A book about young people dealing with cancer that never moves beyond illness as a mechanism for self-discovery.
A love triangle made more complex because one of the geometric points is sick with leukemia.
Leo loves Beatrice. He loves her even though he’s never actually spoken to her, even though she never answers his text messages. When he learns from his friend Silvia that Beatrice has leukemia, his life erupts in a chaos of emotion. One good thing to come out of his grief is that he donates blood. He also writes her a letter expressing his emotions, but on his way to deliver it he gets into an accident on his scooter and winds up in the hospital. Will he ever make his feelings for her known? Or will he see the stoic girl standing by his side supporting him as a friend in a more romantic light? Translated from the Italian, this book tends toward the repetitive and esoteric. Dialogue feels stilted and off-key, often marred by an overabundance of exclamation points and lines that don’t reflect how teenagers naturally speak: “ ‘We’ve got to put those losers to shame!’ I beam with delight. What would school be like without the soccer tournament?” The sluggish plot relies on the dry discourse of characters who spend a lot of time pondering their unlucky situations.
A book about young people dealing with cancer that never moves beyond illness as a mechanism for self-discovery. (Fiction. 12-15)Pub Date: Sept. 4, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-7852-1706-0
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Review Posted Online: June 17, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018
Effervescent and optimistic, Arabelle demonstrates that on stage or off, everyone should take a starring role in her life
Arabelle’s vision of a headlining freshman year of high school soon fades under the harsh glare of reality.
With a keen desire to transform herself into somebody spectacular, Arabelle yearns to be a dashing actress like her favorite romance-book heroine. A part in her school’s production of You Can’t Take It with You seems to be her opportunity to shine. Yet Arabelle soon realizes that life does not always follow a neat script. Instead of being center stage, Arabelle is on the sidelines working as a prompter for the actors. Even this meager role is in jeopardy due to the hostilities of the contemptuous Bonnie, lead actress and reigning diva. In the tradition of good theater, there is plenty of intrigue, comedy and romance as Arabelle endeavors to discover what makes her unique. De Baun contemplates the meaning of friendship in its many guises. A poignant parallel plot involving Arabelle’s volunteer work at a local nursing home elevates this story beyond the traditional quirky-girl-conquers-high-school scenario. Arabelle’s blossoming friendships with several memorable residents ultimately transform her perspective on life and herself.
Effervescent and optimistic, Arabelle demonstrates that on stage or off, everyone should take a starring role in her life . (Fiction. 12-14)Pub Date: Aug. 30, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-8028-5398-1
Page Count: 236
Publisher: Eerdmans
Review Posted Online: June 26, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2012
In this Celtic-flavored crossover brick, four modern teenagers are summoned to another world to save it.
Borrowing freely from Tolkien, C.S. Lewis and Irish legend in general, Ryan assembles orphaned Alan Duval (or “Duuuvaaalll,” as he is often dubbed by assailants), Kate, Mark, and Mark’s stammering, half-aboriginal sister, Mo, for a quest. He sends them to the magical world of Monisle, formerly known as Tír, where, 2,000 years after the last invasion attempt, the Tyrant of the Wastelands is sending out his Death Legions for a third time. Along with a prophecy, riddles, magical crystals, a giant eye and like standard-issue elements, the author folds in various nonhuman races. These range from the shape-changing Shee—being, as the author puts it with typical hyperbole, “Great cats turning into women, armed with swords!”—to the dwarven Fir Bolg, whose warriors are all long dead but not, climactically, gone. Amid many vague references to their “fate” and “destiny,” the four sail up the mighty titular river on a ship that turns out to be both sentient and a shape-changer itself to do battle with an army led one of the Tyrant’s Septemvile, or inner circle. The end is just as busy as the rest, leaving its heroes poised for sequels. The author doesn’t make much effort to look beyond the canonical bandwagon for inspiration. (Fantasy. 12-15)
Pub Date: Nov. 12, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-62365-048-3
Page Count: 720
Publisher: Mobius
Review Posted Online: Oct. 8, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2013
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