfortunately, there are no source notes or bibliography, and while the selections are gender-balanced and laudably diverse, there are few Latinx people, and the only Native Americans are Sacagawea and Pocahontas.
Will give some readers inspiration and ideas for ways that they can help their own communities right now (Collective biography. 9-12)Pub Date: Sept. 4, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4549-2917-8
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Sterling
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
A tighter focus would make this fascinating life story even more intriguing.
In this graphic memoir by sports journalist Shah, a ninth grader pursues his passion in the face of familial expectations pushing him toward a medical career, while also navigating the perils of high school social life.
It’s 1995, and Indian American Amar is desperate to meet the Chicago Bulls—Michael Jordan, in particular—when they stop by his Orlando, Florida, school. A lucky break leads him to his first sports interview, with Phil Jackson, and his tenacity takes him further, leading to multiple conversations with Shaquille O’Neal. But Amar’s luck in journalism doesn’t spill over to his relationship with his crush, blond Kasey Page (“like a mixture of Cameron Diaz, Tinkerbell, and heaven”), or his efforts to remain close with best friends Rohit and Cherian, who start spending more time with other classmates. The work relies on captions as much as plot developments to propel the story. It also follows a broad cast of characters—close and former friends, antagonists, supportive adults, and famous athletes—who appear in multiple storylines. The story accurately depicts the complexities of life as a young teen, though overlapping life challenges pull it in multiple directions, leaving some threads underexplored and hastily wrapped up. Doucet illustrates the characters using loose, disjointed outlines that give the artwork a sense of movement, and the colorful backgrounds use patterns and action lines to indicate a wide array of emotions.
A tighter focus would make this fascinating life story even more intriguing. (author’s note, photographs) (Graphic memoir. 9-12)Pub Date: Aug. 5, 2025
ISBN: 9781546110514
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Graphix/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 13, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A spirited biography untangles the accretion of myth and story around Pocahontas and makes clear what little is actually known and what fragments of the historical record are available. The text is rich in illustration and in sidebars (on longhouses, colonial diet, weaponry and so on) that illuminate the central narrative. Whether Pocahontas saved John Smith’s life directly or as part of an elaborate ritual might not matter, argues Jones. Pocahontas and her people were certainly responsible for keeping the English settlement of Jamestown from starvation. Relations between English settlers and Native people were uneasy at best, and the author traces these carefully, relating how Pocahontas was later kidnapped by the British and held for ransom. When none was forthcoming, she was converted both to English ways and the Christian religion, marrying the widower John Rolfe and traveling to England, where Pocahontas saw John Smith once again and died at about the age of 21. An excellent stab at myth busting and capturing the nuances of both the figure and her times. (glossary, bibliography, source notes, index) (Biography. 9-12)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-4027-6844-6
Page Count: 124
Publisher: Sterling
Review Posted Online: Aug. 31, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2010
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
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.
