An engrossing tale set against a compelling, seldom-seen backdrop
Amid the chaos of the Spanish Civil War, a young girl begins to find her place in the world.
Twelve-year-old Anetxu “Ani” Largazabalaga spends her few free hours trying to recapture the idyllic times before her father left Guernica for the front. Her often-disagreeable mother sells sardines and never fails to remind Ani how much she has sacrificed to keep them from starvation. Ani finds her first real friend in 14-year-old Jewish Mathias García, who recently moved from Germany, where he and his mother were facing increasing restrictions. A simple trip to the movies embroils Ani and Mathias in a local network of spies helping the British get supplies through Franco’s blockade. While making house-to-house deliveries of sardines, the two deliver messages and hope that they are helping the war effort. After the infamous air raid lays the town to ruins, Ani and Mathias both face devastating losses and find refuge in a farm on the outskirts of Guernica. Gonzalez has the two characters handle the losses in vastly different but equally believable ways, and the inclusion of older, sympathetic characters to serve as a contrast to Ani’s mother will be appreciated by readers. Also notable are multiple characters with disabilities, including Mathias.
An engrossing tale set against a compelling, seldom-seen backdrop . (Historical fiction. 10-18)Pub Date: Oct. 9, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-375-86929-7
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Aug. 14, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2012
An outstanding new edition of this popular modern classic (Newbery Award, 1961), with an introduction by Zena Sutherland and...
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1990
ISBN: 0-395-53680-4
Page Count: -
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2000
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Delightful.
A school trip to a legendary island uncovers more than hidden treasure for Tom Morgan, who’s in his second year at Beaufort’s School for Deceptive Arts.
After the release of the deadly Crimson Flu virus at his boarding school, Tom and his housemates are whisked away by their housemaster, the Corsair, on a tall ship bound for Isle Tête de Mort, or the Island of Skulls, where they’ll continue their quarantine. The island fortress of an old Shadow League leader, Antoine Bonaparte, the Duke of Nîmes, the hideout has been deserted for years, ever since the duke was assassinated and his château blown up by Shadow Assassins hoping to protect the world from the duke’s deadly ambition. But there are rumors about what remains hidden there: a treasure trove of jewels, secret documents, and details of the duke’s ultimate weapon for conquering the world. As Tom (whose mother was Egyptian and father is unknown) begins to search for the treasure with his housemates, it’s initially just another training exercise presented by the Corsair. But when the Chevaliers, followers of the duke, arrive on the island looking for the plans for the secret weapon, it will take all of Tom’s skills as a thief to get there before they do. Fast-paced and fun with plenty of hijinks, this skillful sequel expands on the worldbuilding. The pirate theme, with its codes and ciphers, adds an appealing layer of intrigue.
Delightful. (Adventure. 10-14)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2026
ISBN: 9781665982344
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Aladdin
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
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