Although the story is slow in places, the characters charm, and the material is enhanced by the author’s well-realized...
Like almost all the menfolk in the town of Keokuk, Ike is initially thrilled when Iowa, a free state, is called up by President Abraham Lincoln to fight in the Civil War, but his happiness turns to horror when he realizes that he’s too young for combat and must stay behind with the women.
Ike Button, 11 and an endearing combination of credulous and cranky, is a high-energy wannabe hero who is constantly getting knocked down. And that’s what makes him such fun. Hapless, continually bested by the conniving Hinman brothers, beaten by 12-year-old Albirdie Woolley in brainpower and checkers, and forced to help out in ignominious ways, Ike is continually scrambling. After an extensive setup that details the warp and weft of life in 1860s Iowa—kids should marvel at the differences in daily experiences—Ike is put to the test. He discovers a runaway slave woman and later her young sons in a time when it is legal to capture and return runaway slaves to their owners, even in free states. This forces Ike, not exactly a deep thinker, to make a moral decision and take action, leading to his realization that the war being waged is fought not only on the battlefield.
Although the story is slow in places, the characters charm, and the material is enhanced by the author’s well-realized rendition of time and place. (author’s note) (Historical fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-7636-6138-0
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Sept. 2, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2014
Tenderly resonant and memorable.
Ferris finds herself in the midst of several love stories during the summer before fifth grade.
Emma Phineas Wilkey’s moniker comes from the circumstances of her birth: under the Ferris wheel at the fairground. Her contained world, centered around her family and best friend, is filled with kindness, humor, and singular personalities, while the indeterminate late-20th-century small-town setting feels like a safe place from which to observe heartbreak and loss. Ferris’ architect father and her pragmatic mother, on break from teaching high school math, anchor her home life, along with Pinky, her hilariously ferocious 6-year-old sister, and Charisse, her grandmother, who claims to have seen an unhappy ghost in their big old house. Ferris’ best friend, Billy Jackson, whom she’s loved since kindergarten, hears the music of the world: “The whole world is singing all the time.” Ferris, serious and sensitive, is attuned to the ways that the vocabulary words they learned in Mrs. Mielk’s fourth grade class describe moments in her life. DiCamillo’s gift for conveying an entire person and world in a few brushstrokes of storytelling provides depth and quiet magic to this account of an eventful summer in which a ghost is appeased, an outlaw (Pinky) is somewhat reformed, and an uncle and aunt are reconciled. Ferris experiences two surprising moments of transcendence and becomes aware of the ways love suffuses everything. Characters are cued white.
Tenderly resonant and memorable. (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: March 5, 2024
ISBN: 9781536231052
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Dec. 6, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2024
A busy, evocative slice of school life and the trials of a second-generation immigrant.
A Chinese Canadian daydreamer faces the tough realities of school and family life.
Navigating a recently divorced mom, a moody older sister, and a weird grandmother at home, 10-year-old Kevin seeks refuge in his comics. In addition to eagerly awaiting the next issue of Star Odysseys, Kevin imagines and draws his own deep-space adventures. School life comes with further challenges—his former friend (and maybe crush) Lily hates his guts, and as one of his school’s few Asian kids, he’s subject to a fair amount of casual racism. When Kevin brings a century egg to school, he sets off a disastrous chain of events that culminates in a thrilling transformation. Mostly taking place over the course of a week in 1994, the story feels a little disjointed at times, with Kevin’s fantasy world intercutting his real-life struggles. The cultural specificity and humor shine, however: From Kevin’s refreshing lack of self-consciousness about the century egg and his mom’s backbreaking work at the family’s clothing alterations business to his popo’s love of game shows, the portrayals are authentic and lovingly complex. Most characters who populate Kevin’s Toronto are white, except for his family and his two Asian friends (one is Japanese and white, and the other is Chinese from Hong Kong). The detailed, loosely drawn illustrations emphasize the characters’ emotions and convey a sense of bustling energy.
A busy, evocative slice of school life and the trials of a second-generation immigrant. (Graphic fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Jan. 30, 2024
ISBN: 9781454945840
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: Oct. 7, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2023
© Copyright 2026 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.
