Comic horror provides adventure and a chance to save the world to 13-year-olds Charlotte and Zee. Charlotte has always been careful to remain unremarkable. She has few friends but few enemies, and does just well enough in school not to get in trouble. All that changes when her cousin Zee arrives from England. Zee is smart, polite, charismatic—and has been followed from England by a mysterious plague that afflicts kids in his vicinity with a terrible weakness. Charlotte and Zee are drawn into a conflict among the Greek gods for control of Hades; only by going down into the underworld can they heal the sick children. Though they rescue the children, unresolved questions lead the way into a second volume. Snarky wit and authorial asides, though occasionally intrusive, keep the adventure lively. A fun and funny tale of youthful heroism. (Fantasy. 9-13)
Pub Date: March 1, 2006
ISBN: 1-4169-0587-1
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2006
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The setting—1927 in a Southern small town—matches the old-fashioned feel of this quiet story of loss and hope. Twelve-year-old Carissa lives in poverty with her widowed mother. Bailey’s arrival on a bright blue bicycle changes their lives for the better. An elderly man, he’s willing to work hard for a bit of food and a place to stay. An archetypal wise elder, Bailey teaches Carissa to ride his bike, tells her about his travels, and offers moral tales to help her and her family face some unpleasant truths and reconcile their differences. Carissa’s recognition of Bailey’s essential goodness is immediate, but contemporary readers might be more wary and feel that he’s too good to be true. In addition, Bailey’s assertion that Carissa can accomplish whatever she wants isn’t entirely convincing given the honest picture of the racism and oppression of the day that Dudley presents. The slow pace of the plot and Dudley’s use of dialect for some of the characters may further lessen the book’s appeal. Honest but not especially engaging. (Fiction. 10-12)
Pub Date: Oct. 17, 2005
ISBN: 0-618-54233-7
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2005
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Moeyaert’s memoir, translated from the Flemish, consists of 42 brief vignettes of childhood exploits with six older brothers. The young Moeyaert is a willing, often baffled accomplice as his brothers ogle a neighbor girl, lob a toad onto a scorching-hot tin roof or attempt to steal a pie from the bakery van. In several touching pieces, the author allows himself starring roles: In “Ground,” he stays behind to tend a tiny new garden patch long after his brothers have run off; in “Seldom,” he finds a rare shell at the beach, marveling at his father’s profound reaction. While the English subtitle seems to portend unique characterizations of each brother, quite the opposite occurs: They career along in tale after tale as a seething, unified mass of boy-energy—one organism with seven heads, many flailing limbs and a single intent, whether to enjoy a nice game of playing dead or thwart an annoying summer guest. Moeyaert laces the unaffected observations of his tag-along child self with the rueful, elegiac tones of the adult looking back. The result—wistful prose tinged with irony—is best suited to mature readers, similarly equipped to cast a net back on childhood memories. (Memoir. 10-13)
Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2005
ISBN: 1-932425-18-7
Page Count: 168
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2005
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
