Recommended for hockey fans and nonfans alike.
Following extensive interviews with her subject and his family, Rosner relays in the first person the story of Ojibwe ice hockey player Jamie Leach from childhood through professional success.
Leach, the son of renowned hockey player Reggie Leach, started skating almost as soon as he could walk. As the son of a professional athlete, he was familiar with a lifestyle of traveling for games, being close with teammates, and moving after being traded. At some point, he realized his father was famous, something that affected the family’s privacy. Jamie’s first step toward his own career in professional hockey came at the age of 16 when he joined a junior team in Vancouver. This work pieces together his memories, his passionate pursuit of a spot in the National Hockey League, and the sometimes random changes that took him between leagues, teams, and towns. This brief overview is written in a personal, open, and conversational tone that invests readers in Leach’s story whether they are already fans of his or not. Cultural aspects of his Ojibwe heritage, integral to his experience, are casually woven into his story with clear explanations. Reggie and Jamie Leach are the only Indigenous father and son to have both won the Stanley Cup. Photos throughout each chapter enhance the work. The depth of Leach’s relationships with his supportive family members and the friends he made through hockey come through in the simplicity of the descriptions and anecdotes.
Recommended for hockey fans and nonfans alike. (Memoir. 10-14)Pub Date: Oct. 13, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-77337-054-5
Page Count: 104
Publisher: Yellow Dog
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
Full of laughter and sentiment, this is a nudge for readers to dare to try new things.
A 1989 summer trip to Europe changes Caldecott Medal winner Santat’s life in this graphic memoir.
Young Dan hasn’t experienced much beyond the small Southern California town he grew up in. He stays out of trouble, helps his parents, and tries to go unnoticed in middle school. That plan gets thwarted when he is made to recite poetry at a school assembly and is humiliated by his peers. When eighth grade is over and his parents send him on a three-week study abroad program, Dan isn’t excited at first. He’s traveling with girls from school whom he has awkward relationships with, his camera breaks, and he feels completely out of place. But with the help of some new friends, a crush, and an encouraging teacher, Dan begins to appreciate and enjoy the journey. Through experiences like his first taste of Fanta, first time hearing French rap, and first time getting lost on his own in a foreign country in the middle of the night, he finally begins to feel comfortable just being himself and embracing the unexpected. This entertaining graphic memoir is a relatable story of self-discovery. Flashbacks to awkward memories are presented in tones of blue that contrast with the full-color artwork through which Santat creates the perfect balance of humor and poignancy. The author’s note and photos offer readers more fun glimpses into his pivotal adventure.
Full of laughter and sentiment, this is a nudge for readers to dare to try new things. (Graphic memoir. 10-14)Pub Date: Feb. 28, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-250-85104-8
Page Count: 320
Publisher: First Second
Review Posted Online: Nov. 28, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2022
PERSPECTIVES
PERSPECTIVES
A standout among writing guides, valuable for its sage and friendly encouragement and for the sheer fun of hanging out with...
Advice on writing from one of the best writers around.
“I’m a writer and I’m on your side,” Gantos says, as if he’s putting an arm around a young writer’s shoulder and guiding them through a door to a new life. With a snappy voice, his own funny ink drawings, and expertise drawn from a career full of great books, he covers just about everything: where to find ideas and characters, how to structure a story, why to keep a journal, and even what to write with. Every step of the way he includes examples from his own writing. As humorous as he is, Gantos is authoritative and serious about his craft, careful to include every building block for constructing a good story—characters, setting, problem, action, crisis, resolution, and the need for a double ending (physical and emotional). Chapter 2 (“Getting Started”) ought to be read by all teachers and parents: it’s a manifesto on how to raise a reader (and writer) by reading aloud excellent picture books to young children and placing good books in the hands of children as they get older, and he offers a handy list of just what some of those books should be. While his list of picture books is not a particularly diverse one, the middle-grade titles suggested are nicely inclusive.
A standout among writing guides, valuable for its sage and friendly encouragement and for the sheer fun of hanging out with Jack. (Nonfiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Aug. 29, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-374-30456-0
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: July 1, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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