A strong conclusion best suited for those willing to read it as part of a whole.
The Children of Crow Cove quartet comes to a natural conclusion in this stately, careful finale.
Tiny Crow Cove has grown strong since its founding so many years ago (Crow-Girl, 2004). Now Alek, formerly known as Doup, wishes to see how his beloved, jilted older brother Ravnar is faring in a place called Last Harbor. After traveling there, Alek stays on with Ravnar, finding work in the local inn. A chance sighting of a murder on the beach near his new home brings him into contact with a shipwrecked girl and a crew of murderous thieves. By helping to catch the villains and bring them to justice, Alek is able to find the means to persuade Ravnar to return to Crow Cove at long last. As with previous novels in the series, most recently Tink (2011), a knowledge of the full history of the cove is a must for readers to derive any pleasure from this conclusion. This Danish import is steeped in quiet dignity, never going any faster than the story demands. Some children will find this pace inexorably slow, but for those invested in the characters, Bredsdorff knows how to fulfill the previous novels’ promise, turning her wayward individuals into a vigorous, vibrant community.
A strong conclusion best suited for those willing to read it as part of a whole. (Fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: June 19, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-374-31269-5
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: April 10, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2012
After Castro’s takeover, nine-year-old Julian and his older brothers are sent away by their fearful parents via “Operation Pedro Pan” to a camp in Miami for Cuban-exile children. Here he discovers that a ruthless bully has essentially been put in charge. Julian is quicker-witted than his brothers or anyone else ever imagined, though, and with his inherent smarts, developing maturity and the help of child and adult friends, he learns to navigate the dynamics of the camp and surroundings and grows from the former baby of the family to independence and self-confidence. A daring rescue mission at the end of the novel will have readers rooting for Julian even as it opens his family’s eyes to his courage and resourcefulness. This autobiographical novel is a well-meaning, fast-paced and often exciting read, though at times the writing feels choppy. It will introduce readers to a not-so-distant period whose echoes are still felt today and inspire admiration for young people who had to be brave despite frightening and lonely odds. (Historical fiction. 9-12)
Pub Date: Aug. 3, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-59643-168-3
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: June 14, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2010
BOOK REVIEW
McCaughrean maintains the dizzyingly high standards of The Golden Hoard (1996) and its sequels with this thematic collection of sky myths and legends. Associated with cultures as diverse as Ancient Rome and the Cook Islands, the 15 tales explain, among other things, rainbows, thunder, falling stars, the origin of night, and why the sun and moon live far apart. Whether love stories, tragedies, accounts of heroic deeds or trickster tales, all are likely to be new to young readers, even those as widely told as “Orion’s Downfall” and the Chinese “Bridge of Magpies.” McCaughrean retells them with characteristic vigor: “With sulfur from the hot springs, with magma from the volcanoes, [the gods] fashioned a foe to send against Orion: an insect that wore its skeleton on the outside for armor, a creature the color of rage and venom . . .” Williams’s indistinct, ordinary-looking figures seldom capture the tales’ drama, and while McCaughrean closes with comments on each story, there are no specific source notes. Still, this extends the scope of such Native American gatherings as Gretchen Mayo’s Star Tales (1987), and readers will be captivated by the range of visions here. (Folktales. 9-12)
Pub Date: March 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-689-83015-7
Page Count: 112
Publisher: McElderry
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2000
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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