A brief book packed with charm and hours of potential enjoyment.
In McAleese (Where Shadows Play, 2017, etc.) and Kristoph’s (Bathed in Light, 2016, etc.) middle-grade adventure tale, readers choose their own paths in a search for a legendary city beneath the sands.
As in the well-known Choose Your Own Adventure series, the authors’ open, second-person story format gives readers choices regarding the direction of the story, every few pages. The reader is cast as entrepreneur Donovan Young, hoping to discover the fabled desert city of Atraharsis, home to three priceless star jewels. The discovery of that city was an unfulfilled dream of Donovan’s late grand-uncle, who bequeathed him Robert Murdoch’s diary. Murdoch reputedly located the city and left behind clues, primarily in the form of riddles, as well as a map. Out in the sand, though, Donovan runs out of funds and his crew abandons him. Fortunately, he meets Waif, an ousted member of an opposing dig team led by a man named Sullivan. Reaching the city is merely the start for the duo, who go on to face myriad tough decisions. These include whether to take a stand against jackals or something much worse, or whether to go right or left on a path when either way could mean getting lost forever. In order to secure the star jewels and get out of Atraharsis alive (and hopefully unscathed), they’ll have to to pay strict attention, and solving riddles and recalling items along the way often points them in the right direction. A wrong choice, meanwhile, means going home empty-handed—or not going home at all. In some respects, McAleese and Kristoph’s delightful novel is a game, akin to Dungeons & Dragons. Some of the choices are purely luck, based on a flip of a coin or roll of the dice (and the book’s preface recommends keeping these both at hand). The book’s educational value is without question: the solutions to the riddles aren’t immediately given, but left for readers to figure out for themselves. Staying morally upright is always the best option, as greedy or selfish choices don’t end well. Most of the decision points offer two choices, but sometimes more—and in at least one instance, a mind-boggling six. The authors wisely offer a basic, uncomplicated plot that features few other characters beyond “you” and your partner, Waif. But despite these characters’ typically frenzied state—understandable, especially considering some instances of rickety architecture—the authors leave room for humor, as when Donovan repeatedly corrects Waif about his grand-uncle. There’s also plenty of mood-setting prose: “a hollow boom echoes from somewhere deep below. The door grinds open. Centuries of dust and dirt fall away, revealing more darkness.” Some endings leave Donovan and Waif in precarious spots, severely injured and disappointed, while others leave them considerably richer. However, as the series’ name implies, there’s only one ending that earns the reader the title of Adventurer Extraordinaire. Giving so much control to the reader makes each adventure feel truly personal.
A brief book packed with charm and hours of potential enjoyment.Pub Date: April 4, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-5238-4624-5
Page Count: 180
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2017
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
In more ways than one, a tale about young creatures testing their wings; a moving, entertaining winner.
A fifth-grade New Orleans girl discovers a mysterious chrysalis containing an unexpected creature in this middle-grade novel.
Jacquelyn Marie Johnson, called Jackie, is a 10-year-old African-American girl, the second oldest and the only girl of six siblings. She’s responsible, smart, and enjoys being in charge; she likes “paper dolls and long division and imagining things she had never seen.” Normally, Jackie has no trouble obeying her strict but loving parents. But when her potted snapdragon acquires a peculiar egg or maybe a chrysalis (she dubs it a chrysalegg), Jackie’s strong desire to protect it runs up against her mother’s rule against plants in the house. Jackie doesn’t exactly mean to lie, but she tells her mother she needs to keep the snapdragon in her room for a science project and gets permission. Jackie draws the chrysalegg daily, waiting for something to happen as it gets larger. When the amazing creature inside breaks free, Jackie is more determined than ever to protect it, but this leads her further into secrets and lies. The results when her parents find out are painful, and resolving the problem will take courage, honesty, and trust. Dumas (Jaden Toussaint, the Greatest: Episode 5, 2017, etc.) presents a very likable character in Jackie. At 10, she’s young enough to enjoy playing with paper dolls but has a maturity that even older kids can lack. She’s resourceful, as when she wants to measure a red spot on the chrysalegg; lacking calipers, she fashions one from her hairpin. Jackie’s inward struggle about what to obey—her dearest wishes or the parents she loves—is one many readers will understand. The book complicates this question by making Jackie’s parents, especially her mother, strict (as one might expect to keep order in a large family) but undeniably loving and protective as well—it’s not just a question of outwitting clueless adults. Jackie’s feelings about the creature (tender and responsible but also more than a little obsessive) are similarly shaded rather than black-and-white. The ending suggests that an intriguing sequel is to come.
In more ways than one, a tale about young creatures testing their wings; a moving, entertaining winner.Pub Date: Nov. 11, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943169-32-0
Page Count: 212
Publisher: Plum Street Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A YA novel that treats its subject and its readers with respect while delivering an engaging story.
In the ninth book in the Bluford young-adult series, a young Latino man walks away from violence—but at great personal cost.
In a large Southern California city, 16-year-old Martin Luna hangs out on the fringes of gang life. He’s disaffected, fatherless and increasingly drawn into the orbit of the older, rougher Frankie. When a stray bullet kills Martin’s adored 8-year-old brother, Huero, Martin seems to be heading into a life of crime. But Martin’s mother, determined not to lose another son, moves him to another neighborhood—the fictional town of Bluford, where he attends the racially diverse Bluford High. At his new school, the still-grieving Martin quickly makes enemies and gets into trouble. But he also makes friends with a kind English teacher and catches the eye of Vicky, a smart, pretty and outgoing Bluford student. Martin’s first-person narration supplies much of the book’s power. His dialogue is plain, but realistic and believable, and the authors wisely avoid the temptation to lard his speech with dated and potentially embarrassing slang. The author draws a vivid and affecting picture of Martin’s pain and confusion, bringing a tight-lipped teenager to life. In fact, Martin’s character is so well drawn that when he realizes the truth about his friend Frankie, readers won’t feel as if they are watching an after-school special, but as though they are observing the natural progression of Martin’s personal growth. This short novel appears to be aimed at urban teens who don’t often see their neighborhoods portrayed in young-adult fiction, but its sophisticated characters and affecting story will likely have much wider appeal.
A YA novel that treats its subject and its readers with respect while delivering an engaging story.Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2004
ISBN: 978-1591940173
Page Count: 152
Publisher: Townsend Press
Review Posted Online: Jan. 26, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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