IF THIS WERE A STORY

Name: IF THIS WERE A STORY
Author: Beth Turley
ISBN: 978-1-5344-2061-8

by Beth Turley ; illustrated by Beth Turley ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 28, 2018

Although this unusual tale offers some insight into bullying and family problems, the useful message is somewhat obscured by...

bookshelf

In her debut novel, Turley presents introspective fifth-grader Hannah, who discovers a note on her classroom floor that says, “Nobody likes Hannah.”

No one admits to writing it, but it could have been Kimmy, whose mother died the year before and who’s obviously unhappy and acts out. She resents Hannah, who always beats her in spelling bees. But there’s more unhappiness in Hannah’s life. Her angry father frequently berates and fights with her mother. Once he tried to hit her. Meanwhile, one of Hannah’s two best friends, Courtney, has turned away from their friendship and become something of a bully. Only her other friend, Ryan, remains steadfast. Trying to cope with her emotional issues, Hannah gets some support from objects that suddenly, surreally, develop voices: Her favorite stuffed animal, a penny, even a stop sign on the way to school (and others) all offer advice, sometimes taking over the narrative and speaking directly to readers. Whether this is her imagination, emerging mental illness, or an odd literary device remains unclear. A school counselor, Ms. Meghan, whose notes are included, meets with Hannah, but the meetings feel more invasive than helpful. The book subscribes to the white default; brown-skinned Ryan stands out notably as a child of color.

Although this unusual tale offers some insight into bullying and family problems, the useful message is somewhat obscured by the perplexing voices. (Fiction. 9-12)

Pub Date: Aug. 28, 2018

ISBN: 978-1-5344-2061-8

Page Count: 256

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: May 13, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2018

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

- BOOK REVIEW
THIS CLOSE TO HOME
by Beth Turley

- BOOK REVIEW
THE FLYERS
by Beth Turley

- BOOK REVIEW
THE LAST TREE TOWN
by Beth Turley

bookshelf

CLUES TO THE UNIVERSE

by Christina Li ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 12, 2021

Charming, poignant, and thoughtfully woven.

bookshelf

An aspiring scientist and a budding artist become friends and help each other with dream projects.

Unfolding in mid-1980s Sacramento, California, this story stars 12-year-olds Rosalind and Benjamin as first-person narrators in alternating chapters. Ro’s father, a fellow space buff, was killed by a drunk driver; the rocket they were working on together lies unfinished in her closet. As for Benji, not only has his best friend, Amir, moved away, but the comic book holding the clue for locating his dad is also missing. Along with their profound personal losses, the protagonists share a fixation with the universe’s intriguing potential: Ro decides to complete the rocket and hopes to launch mementos of her father into outer space while Benji’s conviction that aliens and UFOs are real compels his imagination and creativity as an artist. An accident in science class triggers a chain of events forcing Benji and Ro, who is new to the school, to interact and unintentionally learn each other’s secrets. They resolve to find Benji’s dad—a famous comic-book artist—and partner to finish Ro’s rocket for the science fair. Together, they overcome technical, scheduling, and geographical challenges. Readers will be drawn in by amusing and fantastical elements in the comic book theme, high emotional stakes that arouse sympathy, and well-drawn character development as the protagonists navigate life lessons around grief, patience, self-advocacy, and standing up for others. Ro is biracial (Chinese/White); Benji is White.

Charming, poignant, and thoughtfully woven. (Fiction. 9-12)

Pub Date: Jan. 12, 2021

ISBN: 978-0-06-300888-5

Page Count: 304

Publisher: Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2020

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2020

Categories:

CHILDREN'S FAMILY | CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

bookshelf

NUMBER THE STARS

by Lois Lowry ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 1989

A deftly told story that dramatizes how Danes appointed themselves bodyguards—not only for their king, who was in the habit...

bookshelf

The author of the Anastasia books as well as more serious fiction (Rabble Starkey, 1987) offers her first historical fiction—a story about the escape of the Jews from Denmark in 1943.

Five years younger than Lisa in Carol Matas' Lisa's War (1989), Annemarie Johansen has, at 10, known three years of Nazi occupation. Though ever cautious and fearful of the ubiquitous soldiers, she is largely unaware of the extent of the danger around her; the Resistance kept even its participants safer by telling them as little as possible, and Annemarie has never been told that her older sister Lise died in its service. When the Germans plan to round up the Jews, the Johansens take in Annemarie's friend, Ellen Rosen, and pretend she is their daughter; later, they travel to Uncle Hendrik's house on the coast, where the Rosens and other Jews are transported by fishing boat to Sweden. Apart from Lise's offstage death, there is little violence here; like Annemarie, the reader is protected from the full implications of events—but will be caught up in the suspense and menace of several encounters with soldiers and in Annemarie's courageous run as courier on the night of the escape. The book concludes with the Jews' return, after the war, to homes well kept for them by their neighbors.

A deftly told story that dramatizes how Danes appointed themselves bodyguards—not only for their king, who was in the habit of riding alone in Copenhagen, but for their Jews. (Historical fiction. 9-12)