by Budge Wilson ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 11, 1995
A collection of ten very strong stories, some uneven but all worth reading more than once, about turning points in young lives, from which a return to innocence is impossible. When does a person grow up? Does it happen all at once or gradually? In ``Dreams,'' the narrator comments that 12 ``seems to be a favorite age for waking up.'' Suddenly he can hear the edge in his mother's voice, while his younger siblings remain blissfully oblivious. But Janetta in ``Janetta's Confinement'' learns some important lessons at seven-and-a-half. And Joanna McKelvey has her moment of truth at 14, when an idolized preacher reveals his darker side. Characters are well-realized; the many voices, for the most part, ring true. The title story, subtitled ``A Modern Fable for Elderly Children,'' and ``The Happy Pill,'' a futuristic science fiction piece, are more contrived and self-conscious than the others. Wilson (The Leaving, 1992, etc.) is at her best when writing realistically, focusing on a bit of conversation, a sideways glance, a finger stroking someone's wrist—the seemingly insignificant details that have the power to change everything. (Fiction/short stories. 10-14)
Pub Date: May 11, 1995
ISBN: 0-399-22768-7
Page Count: 168
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1995
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by Laura Resau ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 12, 2006
When Clara Luna, 14, visits rural Mexico for the summer to visit the paternal grandparents she has never met, she cannot know her trip will involve an emotional and spiritual journey into her family’s past and a deep connection to a rich heritage of which she was barely aware. Long estranged from his parents, Clara’s father had entered the U.S. illegally years before, subsequently becoming a successful business owner who never spoke about what he left behind. Clara’s journey into her grandmother’s history (told in alternating chapters with Clara’s own first-person narrative) and her discovery that she, like her grandmother and ancestors, has a gift for healing, awakens her to the simple, mystical joys of a rural lifestyle she comes to love and wholly embrace. Painfully aware of not fitting into suburban teen life in her native Maryland, Clara awakens to feeling alive in Mexico and realizes a sweet first love with Pedro, a charming goat herder. Beautifully written, this is filled with evocative language that is rich in imagery and nuance and speaks to the connections that bind us all. Add a thrilling adventure and all the makings of an entrancing read are here. (glossaries) (Fiction. 12-14)
Pub Date: Sept. 12, 2006
ISBN: 0-385-73343-7
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2006
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by Patricia Gualinga & Laura Resau ; illustrated by Vanessa Jaramillo
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by Jenny Han ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 5, 2009
The wish-fulfilling title and sun-washed, catalog-beautiful teens on the cover will be enticing for girls looking for a...
Han’s leisurely paced, somewhat somber narrative revisits several beach-house summers in flashback through the eyes of now 15-year-old Isabel, known to all as Belly.
Belly measures her growing self by these summers and by her lifelong relationship with the older boys, her brother and her mother’s best friend’s two sons. Belly’s dawning awareness of her sexuality and that of the boys is a strong theme, as is the sense of summer as a separate and reflective time and place: Readers get glimpses of kisses on the beach, her best friend’s flirtations during one summer’s visit, a first date. In the background the two mothers renew their friendship each year, and Lauren, Belly’s mother, provides support for her friend—if not, unfortunately, for the children—in Susannah’s losing battle with breast cancer. Besides the mostly off-stage issue of a parent’s severe illness there’s not much here to challenge most readers—driving, beer-drinking, divorce, a moment of surprise at the mothers smoking medicinal pot together.
The wish-fulfilling title and sun-washed, catalog-beautiful teens on the cover will be enticing for girls looking for a diversion. (Fiction. 12-14)Pub Date: May 5, 2009
ISBN: 978-1-4169-6823-8
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2009
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by Jenny Han ; Siobhan Vivian
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