An inspirational throwback for families seeking tales with a classic feel.
What secrets will Zack and his siblings discover in and around the cryptic Tower?
When 11-year-old Zack Einstein and his family move to Vista Point, Zack still blames himself for the accidental death of his younger sister the previous year. He’s paralyzed by grief until he follows a mysterious girl into the abandoned nine-sided Tower. What he discovers sets Zack off on a summer filled with secret messages, a hidden cave, and a touch of the supernatural, But can Zack put the pieces of the mystery together before his family’s dream of opening a bed-and-breakfast is dashed by a cantankerous old man? The fascinating cipher that ties it all together is the highlight of this wholesome, gentle story set in 2002. There’s little doubt this novel was inspired by classic sibling adventure stories. Indeed, Zack’s favorite series, the fictional Falcons and Bandits, reads like an homage to Arthur Ransome’s Swallows and Amazons. Zack’s emotional journey is compelling, yet his siblings’ one-dimensionality keeps this work from ascending to the heights of more character-driven titles. The happy ending is sweet—some may find it cloyingly so—offering closure for Zack, his family, and even the story’s villain-turned-friend. The Einsteins are Jewish and White; other major characters are assumed White. Occasional spot illustrations add visual interest.
An inspirational throwback for families seeking tales with a classic feel. (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: April 12, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-316-31743-6
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Christy Ottaviano Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 10, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2022
A book that offers readers a stark look at the apartheidlike reality that exists for black people in America.
Isabella is a gifted 11-year-old pianist. She is also caught between two parents who have divorced.
Every week now sees what Isabella calls the “Great Exchange,” a ritual when she is handed off at the mall from one parent to another. Living in two places with different rules, each parent with a new partner, is a psychological juggling act. Isabella is also becoming ever more aware of her identity as a biracial child, with a black dad and white mother. The one constant in Isabella’s life is school. There, she has friends both black and white as well as an English teacher who works to provide culturally inclusive lessons for his class. As Isabella goes back and forth between parents, the issue of race becomes more and more prevalent in family discussions. And after a noose is found hanging in the school locker of one of Isabella’s best friends, a black girl, the story opens the door to more serious racist encounters. What begins as the story of a lively young piano player caught between two new families inexorably becomes a piercing interrogation of everyday racism that culminates in a terrifying, all-too-believable confrontation between Isabella and a cop. Isabella’s genuine 11-year-old voice captures events rarely seen in middle-grade fiction but too often seen by actual middle graders.
A book that offers readers a stark look at the apartheidlike reality that exists for black people in America. (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Oct. 30, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4424-9500-5
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Caitlyn Dlouhy/Atheneum
Review Posted Online: Dec. 15, 2018
An insightful, stirring read about healing and resilience.
A Native American (Makah/Piscataway) girl learns about her inner strength.
Maisie Cannon’s knee injury has disrupted her happy life in Seattle and kept her from doing what she loves most: ballet. Now, instead of practicing arabesques with friends, Maisie’s after-school activities have been taken over by physical therapy and awkward conversations with her parents about struggles at school. Ever since her injury, Maisie has been unmotivated and restless in class. During a family trip to the Olympic Peninsula, Maisie’s stepfather, Jack (Lower Elwha Klallam), shares a bit of history about contact between the Duwamish people and early colonizers. When Maisie tells him she doesn’t know what he’s talking about, he asks, “What the heck kind of history are they teaching you in school, then?” She replies, “The Treaty of Paris.” It’s the same in her other classes; none of what she’s learning seems relevant to her. Her grades have dipped, her relationships with her friends feel strained, and she’s gotten snippy with her parents. She feels bad about her behavior, but all she can think of is resuming dance classes. This meditative story about a middle school girl’s courageous journey toward healing follows a family as they navigate the complexities of supporting a tween’s life-changing injury. In her second novel, Day offers a heartening glimpse into the immense patience and love required to endure limitations, build strength, and repair damage.
An insightful, stirring read about healing and resilience. (author's note, publisher's note) (Fiction. 9-13)Pub Date: Jan. 5, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-06-287204-3
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Heartdrum
Review Posted Online: Oct. 21, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2020
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