by Ariella Abolaffio ; illustrated by Ariella Abolaffio ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2018
An unnecessary purchase filled with platitudes.
A yellow snakelike squiggle transforms itself into all kinds of shapes to express different emotional experiences.
In this small, square book, marketed as a gift book and resembling an extended greeting card, the ever changing yellow shape with its black-dot eye takes center stage, popping in the black-and-white drawings. Starting with a dull urban, black-and-gray crowd scene of adult people and anthropomorphized animals, including a giraffe with a tie and perhaps a woman with a sharp nose, the opening text reads: “The world is a big and varied place. There are so many things to be and do.” The page turn reveals the busy feet of those beings, some with shoes, others with paws or hooves. Suddenly, the yellow squiggle appears amid these detached legs, and the words get personal: “Sometimes you can feel a bit lost.” Mundane self-realization advice is offered in the next spreads, perhaps suitable for a graduate or someone starting a new phase of life but not particularly child-oriented. When the squiggle changes itself into earmuffs, the text reads: “Be there for others,” and then on the next spread, as the shape becomes a staircase with two human legs descending, “but don’t let anyone put you down.” Finally, against a black sky filled with smaller stars, the squiggle becomes the large outline of a star, and the commonplace recommendation reads: “Always remember you are a star, and you’ll soon find your place in the world.”
An unnecessary purchase filled with platitudes. (Picture book. 8-adult)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-61067-813-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Kane Miller
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2018
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by Craig Robinson & Adam Mansbach ; illustrated by Keith Knight ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 28, 2017
A fast and funny alternative to the Wimpy Kid.
Black sixth-grader Jake Liston can only play one song on the piano. He can’t read music very well, and he can’t improvise. So how did Jake get accepted to the Music and Art Academy? He faked it.
Alongside an eclectic group of academy classmates, and with advice from his best friend, Jake tries to fit in at a school where things like garbage sculpting and writing art reviews of bird poop splatter are the norm. All is well until Jake discovers that the end-of-the-semester talent show is only two weeks away, and Jake is short one very important thing…talent. Or is he? It’s up to Jake to either find the talent that lies within or embarrass himself in front of the entire school. Light and humorous, with Knight’s illustrations adding to the fun, Jake’s story will likely appeal to many middle-grade readers, especially those who might otherwise be reluctant to pick up a book. While the artsy antics may be over-the-top at times, this is a story about something that most preteens can relate to: the struggle to find your authentic self. And in a world filled with books about wanting to fit in with the athletically gifted supercliques, this novel unabashedly celebrates the artsy crowd in all of its quirky, creative glory.
A fast and funny alternative to the Wimpy Kid. (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: March 28, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-553-52351-5
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Dec. 5, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2016
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by Rick Riordan ; illustrated by John Rocco ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 19, 2014
The inevitable go-to for Percy’s legions of fans who want the stories behind his stories.
Percy Jackson takes a break from adventuring to serve up the Greek gods like flapjacks at a church breakfast.
Percy is on form as he debriefs readers concerning Chaos, Gaea, Ouranos and Pontus, Dionysus, Ariadne and Persephone, all in his dude’s patter: “He’d forgotten how beautiful Gaea could be when she wasn’t all yelling up in his face.” Here they are, all 12 Olympians, plus many various offspring and associates: the gold standard of dysfunctional families, whom Percy plays like a lute, sometimes lyrically, sometimes with a more sardonic air. Percy’s gift, which is no great secret, is to breathe new life into the gods. Closest attention is paid to the Olympians, but Riordan has a sure touch when it comes to fitting much into a small space—as does Rocco’s artwork, which smokes and writhes on the page as if hit by lightning—so readers will also meet Makaria, “goddess of blessed peaceful deaths,” and the Theban Teiresias, who accidentally sees Athena bathing. She blinds him but also gives him the ability to understand the language of birds. The atmosphere crackles and then dissolves, again and again: “He could even send the Furies after living people if they committed a truly horrific crime—like killing a family member, desecrating a temple, or singing Journey songs on karaoke night.”
The inevitable go-to for Percy’s legions of fans who want the stories behind his stories. (Mythology. 10-14)Pub Date: Aug. 19, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4231-8364-8
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: June 28, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2014
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