Laura’s big problem is the antics of her mother, who can be guaranteed to garner attention in unusual ways. Mom is a sculptor, ex-model, horrible cook, loves singing loud to old-time rock n’roll, wearing pajamas and bedroom slippers in public, and—worst of all—is pregnant at the ripe old age of 38. Oh horrors, her parents have actually been doing “it.” An only child, 12-year-old Laura has little to complain about. She has loving parents in a home with two acres of land, a great best friend, a crush on an older guy, and a passion for reading Richard Peck. Mom never truly does anything that isn’t cute or funny, but Laura is the only one who reacts. Dad’s no big improvement as his own embarrassing stunt at her first boy-girl party proves. The continuous bombardment of incidents that leaves Laura with an ongoing list of things she’d like to change about her mother seems increasingly vapid and silly as readers learn that there have been five miscarriages and that Mom is beloved by everyone else. The subplot about the neighbor boy who likes Laura and is all too aware that she has a crush on his older brother is equally void of tension. Middle-grade readers may or may not see the humor here—after all, it will sound very familiar. But Laura does have something of a change of heart and her list becomes one of helping her mother do better, rather than changing her completely. An also-ran to Alice or Anastasia. (Fiction. 9-12)
Pub Date: March 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-385-72922-7
Page Count: 140
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2002
Charming, poignant, and thoughtfully woven.
An aspiring scientist and a budding artist become friends and help each other with dream projects.
Unfolding in mid-1980s Sacramento, California, this story stars 12-year-olds Rosalind and Benjamin as first-person narrators in alternating chapters. Ro’s father, a fellow space buff, was killed by a drunk driver; the rocket they were working on together lies unfinished in her closet. As for Benji, not only has his best friend, Amir, moved away, but the comic book holding the clue for locating his dad is also missing. Along with their profound personal losses, the protagonists share a fixation with the universe’s intriguing potential: Ro decides to complete the rocket and hopes to launch mementos of her father into outer space while Benji’s conviction that aliens and UFOs are real compels his imagination and creativity as an artist. An accident in science class triggers a chain of events forcing Benji and Ro, who is new to the school, to interact and unintentionally learn each other’s secrets. They resolve to find Benji’s dad—a famous comic-book artist—and partner to finish Ro’s rocket for the science fair. Together, they overcome technical, scheduling, and geographical challenges. Readers will be drawn in by amusing and fantastical elements in the comic book theme, high emotional stakes that arouse sympathy, and well-drawn character development as the protagonists navigate life lessons around grief, patience, self-advocacy, and standing up for others. Ro is biracial (Chinese/White); Benji is White.
Charming, poignant, and thoughtfully woven. (Fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: Jan. 12, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-06-300888-5
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Despite its lackluster execution, this story’s simple premise and basic vocabulary make it suitable for younger readers...
From the author of the Animorphs series comes this earnest novel in verse about an orphaned Sudanese war refugee with a passion for cows, who has resettled in Minnesota with relatives.
Arriving in winter, Kek spots a cow that reminds him of his father’s herd, a familiar sight in an alien world. Later he returns with Hannah, a friendly foster child, and talks the cow’s owner into hiring him to look after it. When the owner plans to sell the cow, Kek becomes despondent. Full of wide-eyed amazement and unalloyed enthusiasm for all things American, Kek is a generic—bordering on insulting—stereotype. His tribe, culture and language are never identified; personal details, such as appearance and age, are vague or omitted. Lacking the quirks and foibles that bring characters to life, Kek seems more a composite of traits designed to instruct readers than an engaging individual in his own right.
Despite its lackluster execution, this story’s simple premise and basic vocabulary make it suitable for younger readers interested in the plight of war refugees. (Fiction. 9-11)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2007
ISBN: 978-0-312-36765-7
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2007
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