Higson sets his story in the 1930s as a young James Bond (only 14) embarks on a quest to solve the mystery of the missing Alphie Kelly. While at a boarding school in Eton, Bond first encounters George Hellebore and eventually his evil, overbearing, father. During a holiday trip to his aunt’s home in northern Scotland, Bond’s and Hellebore’s lives become intertwined when Bond begins to suspect that something very suspicious is going on behind the gates of the Hellebore compound. Many coincidences and fortunate encounters (and some unfortunate ones) lead Bond inside the compound and to heart-pounding scenes that will keep readers turning the pages. At times, the episodes, with key characters being spotted just by chance, seem contrived, but those pass by quickly as the action moves beyond the ordinary into the action. A great read for fans of detective tales. (Fiction. 10-15)
Pub Date: April 1, 2005
ISBN: 0-7868-3661-X
Page Count: 352
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2005
Illegal immigrant sisters learn a lot about themselves when their family faces deportation in this compelling contemporary drama. Immigrants from Bangladesh, Nadira, her older sister Aisha and their parents live in New York City with expired visas. Fourteen-year-old Nadira describes herself as “the slow-wit second-born” who follows Aisha, the family star who’s on track for class valedictorian and a top-rate college. Everything changes when post-9/11 government crack-downs on Muslim immigrants push the family to seek asylum in Canada where they are turned away at the border and their father is arrested by U.S. immigration. The sisters return to New York living in constant fear of detection and trying to pretend everything is normal. As months pass, Aisha falls apart while Nadira uses her head in “a right way” to save her father and her family. Nadira’s need for acceptance by her family neatly parallels the family’s desire for acceptance in their adopted country. A perceptive peek into the lives of foreigners on the fringe. (endnote) (Fiction. 10-14)
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2006
ISBN: 1-4169-0351-8
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Ginee Seo/Atheneum
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2005
In ten short stories, Soto (Buried Onions, 1997, etc.) presents a kaleidoscope of Mexican-American adolescents and the bullies they confront—bullies ranging from tough, menacing teens to life’s unavoidable truths. The stories are as diverse as the characters, from cat-fighting girls to insecure boys. Among the best: “Your Turn, Norma,” a heartbreaking account of a persecuted girl and her struggle to protect the doll she is charged with carrying for a week as part of a class assignment; “Born Worker,” which juxtaposes a hard-working, salt-of-the-earth boy with his scheming, lazy cousin; and “Mother’s Clothes” in which a girl copes with grief by hunting out and taking back her dead mother’s clothing, dispensed to thrift shops by her father. All of the stories exhibit dazzling imagery and Soto’s intense understanding of his subjects. He deftly brings to light relationships and their complications among family, peers, and elders in a well-crafted collection that’s lively, absorbing, and meaningful. (Fiction. 12-15)
Pub Date: May 1, 1998
ISBN: 0-15-201658-9
Page Count: 157
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1998
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