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Between & Betwixt

Name: Between & Betwixt
Author: Bruno Pecile
ISBN: 978-1-4602-6607-6

THE CORRIDOR OF DOORS TRILOGY

by Bruno Pecile & Tina Pecile ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 22, 2015

Khia and her 7-year-old brother, Devon, have been in foster care ever since a car accident that took their father’s life and...

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A story of a trip to grandmother’s house…in another world.

Khia and her 7-year-old brother, Devon, have been in foster care ever since a car accident that took their father’s life and left their mother unable to cope. When Khia is just shy of her 16th birthday, however, strange things start happening. First, a seemingly innocuous old woman becomes possessed and tries to kill them, and they’re rescued by a mysterious man and woman who disappear almost as quickly as they appeared. Later, they’re nearly caught in an explosion at a Catholic church. They’re saved from this by two mysterious men and a social worker they know. The men turn out to be Norbert and McBride, who are charged with a special responsibility: to defend Khia and Devon, and return them to their grandmother who lives in another realm. To reach it, they have to get to a portal at Grand Central Station in New York City. That wouldn’t be so hard if they weren’t being pursued by multiple law enforcement agencies, who are under the impression that Devon and Khia have been kidnapped. A few magical beings are also following them, including shamans, a shape-shifting Sylph, and Rock Furies. Overall, this novel offers an exciting plotline with compelling characters. It would be even more involving, though, if the book gave a bit more information about why Khia and Devon are being chased, and what it will mean for them to be returned to their grandmother. Granted, the book is the first of a trilogy, and it’s understandable that some plot elements are left unrevealed. However, in this case, the lack of information sometimes makes it hard to get fully involved in the story, as it’s unclear what the stakes are. An often engaging book that leaves readers wanting more details.

Pub Date: May 22, 2015

ISBN: 978-1-4602-6607-6

Page Count: 224

Publisher: FriesenPress

Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2015

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

GENERAL FICTION

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SUMMER ISLAND

by Kristin Hannah ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2001

The best-selling author of tearjerkers like Angel Falls (2000) serves up yet another mountain of mush, topped off with...

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Talk-show queen takes tumble as millions jeer.

Nora Bridges is a wildly popular radio spokesperson for family-first virtues, but her loyal listeners don't know that she walked out on her husband and teenaged daughters years ago and didn't look back. Now that a former lover has sold racy pix of naked Nora and horny himself to a national tabloid, her estranged daughter Ruby, an unsuccessful stand-up comic in Los Angeles, has been approached to pen a tell-all. Greedy for the fat fee she's been promised, Ruby agrees and heads for the San Juan Islands, eager to get reacquainted with the mom she plans to betray. Once in the family homestead, nasty Ruby alternately sulks and glares at her mother, who is temporarily wheelchair-bound as a result of a post-scandal car crash. Uncaring, Ruby begins writing her side of the story when she's not strolling on the beach with former sweetheart Dean Sloan, the son of wealthy socialites who basically ignored him and his gay brother Eric. Eric, now dying of cancer and also in a wheelchair, has returned to the island. This dismal threesome catch up on old times, recalling their childhood idylls on the island. After Ruby's perfect big sister Caroline shows up, there's another round of heartfelt talk. Nora gradually reveals the truth about her unloving husband and her late father's alcoholism, which led her to seek the approval of others at the cost of her own peace of mind. And so on. Ruby is aghast to discover that she doesn't know everything after all, but Dean offers her subdued comfort. Happy endings await almost everyone—except for readers of this nobly preachy snifflefest.

The best-selling author of tearjerkers like Angel Falls (2000) serves up yet another mountain of mush, topped off with syrupy platitudes about life and love.

Pub Date: March 1, 2001

ISBN: 0-609-60737-5

Page Count: 336

Publisher: Crown

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2001

Categories:

GENERAL FICTION

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TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

by Harper Lee ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 11, 1960

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A first novel, this is also a first person account of Scout's (Jean Louise) recall of the years that led to the ending of a mystery, the breaking of her brother Jem's elbow, the death of her father's enemy — and the close of childhood years. A widower, Atticus raises his children with legal dispassion and paternal intelligence, and is ably abetted by Calpurnia, the colored cook, while the Alabama town of Maycomb, in the 1930's, remains aloof to their divergence from its tribal patterns. Scout and Jem, with their summer-time companion, Dill, find their paths free from interference — but not from dangers; their curiosity about the imprisoned Boo, whose miserable past is incorporated in their play, results in a tentative friendliness; their fears of Atticus' lack of distinction is dissipated when he shoots a mad dog; his defense of a Negro accused of raping a white girl, Mayella Ewell, is followed with avid interest and turns the rabble whites against him. Scout is the means of averting an attack on Atticus but when he loses the case it is Boo who saves Jem and Scout by killing Mayella's father when he attempts to murder them. The shadows of a beginning for black-white understanding, the persistent fight that Scout carries on against school, Jem's emergence into adulthood, Calpurnia's quiet power, and all the incidents touching on the children's "growing outward" have an attractive starchiness that keeps this southern picture pert and provocative. There is much advance interest in this book; it has been selected by the Literary Guild and Reader's Digest; it should win many friends.