A thrilling, if overly didactic, mystery.
A fun annual school tradition takes a terrifying turn when a classmate goes missing.
Gracie can’t wait to spend two nights with her best friend at the seventh grade campout in the Catskill Mountains. Upon her arrival, however, her expectations are dampened by the discovery that one cabin is off-limits for repairs, leaving her in the only coed group, which includes teacher Ms. Becker and classmates Leo, Olivia, and (much to everyone’s chagrin) Nicky, who’s a notorious bully. The first night is uneventful, but the campers awaken to discover that Nicky is missing. The police arrive to investigate, but, each harboring their own secret reasons, the three remaining tween cabin mates launch a high-stakes investigation of their own. In the process, they uncover a scheme none of them could have expected. Chapters alternate between the perspectives of Gracie, Olivia, and Leo as they make discoveries that lead them closer to an answer. Each central character has a distinct and interesting perspective and personality, and although these traits are not mined deeply, they allow for helpful insights into the mystery. Thought-provoking questions about forgiveness, making amends, and the efficacy of consequences and retribution are peppered throughout. Important, complex social issues like poverty and child neglect are addressed, but the resolution feels too simple and ignores some real-world complexities. Main characters are coded white; names signal diversity in the supporting cast.
A thrilling, if overly didactic, mystery. (Mystery. 8-12)Pub Date: Dec. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781338884746
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Sept. 22, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2023
The three way chats, in which they are joined by other animals, about web spinning, themselves, other humans—are as often...
A successful juvenile by the beloved New Yorker writer portrays a farm episode with an imaginative twist that makes a poignant, humorous story of a pig, a spider and a little girl.
Young Fern Arable pleads for the life of runt piglet Wilbur and gets her father to sell him to a neighbor, Mr. Zuckerman. Daily, Fern visits the Zuckermans to sit and muse with Wilbur and with the clever pen spider Charlotte, who befriends him when he is lonely and downcast. At the news of Wilbur's forthcoming slaughter, campaigning Charlotte, to the astonishment of people for miles around, spins words in her web. "Some Pig" comes first. Then "Terrific"—then "Radiant". The last word, when Wilbur is about to win a show prize and Charlotte is about to die from building her egg sac, is "Humble". And as the wonderful Charlotte does die, the sadness is tempered by the promise of more spiders next spring.
The three way chats, in which they are joined by other animals, about web spinning, themselves, other humans—are as often informative as amusing, and the whole tenor of appealing wit and pathos will make fine entertainment for reading aloud, too.Pub Date: Oct. 15, 1952
ISBN: 978-0-06-026385-0
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1952
PERSPECTIVES
SEEN & HEARD
Telgemeier’s bold colors, superior visual storytelling, and unusual subject matter will keep readers emotionally engaged and...
Catrina narrates the story of her mixed-race (Latino/white) family’s move from Southern California to Bahía de la Luna on the Northern California coast.
Dad has a new job, but it’s little sister Maya’s lungs that motivate the move: she has had cystic fibrosis since birth—a degenerative breathing condition. Despite her health, Maya loves adventure, even if her lungs suffer for it and even when Cat must follow to keep her safe. When Carlos, a tall, brown, and handsome teen Ghost Tour guide introduces the sisters to the Bahía ghosts—most of whom were Spanish-speaking Mexicans when alive—they fascinate Maya and she them, but the terrified Cat wants only to get herself and Maya back to safety. When the ghost adventure leads to Maya’s hospitalization, Cat blames both herself and Carlos, which makes seeing him at school difficult. As Cat awakens to the meaning of Halloween and Day of the Dead in this strange new home, she comes to understand the importance of the ghosts both to herself and to Maya. Telgemeier neatly balances enough issues that a lesser artist would split them into separate stories and delivers as much delight textually as visually. The backmatter includes snippets from Telgemeier’s sketchbook and a photo of her in Día makeup.
Telgemeier’s bold colors, superior visual storytelling, and unusual subject matter will keep readers emotionally engaged and unable to put down this compelling tale. (Graphic fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-545-54061-2
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: July 1, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2016
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