Bombing raids, a crashing German plane and an encounter with a Nazi soldier—what could be more exciting? (Historical...
It’s exciting when a German plane crashes near Peter Dixon’s town, but is it right to help a wounded enemy soldier when your own father is off at war fighting the Germans?
“They’re all the same! They’re killers! Murderers!” That’s the sentiment regarding the Germans in Peter’s English village. But when Peter and his friend Kim come face to face with the missing German pilot, it’s no longer so easy to hold such strong convictions, especially when he’s hurt and in need of help. Is it right to help the enemy? Getting to know Erik becomes a lesson in empathy for Peter and Kim. Hiding and helping Erik feels right, but it’s complicated: Doing the right things means doing a lot of wrong things, such as stealing food and lying. But they hide him, feed him, clean his cuts and bandage his arm, and in the process become friends. Besides, Peter enjoys being with a girl, and Erik becomes their shared object of concern. Smith’s simply written debut novel, related from Peter’s first-person point of view, takes readers inside Peter’s head and delineates his moral dilemma, his sadness over his missing father and his growing affection for Kim.
Bombing raids, a crashing German plane and an encounter with a Nazi soldier—what could be more exciting? (Historical fiction. 8-14)Pub Date: Aug. 26, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-545-66542-1
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Chicken House/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 27, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An environmental mystery featuring lots of clever detecting, a bit of danger, and real felonies to investigate.
Toxic waste dumped in the Everglades gives a quartet of middle school sleuths their first case.
Leading Carl Hiaasen fans over familiar ground, Ponti pitches 12-year-old Alex Sherlock and his 13-year-old sister, Zoe, with school friends Lina and Yadi as sidekicks, into a summer caper. It all begins with the hunt for a supposed fortune buried decades ago by Al Capone, culminates in a narrow escape from an exploding yacht, and ultimately exposes a smooth-talking bad actor shady enough to bring in even federal authorities. As the kids’ live-in Grandpa, a retired investigative reporter, delivers pointers on how to conduct interviews and sift evidence while grandly driving them around South Florida in his classic Cadillac, Roberta, the budding detectives display sharp wits, eyes, and negotiating skills. The last come in particularly useful when they’re dealing with their lawyer…who’s also their mom. Both the plot and the chain of evidence take logical courses, and since Dad is a marine biologist and Lina’s a recent transplant from Wyoming, Ponti is able to use their dialogue to highlight the local culture and larger ecological issues. Main characters present white, apart from tech wiz Yadi, who is cued Latine.
An environmental mystery featuring lots of clever detecting, a bit of danger, and real felonies to investigate. (Mystery. 9-13)Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2024
ISBN: 9781665932530
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Aladdin
Review Posted Online: July 4, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2024
Brava!
From award winner Telgemeier (Smile, 2010), a pitch-perfect graphic novel portrayal of a middle school musical, adroitly capturing the drama both on and offstage.
Seventh-grader Callie Marin is over-the-moon to be on stage crew again this year for Eucalyptus Middle School’s production of Moon over Mississippi. Callie's just getting over popular baseball jock and eighth-grader Greg, who crushed her when he left Callie to return to his girlfriend, Bonnie, the stuck-up star of the play. Callie's healing heart is quickly captured by Justin and Jesse Mendocino, the two very cute twins who are working on the play with her. Equally determined to make the best sets possible with a shoestring budget and to get one of the Mendocino boys to notice her, the immensely likable Callie will find this to be an extremely drama-filled experience indeed. The palpably engaging and whip-smart characterization ensures that the charisma and camaraderie run high among those working on the production. When Greg snubs Callie in the halls and misses her reference to Guys and Dolls, one of her friends assuredly tells her, "Don't worry, Cal. We’re the cool kids….He's the dork." With the clear, stylish art, the strongly appealing characters and just the right pinch of drama, this book will undoubtedly make readers stand up and cheer.
Brava! (Graphic fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-545-32698-8
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Graphix/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: July 21, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2012
SEEN & HEARD
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