An uneven depiction of how antisemitism manifests on social media and in real life.
Jewish siblings Theo and Annie Kaplan grapple with antisemitism in their middle school and society at large.
When soccer-obsessed Theo’s favorite player makes an antisemitic statement at a press conference, the ensuing social media spiral sickens Theo. His teammates’ dismissive reactions further unsettle the eighth grader. When someone draws a swastika on Theo’s locker, he initially suppresses his feelings before eventually lashing out. Sixth grader Annie responds to the controversy by lying to the school librarian, whom she adores: She’s wracked with guilt but uses a library computer to create an illicit social media account and jump right into the fray, rebutting the bigotry she sees online. The boisterous, white-presenting Kaplan family incorporates meaningful Jewish practices into their regular lives, although the authors’ depictions evoke some Jewish tropes, like the overbearing grandmother who must be covertly managed by other family members. Theo and Annie’s university professor parents pressure their children to stand up for themselves without offering much meaningful support. Using multiple first-person perspectives—including that of new kid Gabe, who’s mourning the loss of his mother to Covid-19—the authors maintain a quick pace even as both siblings reach a point of crisis. Theo and Annie remain likable and realistic in their behavior, but the characterization unfortunately struggles to keep pace with the action, leaving some of the emotions feeling abrupt and unearned.
An uneven depiction of how antisemitism manifests on social media and in real life. (Fiction. 9-13)Pub Date: Nov. 11, 2025
ISBN: 9781467196215
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Arcadia Children's Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 10, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2025
Rich and strange (and kitted out with an eye-catching cover), but stronger in the set pieces than the internal logic.
Chainani works an elaborate sea change akin to Gregory Maguire’s Wicked (1995), though he leaves the waters muddied.
Every four years, two children, one regarded as particularly nice and the other particularly nasty, are snatched from the village of Gavaldon by the shadowy School Master to attend the divided titular school. Those who survive to graduate become major or minor characters in fairy tales. When it happens to sweet, Disney princess–like Sophie and her friend Agatha, plain of features, sour of disposition and low of self-esteem, they are both horrified to discover that they’ve been dropped not where they expect but at Evil and at Good respectively. Gradually—too gradually, as the author strings out hundreds of pages of Hogwarts-style pranks, classroom mishaps and competitions both academic and romantic—it becomes clear that the placement wasn’t a mistake at all. Growing into their true natures amid revelations and marked physical changes, the two spark escalating rivalry between the wings of the school. This leads up to a vicious climactic fight that sees Good and Evil repeatedly switching sides. At this point, readers are likely to feel suddenly left behind, as, thanks to summary deus ex machina resolutions, everything turns out swell(ish).
Rich and strange (and kitted out with an eye-catching cover), but stronger in the set pieces than the internal logic. (Fantasy. 11-13)Pub Date: May 14, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-06-210489-2
Page Count: 496
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2013
BOOK TO SCREEN
Charming, poignant, and thoughtfully woven.
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
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