Gently sheds light on protesting, solidarity, and the ins and outs of journalism.
This second installment in the series sees cub reporter Frankie learning about what it means to stand up for what you believe in.
Frankie, a young Black girl, sees her parents and her teenage sister, Raven, watching TV. The screen is filled with protesters, and Raven seems upset. Frankie’s parents explain that “someone was treated unfairly” and that people are protesting to effect change. Mom, a journalist, leaves to report on the protest. Frankie, who plans to follow in her mother’s footsteps, decides to cover the march, too, along with her friends: her cat, Nina Simone, and her toys (including her doll Farrah, her King Tut and Queen Cleopatra action figures, her teddy bear Dan, and Robert the Robert). As they learn more about protests and reporting, Frankie and her friends stage their own march in Frankie’s bedroom, and Frankie finds a way to support Raven, who’s attending the big protest with her friends. Though Platt’s narrative is a bit vague—readers never learn why people are protesting—the text is easy to digest and defines related vocabulary (news ticker, fact-finding, solidarity) in terms young readers will understand. In Frankie, Platt has depicted a curious and smart young protagonist, bolstered by her loving, tightknit family. Full of personality, Frankie’s toys cut endearing figures in Marley’s bright, cartoonish illustrations.
Gently sheds light on protesting, solidarity, and the ins and outs of journalism. (Chapter book. 6-9)Pub Date: May 7, 2024
ISBN: 9781536222104
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Walker US/Candlewick
Review Posted Online: April 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
This outing lacks the sophistication of such category standards as Clementine; here’s hoping English amps things up for...
A gentle voice and familiar pitfalls characterize this tale of a boy navigating the risky road to responsibility.
Gavin is new to his neighborhood and Carver Elementary. He likes his new friend, Richard, and has a typically contentious relationship with his older sister, Danielle. When Gavin’s desire to impress Richard sets off a disastrous chain of events, the boy struggles to evade responsibility for his actions. “After all, it isn’t his fault that Danielle’s snow globe got broken. Sure, he shouldn’t have been in her room—but then, she shouldn’t be keeping candy in her room to tempt him. Anybody would be tempted. Anybody!” opines Gavin once he learns the punishment for his crime. While Gavin has a charming Everyboy quality, and his aversion to Aunt Myrtle’s yapping little dog rings true, little about Gavin distinguishes him from other trouble-prone protagonists. He is, regrettably, forgettable. Coretta Scott King Honor winner English (Francie, 1999) is a teacher whose storytelling usually benefits from her day job. Unfortunately, the pizzazz of classroom chaos is largely absent from this series opener.
This outing lacks the sophistication of such category standards as Clementine; here’s hoping English amps things up for subsequent volumes. (Fiction. 6-9)Pub Date: Dec. 17, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-547-97044-8
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 1, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists.
How to raise money for a coveted poster: put your friends to work!
John, founder of the FUBU fashion line and a Shark Tank venture capitalist, offers a self-referential blueprint for financial success. Having only half of the $10 he needs for a Minka J poster, Daymond forks over $1 to buy a plain T-shirt, paints a picture of the pop star on it, sells it for $5, and uses all of his cash to buy nine more shirts. Then he recruits three friends to decorate them with his design and help sell them for an unspecified amount (from a conveniently free and empty street-fair booth) until they’re gone. The enterprising entrepreneur reimburses himself for the shirts and splits the remaining proceeds, which leaves him with enough for that poster as well as a “brand-new business book,” while his friends express other fiscal strategies: saving their share, spending it all on new art supplies, or donating part and buying a (math) book with the rest. (In a closing summation, the author also suggests investing in stocks, bonds, or cryptocurrency.) Though Miles cranks up the visual energy in her sparsely detailed illustrations by incorporating bright colors and lots of greenbacks, the actual advice feels a bit vague. Daymond is Black; most of the cast are people of color. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists. (Picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: March 21, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-593-56727-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023
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