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FEARLESS FREEDOM

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An engaging, evocative young adult novel about a preadolescent girl's involvement in the civil rights movement in Birmingham. Eleven year-old Bernice Givens has two major aspirations: to become a Freedom Fighter and to work as a journalist. Growing up within the rigid strictures of a segregated society (in an achingly poignant scene, the first word she learns to read is “colored” so that she will not accidentally offend), Bernice longs to be a part of the struggle for equality. She avidly follows news of the civil rights movement and maintains a scrapbook of major events, believing that actual action is still years away for her. So when news breaks of the planned children's march, Bernice is thrilled by the opportunity despite her mother’s apprehension and ultimate prohibition. Bernice goes anyway, never suspecting that her participation will have consequences that will change and haunt her, though she ultimately emerges stronger from the experience. Debut author Gaile offers pacing that is slow enough to allow nuances to develop but swift enough to maintain reader interest. She has an ear for genuine-sounding dialogue and interactions, and is masterful at exploring emotional complexities at the appropriate developmental level; her descriptions of Bernice's parents and their ambivalence about their daughter's activism are particularly authentic and resonant. Bernice herself is about as appealing a heroine as one could hope for, a believable blend of childish naïveté and sophisticated ideology. Most of the supporting characters are also convincingly portrayed, though a few are disappointingly one-dimensional, even considering their minor roles. The narrative is straightforward and focused solely on the main plot; this can feel a bit heavy-handed at times but is overall fitting for the length of the book. There are few surprises for those readers with a basic familiarity of the civil rights movement, but this work is a suitable introduction for those without that familiarity. And, with the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington just past, this book could not be more timely and relevant. A moving, triumphant novel encapsulating a young girl’s personal struggle for equality within the larger movement.

Pub Date: Aug. 19, 2013

ISBN: 978-1492322719

Page Count: 163

Publisher: CreateSpace

Review Posted Online: Nov. 8, 2013

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NEVER FALL DOWN

Though it lacks references or suggestions for further reading, Arn's agonizing story is compelling enough that many readers...

A harrowing tale of survival in the Killing Fields.

The childhood of Arn Chorn-Pond has been captured for young readers before, in Michelle Lord and Shino Arihara's picture book, A Song for Cambodia (2008). McCormick, known for issue-oriented realism, offers a fictionalized retelling of Chorn-Pond's youth for older readers. McCormick's version begins when the Khmer Rouge marches into 11-year-old Arn's Cambodian neighborhood and forces everyone into the country. Arn doesn't understand what the Khmer Rouge stands for; he only knows that over the next several years he and the other children shrink away on a handful of rice a day, while the corpses of adults pile ever higher in the mango grove. Arn does what he must to survive—and, wherever possible, to protect a small pocket of children and adults around him. Arn's chilling history pulls no punches, trusting its readers to cope with the reality of children forced to participate in murder, torture, sexual exploitation and genocide. This gut-wrenching tale is marred only by the author's choice to use broken English for both dialogue and description. Chorn-Pond, in real life, has spoken eloquently (and fluently) on the influence he's gained by learning English; this prose diminishes both his struggle and his story.

Though it lacks references or suggestions for further reading, Arn's agonizing story is compelling enough that many readers will seek out the history themselves. (preface, author's note) (Historical fiction. 12-15)

Pub Date: May 8, 2012

ISBN: 978-0-06-173093-1

Page Count: 224

Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: March 20, 2012

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2012

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THE NOBLEMAN'S GUIDE TO SCANDAL AND SHIPWRECKS

From the Montague Siblings series , Vol. 3

An enticing, turbulent, and satisfying final voyage.

Adrian, the youngest of the Montague siblings, sails into tumultuous waters in search of answers about himself, the sudden death of his mother, and her mysterious, cracked spyglass.

On the summer solstice less than a year ago, Caroline Montague fell off a cliff in Aberdeen into the sea. When the Scottish hostel where she was staying sends a box of her left-behind belongings to London, Adrian—an anxious, White nobleman on the cusp of joining Parliament—discovers one of his mother’s most treasured possessions, an antique spyglass. She acquired it when she was the sole survivor of a shipwreck many years earlier. His mother always carried that spyglass with her, but on the day of her death, she had left it behind in her room. Although he never knew its full significance, Adrian is haunted by new questions and is certain the spyglass will lead him to the truth. Once again, Lee crafts an absorbing adventure with dangerous stakes, dynamic character growth, sharp social and political commentary, and a storm of emotion. Inseparable from his external search for answers about his mother, Adrian seeks a solution for himself, an end to his struggle with mental illness—a journey handled with hopeful, gentle honesty that validates the experiences of both good and bad days. Characters from the first two books play significant secondary roles, and the resolution ties up their loose ends. Humorous antics provide a well-measured balance with the heavier themes.

An enticing, turbulent, and satisfying final voyage. (Historical fiction. 14-18)

Pub Date: Nov. 16, 2021

ISBN: 978-0-06-291601-3

Page Count: 464

Publisher: Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: Aug. 31, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2021

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