Growing up in small-town Maine, fourth grader India McAllister plans to have real adventures someday, but, for the present, daily life provides some accidental ones. India and her best friend, Colby, navigate the treacherous waters of a fourth-grade friendship between a boy and a girl. When Colby succumbs to the attentions of classmate Amanda the Rodent, India runs away to a bit of real adventure, getting lost in the woods. Family issues include India’s occasional longing to know more about her birth mother, back in China, and the way she misses her father. Now she can only spend weekends with her father and his new partner, Richard, a man she’s finding it difficult to know. Pets—her large dog and Richard’s new, talkative cockatiel—are also a part of her life. This gentle story is illustrated throughout with Agell’s line drawings, which add to the humor. (In some communities, the sketch of the plaster breast that hangs on the family’s living-room wall may provoke more than giggles.) Enjoyable, engaging and emotionally resonant. (Fiction. 8-11)
Pub Date: July 22, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-8050-8902-8
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Christy Ottaviano/Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: June 3, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2010
Envious of classmate and spelling-bee champ Jessica’s picture in the local paper, the irrepressible third grader introduced in Judy Moody (2000) tries for her own 15 minutes of fame. As she quickly discovers, it can be elusive. Like its predecessor, a disarming plot and likable characters are matched to an equally appealing format: small pages, generously spaced and sized type, die-cut windows in the dust jacket, and frequent ink-and-wash illustrations featuring smiles and high spots inside. In the end, Judy Moody earns her write-up inadvertently, after spiriting away a bagful of battered dolls from a hospital’s playroom, refurbishing them from her large private collection of loose doll parts—plus hospital gowns made from an old sheet and little casts of “oogey wet newspaper”—then returning them anonymously. “Phantom Doll Doctor Strikes County Hospital,” reads the headline. Only she, her affectionate nuclear family, and her likely-to-burgeon fan base know the truth. New chapter-book readers will enjoy watching Judy’s moods, and the ensuing complications, unfold. (Fiction. 8-10)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-7636-0849-1
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2001
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A moving exploration of the places we come from and the people who shape us—not to be missed.
On a birthday trip to New York City, a girl learns about her roots, Harlem, and how to stay true to herself.
Eleven-year-old sneakerhead Amara is struggling to feel seen and heard. A new baby sister is on the way, her mom still wants to put her in dresses, and that birthday trip from the Portland, Oregon, suburbs to New York City that she so desperately wants feels out of reach. When Amara gets a family-history assignment, she is finally able to convince her mom to say yes to the trip, since it will allow Amara to meet her dad’s side of the family in person. In addition to the school project, her mom gives Amara a secret mission: get her dad and grandpa to spend time alone together to repair old wounds. Harlem proves unlike any place Amara has ever been, and as she explores where her father grew up she experiences black history on every street. Watson is a master at character development, with New York City and especially Harlem playing central roles. Through her all-black cast she seamlessly explores issues of identity, self, and family acceptance. Although the ending feels rushed, with no resolution between Amara and her mom, Amara’s concluding poem is powerful.
A moving exploration of the places we come from and the people who shape us—not to be missed. (Fiction. 9-11)Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-68119-108-9
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: May 7, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2019
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