Jarring, disconnected, even at times nonsensical. (Science fiction. 10-14)
Zanna Mayfield’s life changes when she’s accepted to the St. Pommeroy’s School for Gifted Children.
After a bizarre false start, the studious white girl is visited by a Dr. Mumble, who reveals to her that she has the power to manipulate the laws of the universe, and in order to learn about them, she must commit to attending St. Pommeroy’s, which is located on a secret island. Before she departs for it, a mysterious woman appears in Zanna’s bedroom and asks her to sign a contract to never attend St. Pommeroy’s; Zanna refuses. Mysteriously, everyone at the school knows that Zanna has been visited by this woman; perhaps it’s a metallurgical illusion? Along with navigating this strange, new school, Zanna must worry about why she, of all of the students, has been chosen by this seemingly nefarious entity. From the start, the story jumps into dizzying discussions of physics, metallurgy, and other sciences at this secret school. St. Pommeroy’s feels an awful lot like Hogwarts, with its exciting course work and eccentric instructors (unfortunately, some descriptions move beyond eccentricities into stereotype). The slow pace takes an unexpected metaphysical turn that leads Zanna to a twist that’s closer to home than she could have imagined—and that leads readers into what feels like a completely different book. The scientific details that explain the twist may have the potential to excite a physicist, but they leave lay readers juggling science and metaphysics as if the book doesn’t know its audience.
Jarring, disconnected, even at times nonsensical. (Science fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: March 20, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-63163-168-9
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Jolly Fish Press
Review Posted Online: Nov. 21, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2017
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
Some readers may feel that the resolution comes a mite too easily, but most will enjoy the journey and be pleased when...
Two sisters make an unauthorized expedition to their former hometown and in the process bring together the two parts of their divided family.
Dooley packs plenty of emotion into this eventful road trip, which takes place over the course of less than 24 hours. Twelve-year-old Ophelia, nicknamed Fella, and her 16-year-old sister, Zoey Grace, aka Zany, are the daughters of a lesbian couple, Shannon and Lacy, who could not legally marry. The two white girls squabble and share memories as they travel from West Virginia to Asheville, North Carolina, where Zany is determined to scatter Mama Lacy’s ashes in accordance with her wishes. The year is 2004, before the Supreme Court decision on gay marriage, and the girls have been separated by hostile, antediluvian custodial laws. Fella’s present-tense narration paints pictures not just of the difficulties they face on the trip (a snowstorm, car trouble, and an unlikely thief among them), but also of their lives before Mama Lacy’s illness and of the ways that things have changed since then. Breathless and engaging, Fella’s distinctive voice is convincingly childlike. The conversations she has with her sister, as well as her insights about their relationship, likewise ring true. While the girls face serious issues, amusing details and the caring adults in their lives keep the tone relatively light.
Some readers may feel that the resolution comes a mite too easily, but most will enjoy the journey and be pleased when Fella’s family figures out how to come together in a new way . (Historical fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: April 4, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-399-16504-7
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: Jan. 31, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2017
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