An imaginative example of fantasy done right.
With just the turn of a page, a boy is transported to new worlds in this fantastic middle-grade novel.
David Wilson is your average teenage boy. He’d much rather play sports with his friends than read, and he actively avoids his squabbling parents. When it’s decided he’s going to stay with a family friend, Mr. Linden, for summer break in lieu of going on vacation with his parents, David is, to say the least, unhappy. Resigning himself to three whole months of boredom, he discovers Mr. Linden’s library. As he pokes around, he is suddenly transported, via a red book from the shelf, into the strange kingdom of Ethelrod. There, the angry king, distrustful of outsiders, subjects David to a series of tests. Using his resourceful nature and a bit of humor, David beats the king at his own game, luckily making it back to Mr. Linden’s house unscathed. After Mr. Linden’s daughter, Hannah, shows up for an unexpected visit, she and David journey into his fictional kingdom, but this time, Hannah doesn’t make it back to her father’s library when the adventure is over. David and Mr. Linden are forced to work together to locate Hannah, learning many secrets along the way. As with David, it’s easy to get caught up in this work. Davidson (What A hodgepodge!, 2013, etc.) is an educator and reading specialist, which explains why he is such a gifted writer: Aside from his technical prowess, Davidson’s imagination and page-turning pacing help make this book stand out. David is a relatable character for adventurous young readers who might find it difficult to dive into school and reading, and the work obviously champions books as vehicles (literally and figuratively) into other worlds. With well-rounded characters and plenty of drama, this fun read will even appeal to read-along parents. It’d make an outstanding cornerstone for a new series, too, and readers are sure to look forward to whatever adventure David comes to next.
An imaginative example of fantasy done right.Pub Date: April 30, 2014
ISBN: 978-1938326301
Page Count: 184
Publisher: Ferne Press
Review Posted Online: Oct. 15, 2014
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Paulsen recalls personal experiences that he incorporated into Hatchet (1987) and its three sequels, from savage attacks by moose and mosquitoes to watching helplessly as a heart-attack victim dies. As usual, his real adventures are every bit as vivid and hair-raising as those in his fiction, and he relates them with relish—discoursing on “The Fine Art of Wilderness Nutrition,” for instance: “Something that you would never consider eating, something completely repulsive and ugly and disgusting, something so gross it would make you vomit just looking at it, becomes absolutely delicious if you’re starving.” Specific examples follow, to prove that he knows whereof he writes. The author adds incidents from his Iditarod races, describes how he made, then learned to hunt with, bow and arrow, then closes with methods of cooking outdoors sans pots or pans. It’s a patchwork, but an entertaining one, and as likely to win him new fans as to answer questions from his old ones. (Autobiography. 10-13)
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-385-32650-5
Page Count: 150
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2000
A familiar but heartfelt romance for easygoing readers.
In O’Gorman’s YA debut, two best friends try to fool people into thinking that they’re in love—and then discover a new facet of their relationship.
Sally Spitz is a frizzy-haired 17-year-old girl with a charming zeal for three things: Harry Potter (she’s a Gryffindor), Star Wars, and getting into Duke University. During her senior year of high school, she goes on a slew of miserable dates, set up by her mother and her own second-best–friend–turned-matchmaker, Lillian Hooker. Sally refuses to admit to anyone that she’s actually head over Converses in love with her longtime best friend, a boy named Baldwin Eugene Charles Kent, aka “Becks.” After a particularly awkward date, Sally devises a plan to end Lillian’s matchmaking attempts; specifically, she plans to hire someone to act as her fake boyfriend, or “F.B.F.” But before Sally can put her plan into action, a rumor circulates that Sally and Becks are already dating. Becks agrees to act as Sally’s F.B.F. in exchange for a box of Goobers and Sally’s doing his calculus homework for a month. Later, as they hold hands in the hall and “practice” make-out sessions in Becks’ bedroom, their friendship heads into unfamiliar territory. Over the course of this novel, O’Gorman presents an inviting and enjoyable account of lifelong friendship transforming into young love. Though the author’s reliance on familiar tropes may be comforting to a casual reader, it may frustrate those who may be looking for a more substantial and less predictable plot. A number of ancillary characters lack very much complexity, and the story, overall, would have benefited from an added twist or two. Even so, however, this remains a largely engaging and often endearing debut.
A familiar but heartfelt romance for easygoing readers.Pub Date: Dec. 3, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-64063-759-7
Page Count: 340
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Review Posted Online: Jan. 7, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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