An adequate dessert for existing fans that just may tempt a few new ones as well.
The Backstagers gets the Lumberjanes treatment in this novelization of the comic-book series.
Backstage drama kids Aziz, Hunter, Beckett, Jory, and Sasha have a few more performances left at St. Genesius Preparatory High School before the end of the school year. At the latest cast party, a bunch of actors, or Onstagers, pull out a spirit board for a few laughs and end up accidentally busting the Ghost Light —the stage light said to keeps ghosts away. When a ghost lurking backstage tries to get out, the lore turns out to be truth. Now it’s up to the crew to go back into the unknown to save the theater. But can they do it without the stage managers? Sygh’s two-color spot art and the overall whimsical narrative tone keep the comic-book series’ spirit intact. Unfortunately, the sometimes-lofty third-person omniscient narrator is a bit of a mismatch. The sweet, blush-filled romances read a bit more chaste here than in the comics, but this may attract younger audiences. The already-diverse array of male characters broadens to include Reo, who is biracial (Japanese/Irish) and a witch. Fans of the series will appreciate Mientus’ exploration of characters’ backstories—and all will have a chance to learn more in future prose installments.
An adequate dessert for existing fans that just may tempt a few new ones as well. (Fantasy. 10-14)Pub Date: Sept. 25, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4197-3120-4
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Amulet/Abrams
Review Posted Online: July 15, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A heartwarming sports story showing a journey of personal growth.
A girl struggles with trying to make her father feel proud of her.
Eighth grader Rosie Vo has a lot on her plate when it comes to living up to her dad’s winning racquetball legacy. Despite her dislike of the sport, her father pushes her to play—he believes she isn’t motivated to do anything else, and anyway, he’s sure she will enjoy it if only she improves. The stakes are extra high with the annual tournament looming. Rosie, who is cued Asian, feels she cannot do anything well enough to satisfy her father’s expectations. After meeting and forming a fast friendship with racquetball enthusiast Blair, who just moved to town and reads Black, Rosie hatches a plan that she thinks will give both her and her father what they want. But after spending more time with Blair and her family, Rosie sees differences in the two families’ relationship styles that become a point of contention in their friendship. Blair’s parents are more supportive and less critical; Rosie even has fun playing racquetball with them. As Rosie works to overcome her intensely painful feelings, she initially pushes Blair away and finally opens up to her father. The bright, expressive illustrations burst from the pages, showing the intensity of both game play and interpersonal dynamics through the effective use of color and the characters’ exaggerated facial expressions.
A heartwarming sports story showing a journey of personal growth. (Graphic fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Sept. 19, 2023
ISBN: 9781250784148
Page Count: 256
Publisher: First Second
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2023
An endearing protagonist runs the first, fast leg of Reynolds' promising relay.
Castle “Ghost” Cranshaw feels like he’s been running ever since his dad pulled that gun on him and his mom—and used it.
His dad’s been in jail three years now, but Ghost still feels the trauma, which is probably at the root of the many “altercations” he gets into at middle school. When he inserts himself into a practice for a local elite track team, the Defenders, he’s fast enough that the hard-as-nails coach decides to put him on the team. Ghost is surprised to find himself caring enough about being on the team that he curbs his behavior to avoid “altercations.” But Ma doesn’t have money to spare on things like fancy running shoes, so Ghost shoplifts a pair that make his feet feel impossibly light—and his conscience correspondingly heavy. Ghost’s narration is candid and colloquial, reminiscent of such original voices as Bud Caldwell and Joey Pigza; his level of self-understanding is both believably childlike and disarming in its perception. He is self-focused enough that secondary characters initially feel one-dimensional, Coach in particular, but as he gets to know them better, so do readers, in a way that unfolds naturally and pleasingly. His three fellow “newbies” on the Defenders await their turns to star in subsequent series outings. Characters are black by default; those few white people in Ghost’s world are described as such.
An endearing protagonist runs the first, fast leg of Reynolds' promising relay. (Fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Aug. 30, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-5015-7
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Caitlyn Dlouhy/Atheneum
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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