A lively, bracing tale that will kindle readers’ interest in the Paleolithic world.
In this middle-grade adventure sequel, a teen hero once again faces challenges as a war between two Paleolithic tribes threatens to resume.
Thirteen-year-old Tiogaof the Allegewi tribe is on a spirit quest. He attempts to connect with his ancestors’ spirits and his animal guardian, the eagle, while sitting beneath the Angel’s Arch formation above the Allegewi River. After the ritual, he’ll be considered a man and will continue life alongside Hanna, his girlfriend; and Kopi, his best friend and a shaman-in-training. But as Tioga sits patiently in his circle during a blizzard, an interloper stealthily approaches. Back at the tribe’s village, Hanna’s father, Chief Tundra, has fallen ill. When he dies, a new chief, Dudley, wants to move the village to a spot he believes to be more advantageous—the plateau below the Emperor’s Skull. Yet the land beneath the forbidding rock formation is sacred to the Dracul, a savage band of cannibals. Meanwhile, Tioga has been attacked by a mountain lion. He is miraculously taken in by the Gangas Witch, an older member of the Dracul who’s renounced their ways. She heals the teen and teaches him some natural concoctions to become a more cunning opponent. This is fortuitous because Shingas, the Mononga Devil, is again on the move. The two charismatic rivals, representing peace and oppression, are destined for a final confrontation. Like the series opener, Tippins’ bold, well-paced sequel combines history, drama, and action into a compelling brew. Tioga continues his transformation into a once-in-a-generation warrior when the Gangas Witch removes his deformed hand and replaces it with a strap-on mountain lion paw. Familial bonds are emphasized when Ötzi, Tioga’s grandfather, discusses “soul growth” with Candowsa, the boy’s mother. Ötzi wonders: “How would the forest look if we only had sunny days? There would be no forest—just a desert. Storms are to be expected and even welcomed.” Magic in the ancient world is portrayed as both carefully wrought illusions and sudden visions, like those Kopi experiences. The great threat of the Dracul looms in the background for most of the narrative, then emerges for an epic finale that sets up the next installment.
A lively, bracing tale that will kindle readers’ interest in the Paleolithic world.Pub Date: March 28, 2022
ISBN: 979-8422732241
Page Count: 265
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: April 6, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away.
A Mexican American boy takes on heavy responsibilities when his family is torn apart.
Mateo’s life is turned upside down the day U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents show up unsuccessfully seeking his Pa at his New York City bodega. The Garcias live in fear until the day both parents are picked up; his Pa is taken to jail and his Ma to a detention center. The adults around Mateo offer support to him and his 7-year-old sister, Sophie, however, he knows he is now responsible for caring for her and the bodega as well as trying to survive junior year—that is, if he wants to fulfill his dream to enter the drama program at the Tisch School of the Arts and become an actor. Mateo’s relationships with his friends Kimmie and Adam (a potential love interest) also suffer repercussions as he keeps his situation a secret. Kimmie is half Korean (her other half is unspecified) and Adam is Italian American; Mateo feels disconnected from them, less American, and with worries they can’t understand. He talks himself out of choosing a safer course of action, a decision that deepens the story. Mateo’s self-awareness and inner monologue at times make him seem older than 16, and, with significant turmoil in the main plot, some side elements feel underdeveloped. Aleman’s narrative joins the ranks of heart-wrenching stories of migrant families who have been separated.
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7595-5605-8
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A prototypical survival story: after an airplane crash, a 13-year-old city boy spends two months alone in the Canadian wilderness. In transit between his divorcing parents, Brian is the plane's only passenger. After casually showing him how to steer, the pilot has a heart attack and dies. In a breathtaking sequence, Brian maneuvers the plane for hours while he tries to think what to do, at last crashing as gently and levelly as he can manage into a lake. The plane sinks; all he has left is a hatchet, attached to his belt. His injuries prove painful but not fundamental. In time, he builds a shelter, experiments with berries, finds turtle eggs, starts a fire, makes a bow and arrow to catch fish and birds, and makes peace with the larger wildlife. He also battles despair and emerges more patient, prepared to learn from his mistakes—when a rogue moose attacks him and a fierce storm reminds him of his mortality, he's prepared to make repairs with philosophical persistence. His mixed feelings surprise him when the plane finally surfaces so that he can retrieve the survival pack; and then he's rescued. Plausible, taut, this is a spellbinding account. Paulsen's staccato, repetitive style conveys Brian's stress; his combination of third-person narrative with Brian's interior monologue pulls the reader into the story. Brian's angst over a terrible secret—he's seen his mother with another man—is undeveloped and doesn't contribute much, except as one item from his previous life that he sees in better perspective, as a result of his experience. High interest, not hard to read. A winner.
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1987
ISBN: 1416925082
Page Count: -
Publisher: Bradbury
Review Posted Online: Oct. 18, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1987
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