bookshelf

WRITE THIS DOWN

Name: WRITE THIS DOWN
Author: Claudia Mills
ISBN: 978-0-374-30164-4

by Claudia Mills ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 27, 2016

Fellow writers will understand Autumn’s quest, but others may not find her tale as compelling.

bookshelf

Autumn is a writer, and although she’s just 12, she is fully ready to be published—or so she thinks.

She’s midway through writing her first fantasy novel, but it’s her realistic writing that finally gets her the attention she craves. Life is made complicated by her disintegrating relationship with her previously loving older brother, Hunter. Since starting 10th grade, he’s become downright mean, even reading aloud to members of his rock band the love poem Autumn composed to her serious crush, enigmatic Cameron—in front of Cameron’s older brother. Autumn seeks revenge, first composing a scathing and untrue review of his band’s performance but then submitting to an essay contest a description of what Hunter used to mean to her contrasted against his recent behavior. Although many of the embarrassing situations she endures will be uncomfortably familiar to readers—especially her uncertain encounters with her crush—Autumn only achieves real likability near the end of this tame outing. Her narrative voice is fully believable but lacks the amiability that would elevate her to admirable or charming. Her parents’ earnest attempts to fix Hunter’s problems add a subplot of mild frustration. In the absence of racial or ethnic markers, readers are likely to see Autumn and her family as white.

Fellow writers will understand Autumn’s quest, but others may not find her tale as compelling. (Fiction. 10-12)

Pub Date: Sept. 27, 2016

ISBN: 978-0-374-30164-4

Page Count: 256

Publisher: Margaret Ferguson/Farrar, Straus & Giroux

Review Posted Online: June 21, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2016

Categories:

CHILDREN'S FAMILY

- BOOK REVIEW
THE LOST LANGUAGE
by Claudia Mills

- BOOK REVIEW
BOOGIE BASS, SIGN LANGUAGE STAR
by Claudia Mills ; illustrated by Grace Zong

- BOOK REVIEW
LUCY LOPEZ, CODING STAR
by Claudia Mills ; illustrated by Grace Zong

bookshelf

SEARCHING FOR SUPER

by Marion Jensen ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 20, 2015

Like its predecessor, a satisfying, Incredibles-style mix of awesome exploits and common family issues.

bookshelf

Deprived of superpowers in the previous episode (Almost Super, 2014), can the Bailey and Johnson clans put aside their squabbles to tackle their common nemesis, the Joneses?

Determined to prove that they have the mettle to join their parents and relatives in fighting crime, 13-year-old Rafter Bailey, his little brother, Benny, and erstwhile rival Juanita Johnson (definitely the brains of the trio) kick off their own search for the Joneses’ secret hideout. Little do they suspect that those clever villains have planted a ringer in their very midst. Sabotage and other distractions ensue, until Juanita’s sudden disappearance sharpens not only the urgency of the search, but also Rafter’s guilt for being a poor friend. The kidnapping turns out to be a crucial mistake for the bad guys, however, as resourceful Juanita gets off a call for help that both brings the Baileys and Johnsons together for a collective rescue operation and, amid much breakage of glass and heroic feats of derring-do, foils the evil schemes of scenery-chewing archfiend October Jones. Rafter makes a likable narrator, emotionally open and determined to be both a good superhero and a good friend.

Like its predecessor, a satisfying, Incredibles-style mix of awesome exploits and common family issues. (Fantasy. 10-12)

Pub Date: Jan. 20, 2015

ISBN: 978-0-06-220958-0

Page Count: 256

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: Sept. 30, 2014

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2014

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ACTION & ADVENTURE FICTION | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

bookshelf

SHOUTING AT THE RAIN

by Lynda Mullaly Hunt ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 7, 2019

Hunt (Fish in a Tree, 2017, etc.) has crafted another gentle, moving tale of love and loss: the value of the one and the...

bookshelf

“The ones that love you protect your feelings because they’ve been given a piece of you. Others may toss them around for just the same reason.”

It’s the summer that Delsie hears that hard lesson from her grandmother and comes to fully understand what it means. Her best off-Cape friend has returned for the season, but now Brandy, once her soul mate, is wearing makeup and has brought along a mean, snobby friend, Tressa, who’s put off by Delsie’s dirty, bare feet and near-poverty. Ronan is new to the Cape, too, and at first he’s a hard boy to get to know. But Delsie, stunned by Brandy’s betrayal, perseveres, realizing that he’s just as lonely as she is and that his mother is gone, having sent him away, just as hers is—heartbreakingly lost to alcohol and drugs. A richly embroidered cast of characters, a thoughtful exploration of how real friends treat one another, and the true meaning of family all combine to make this a thoroughly satisfying coming-of-age tale. Cape Cod is nicely depicted—not the Cape of tourists but the one of year-round residents—as is the sometimes-sharp contrast between residents and summer people. The book adheres to the white default; one of Delsie's neighbors hails from St. Croix and wears her hair in an Afro.

Hunt (Fish in a Tree, 2017, etc.) has crafted another gentle, moving tale of love and loss: the value of the one and the importance of getting over the other. (Fiction. 10-12)