by Carrie Jones ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 19, 2016
Funny and fast-moving, with a compelling setup for potential sequels
A bubbly, affectionate cheerleader must rescue her mother from an out-of-this-world danger.
High school junior Mana isn't a good student, but she loves and is loved by her white mom and Hawaiian dad. In her mostly white New Hampshire town, Mana and her two besties quip between enthusiastic cheerleading routines. But in a bizarre kidnapping attempt, Mana's crush, Dakota, is revealed as a vicious alien who spits green acid, flaps a long, froglike tongue, and spouts casual racism. Mana and Dakota scuffle at halftime, Mana avoiding blasts of acid by employing gymnastics moves she just knows are far beyond her normal capabilities, until a mysterious secret agent in sunglasses saves the day. Back at home, Mana's mother has vanished, their house has been ransacked, and Mana is attacked by a gray-skinned, web-footed murder monster (which, in an unfortunate bit of cultural appropriation, is called a Windigo, after the "old Algonquin story"). Mana, along with Sunglasses Guy and her two cheerleader BFFs (a dark-skinned girl and a light-skinned boy), has to save her mother, evade shape-shifters, and keep a dangerous bit of tech from the men in black. The constant bickering and banter between the four sputters erratically, occasionally stalling the pace of otherwise cinematic escapes and feats of gymnastic tumbling, but the comic tone does not falter.
Funny and fast-moving, with a compelling setup for potential sequels . (Science fiction. 12-16)Pub Date: July 19, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-7653-3657-6
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Tor
Review Posted Online: April 12, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2016
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by Ben Philippe ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 8, 2019
Despite some missteps, this will appeal to readers who enjoy a fresh and realistic teen voice.
A teenage, not-so-lonely loner endures the wilds of high school in Austin, Texas.
Norris Kaplan, the protagonist of Philippe’s debut novel, is a hypersweaty, uber-snarky black, Haitian, French-Canadian pushing to survive life in his new school. His professor mom’s new tenure-track job transplants Norris mid–school year, and his biting wit and sarcasm are exposed through his cataloging of his new world in a field guide–style burn book. He’s greeted in his new life by an assortment of acquaintances, Liam, who is white and struggling with depression; Maddie, a self-sacrificing white cheerleader with a heart of gold; and Aarti, his Indian-American love interest who offers connection. Norris’ ego, fueled by his insecurities, often gets in the way of meaningful character development. The scenes showcasing his emotional growth are too brief and, despite foreshadowing, the climax falls flat because he still gets incredible personal access to people he’s hurt. A scene where Norris is confronted by his mother for getting drunk and belligerent with a white cop is diluted by his refusal or inability to grasp the severity of the situation and the resultant minor consequences. The humor is spot-on, as is the representation of the black diaspora; the opportunity for broader conversations about other topics is there, however, the uneven buildup of detailed, meaningful exchanges and the glibness of Norris’ voice detract.
Despite some missteps, this will appeal to readers who enjoy a fresh and realistic teen voice. (Fiction. 13-16)Pub Date: Jan. 8, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-06-282411-0
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Oct. 14, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2018
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by Ben Philippe
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by Patricia McCormick ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 8, 2012
Though it lacks references or suggestions for further reading, Arn's agonizing story is compelling enough that many readers...
A harrowing tale of survival in the Killing Fields.
The childhood of Arn Chorn-Pond has been captured for young readers before, in Michelle Lord and Shino Arihara's picture book, A Song for Cambodia (2008). McCormick, known for issue-oriented realism, offers a fictionalized retelling of Chorn-Pond's youth for older readers. McCormick's version begins when the Khmer Rouge marches into 11-year-old Arn's Cambodian neighborhood and forces everyone into the country. Arn doesn't understand what the Khmer Rouge stands for; he only knows that over the next several years he and the other children shrink away on a handful of rice a day, while the corpses of adults pile ever higher in the mango grove. Arn does what he must to survive—and, wherever possible, to protect a small pocket of children and adults around him. Arn's chilling history pulls no punches, trusting its readers to cope with the reality of children forced to participate in murder, torture, sexual exploitation and genocide. This gut-wrenching tale is marred only by the author's choice to use broken English for both dialogue and description. Chorn-Pond, in real life, has spoken eloquently (and fluently) on the influence he's gained by learning English; this prose diminishes both his struggle and his story.
Though it lacks references or suggestions for further reading, Arn's agonizing story is compelling enough that many readers will seek out the history themselves. (preface, author's note) (Historical fiction. 12-15)Pub Date: May 8, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-06-173093-1
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: March 20, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2012
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by Patricia McCormick ; illustrated by Iacopo Bruno
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by Malala Yousafzai with Patricia McCormick
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