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
The inside story from the perspective of a still-developing teen reporter.
Read all about it! A teen journalist opens up.
At 4, by happenstance, Lysiak went with her reporter father to the scene of a breaking news story, a murder. Watching him work, she became hooked on journalism. She started her own newspaper, the Orange Street News in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania, just before she turned 8 and even scooped more traditional journalists on the news of a murder there. By 14, she’d published a book series, inspired the TV series Home Before Dark, and been the subject of countless news articles. Despite her accomplishments, however, the White-presenting teen grappled with emotional turmoil: “But on the inside, I felt nothing except pain.” This memoir describes the loss of self-esteem felt by many confident girls as they enter adolescence. Lysiak’s years of writing experience come through in this conversational account that includes many specific details and direct quotations. Along the way, she sheds light on how a news story is researched and organized, the importance of a free press, and her issues with food. Readers will find plenty to admire in Lysiak’s determination, her love and respect for her family, and the freedom that her parents have given her to pursue her passions.
The inside story from the perspective of a still-developing teen reporter. (Memoir. 9-12)Pub Date: April 19, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-64160-581-6
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Chicago Review Press
Review Posted Online: April 12, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2022
PERSPECTIVES
Inspiring examples for younger would-be world-changers.
Stevenson expands her 2019 roster of Kid Activists with profiles of 20 more advocates for political, social, and environmental causes.
Except for Benazir Bhutto, John Lewis, and Audre Lorde, all of the role models here are alive, and some, like environmental activist Greta Thunberg (born in 2003), #1000BlackGirlBooks founder Marley Dias (born in 2005) and Little Miss Flint Mari Copeny (born in 2007), are still relatively young. With some notable, if humanizing, exceptions—Al Gore’s memories of tossing water balloons off a hotel rooftop, for instance, or Shonda Rhimes’ petrifying first driving lesson—the 16 longer entries and four single-page spotlights are weighted toward childhood experiences that informed or directly led to later concerns and achievements, from Kamala Harris shouting “Fweedom!” from her stroller at a civil rights demonstration to Ai Weiwei watching his father’s library burn on the orders of the Red Guard. All but four subjects are people of color, most are North American, and several, including trans actor Elliot Page, are queer. Steinfeld’s neatly drawn illustrations include many scenes of smiling figures in forthright stances as well as some moments of difficulty and distress; Stevenson mentions instances of violence and bullying often enough to counter any false impressions that activism doesn’t have its risks.
Inspiring examples for younger would-be world-changers. (further reading, bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 9-12)Pub Date: Aug. 23, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-68369-301-7
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Quirk Books
Review Posted Online: May 9, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2022
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