A slightly uneven but overall convincing thriller.
A girl witnesses a terrible crime in this upper–middle-grade thriller.
Thirteen-year-old Tia Lugo is ready for the summer and to go on a much-anticipated stay at sleepaway camp trip. But on the eve of her departure Tia wakes up with an asthma attack and, when reaching for her inhaler, becomes the only eyewitness to a murder just outside her window—and the killer looks right back at her. Terrified for her life since the killer knows where she lives, Tia keeps it all a secret bottled inside. As the guilt over her silence and the fear eat at her, Tia finds support in her best friend, Julius, and in her loving grandmother’s weird and embarrassing mystical beliefs. A trip to the eerie botanica where Gram shops for her curandera supplies gives Tia much-needed relief, but threatening text messages from the killer show her the danger she is really in. The novel weaves together a lot of different threads in a short span of time in addition to Tia’s terrifying ordeal and mounting fear of the killer. Apart from one unconvincing subplot when another boy shows an interest in Tia with unexpected consequences, the story is peppered with enriching, thoughtful touches like Tia’s father’s difficult relationship with Gram’s beliefs, Tia’s romantic interest in Julius, and a range of complex neighborhood dynamics with other kids. Tia and her family are Puerto Rican, and Julius has brown skin.
A slightly uneven but overall convincing thriller. (Thriller. 10-14)Pub Date: Aug. 17, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-63163-575-5
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Jolly Fish Press
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A heartily satisfying string of entertaining near-catastrophes, replete with narrow squeaks and spectral howls.
Three young ghost trappers take on deadly wraiths and solve an old murder case in the bargain to kick off Stroud’s new post-Bartimaeus series.
Narrator Lucy Carlyle hopes to put her unusual sensitivity to supernatural sounds to good use by joining Lockwood & Co.—one of several firms that have risen to cope with the serious ghost Problem that has afflicted England in recent years. As its third member, she teams with glib, ambitious Anthony Lockwood and slovenly-but-capable scholar George Cubbins to entrap malign spirits for hire. The work is fraught with peril, not only because a ghost’s merest touch is generally fatal, but also, as it turns out, as none of the three is particularly good at careful planning and preparation. All are, however, resourceful and quick on their feet, which stands them in good stead when they inadvertently set fire to a house while discovering a murder victim’s desiccated corpse. It comes in handy again when they later rashly agree to clear Combe Carey Hall, renowned for centuries of sudden deaths and regarded as one of England’s most haunted manors. Despite being well-stocked with scream-worthy ghastlies, this lively opener makes a light alternative for readers who find the likes of Joseph Delaney’s Last Apprentice series too grim and creepy for comfort.
A heartily satisfying string of entertaining near-catastrophes, replete with narrow squeaks and spectral howls. (Ghost adventure. 11-13)Pub Date: Sept. 17, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4231-6491-3
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: May 28, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
Readers may find they never want to leave Tupelo Landing.
What do you get when you combine Because of Winn-Dixie’s heart with the mystery and action of Holes? You get an engaging, spirit-lifting and unforgettable debut for young readers.
Turnage introduces readers to the homey yet exotic world of Tupelo Landing, N.C., well-populated with one-of-a-kind characters. A stranger with justice on his mind has just arrived in town, and Hurricane Amy is on its way. Rising sixth-grader Mo LoBeau leads the cast through a series of clues as the whole town tries to figure out who among them might be a murderer. The novel’s opening lines reveal the unflappable Mo LoBeau as a latter-day Philip Marlowe: “Trouble cruised into Tupelo Landing at exactly seven minutes past noon on Wednesday, the third of June, flashing a gold badge and driving a Chevy Impala the color of dirt.” This is the first of many genius turns of phrases. Pairing the heartbreaking sadness of children who don’t get their fair share from parents with the hilarity of small-town life, Turnage achieves a wickedly awesome tale of an 11-year-old girl with more spirit and gumption than folks twice her age. Mo LoBeau is destined to become a standout character in children’s fiction.
Readers may find they never want to leave Tupelo Landing. (Mystery. 10-14)Pub Date: May 10, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-8037-3670-2
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: March 27, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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