Not to be missed!
Self-discovery can happen anywhere, even in a hamster-themed holiday park.
Dylan, a gay British 14-year-old, is on a weeklong caravan vacation (think RV park) in Cornwall with his parents; his 4-year-old brother, Jude; and his no-nonsense best friend, Kayla. Dylan’s dreams of a more sophisticated destination—say, Paris?—far away from the park and its ever present hamster mascot, Nibbles, evaporate when he sees his hunky caravan neighbor, Jayden-Lee. Sure, Jayden-Lee is a raucous jerk, making fun of Jude’s cerebral palsy, Kayla’s facial birthmark, and practically everything else, but Dylan knows he can change him! That’s what love does, right? Random encounters with flirty 15-year-old Leo, a park employee, distract Dylan from his boyfriend mission, as do awkward moments with Nibbles, the hamster mascot who repeatedly saves him from hilariously awful moments. Themes of body-positivity, friendship, and authenticity are interwoven into an engaging plotline. The British words and spellings add an international flavor that sophisticated readers will enjoy, and the overall humor is broad enough to attract a wide audience. The Leo/Nibbles connection will be obvious to most readers, generating additional chuckles at Dylan’s single-minded oblivion. Kayla is cued as biracial (Filipina and White), Leo is Black, and Dylan and his family are assumed White.
Not to be missed! (Fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5098-4865-2
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
Navigating this stunning novel requires thought and concentration, but it’s well worth the effort.
Returning to themes she explored so affectingly in Moon Over Manifest (2011), Newbery Medalist Vanderpool delivers another winning picaresque about memories, personal journeys, interconnectedness—and the power of stories.
Thirteen-year-old Jack enters boarding school in Maine after his mother’s death at the end of World War II. He quickly befriends Early Auden, a savant whose extraordinary facility with numbers allows him to “read” a story about “Pi” from the infinite series of digits that follow 3.14. Jack accompanies Early in one of the school crew team’s rowing boats on what Jack believes is his friend’s fruitless quest to find a great bear allegedly roaming the wilderness—and Early’s brother, a legendary figure reportedly killed in battle. En route, Early spins out Pi’s evolving saga, and the boys encounter memorable individuals and adventures that uncannily parallel those in the stories. Vanderpool ties all these details, characters, and Jack’s growing maturity and self-awareness together masterfully and poignantly, though humor and excitement leaven the weighty issues the author and Jack frequently pose. Some exploits may strain credulity; Jack’s self-awareness often seems beyond his years, and there are coincidences that may seem too convenient. It’s all of a piece with Vanderpool’s craftsmanship. Her tapestry is woven and finished off seamlessly. The ending is very moving, and there’s a lovely, last-page surprise that Jack doesn’t know but that readers will have been tipped off about.
Navigating this stunning novel requires thought and concentration, but it’s well worth the effort. (author’s note, with questions and answers, list of resources) (Historical fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Jan. 8, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-385-74209-2
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: Oct. 30, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
Despite the stale fat-to-curvy pattern, compelling world building with a Southern European, pseudo-Christian feel,...
Adventure drags our heroine all over the map of fantasyland while giving her the opportunity to use her smarts.
Elisa—Princess Lucero-Elisa de Riqueza of Orovalle—has been chosen for Service since the day she was born, when a beam of holy light put a Godstone in her navel. She's a devout reader of holy books and is well-versed in the military strategy text Belleza Guerra, but she has been kept in ignorance of world affairs. With no warning, this fat, self-loathing princess is married off to a distant king and is embroiled in political and spiritual intrigue. War is coming, and perhaps only Elisa's Godstone—and knowledge from the Belleza Guerra—can save them. Elisa uses her untried strategic knowledge to always-good effect. With a character so smart that she doesn't have much to learn, body size is stereotypically substituted for character development. Elisa’s "mountainous" body shrivels away when she spends a month on forced march eating rat, and thus she is a better person. Still, it's wonderfully refreshing to see a heroine using her brain to win a war rather than strapping on a sword and charging into battle.
Despite the stale fat-to-curvy pattern, compelling world building with a Southern European, pseudo-Christian feel, reminiscent of Naomi Kritzer's Fires of the Faithful (2002), keeps this entry fresh. (Fantasy. 12-14)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-06-202648-4
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2011
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