Tiefenthaler again proves his ability to craft a humorous, suspenseful story with depth and an authentic voice.
In this middle-grade book, a seventh-grader faces his fears in an attempt to prove that he’s actually seen his town’s legendary monster despite widespread skepticism from the townsfolk.
In 2015’s O.K. Is Great, author/illustrator and middle school teacher Tiefenthaler introduced readers to Otis “O.K.” Kalshwonkee, a 12-year-old whose desire to be more than average led to comical, challenging ups and downs in the odd farm town of Boykinville. O.K. makes a welcome return here, again narrating and illustrating his quirky fantasies, hopes, and daily observations of people and events. (Tiefenthaler’s convincingly childlike pencil drawings are a hoot.) O.K., with his best pal, Leo, confronts more middle school tribulations, a different mean-girl nemesis, and spiky family dynamics (including a macho big brother, wunderkind little sister, and seemingly oblivious parents). Meanwhile, they also set out to prove that the Beast of Boykinville Road, a werewolf said to lurk in the nearby woods, is real. The trouble is that O.K. is afraid of seemingly everything, including the dark, heights, spiders, and “my mom when she’s looking at my report card.” His efforts to find courage, which involve a high dive, a tarantula, bear repellent, and a baseball bat, all go awry. How can he face the Beast if he’s frozen with fear? A practical joke occurs in the story’s climactic scene, but Tiefenthaler mitigates its potential cruelty with the hilarity of O.K.’s realization that being afraid doesn’t preclude taking action. The author wears his educator hat throughout this tale—O.K.’s formidable yet kind literature teacher is the book’s primary authority figure, and well-read Leo explains the difference between “famous” and “infamous,” defines such words as “oxymoron” and “plight,” and shares various historic and scientific facts. But Tiefenthaler never sacrifices story and fun for the sake of educational content, just as he knows just how far to go with his portrayals of O.K.’s inner fears and outer torments without copping out. Readers will find the unexpectedly juicy plot turn at the end to be highly satisfying.
Tiefenthaler again proves his ability to craft a humorous, suspenseful story with depth and an authentic voice.Pub Date: June 6, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-692-69681-1
Page Count: 198
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Nov. 2, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2016
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
A swift fable about navigating the perils of middle school.
A bossy middle school fashionista feels threatened by the new girl in Saii’s YA novel.
Vanessa Pocker and her friends Chelsea, Adrienne and Katie are the richest of the rich in their Santa Monica, Calif., middle school, and they comprise the Sassy Divas. Vanessa leads the pack and dictates whom the divas are allowed to talk to, what they’re allowed to wear and how they conduct themselves in public. Vanessa is so domineering that it’s a miracle she has any friends at all. Had Saii endowed her with an ounce of kindness, the loyalty of her minions might be more understandable. Vanessa’s militant nature finally alienates Katie, the diva who is too much of a bookworm, according to Vanessa. Katie befriends Flo, who’s on the Sassy Diva “do not speak to” list (Flo had once refused to hold Vanessa’s purse). Excommunicated from the Sassy Divas, Katie befriends the new girl at the school, Quinn. This infuriates Vanessa, and she declares war. A power play ensues among the adversarial lip-glossed sets, with Vanessa, Chelsea and Adrienne on one side and Katie, Quinn and Flo on the other. Vanessa turns to guy friend Ryan, who offers the only voice of reason when he admonishes her for obsessing over trivialities, such as revenge and makeovers, when there are starving children in the world. He seems to be nothing more than Vanessa’s sounding board, and it’s unclear what he gets out of the relationship. At least Vanessa buys clothes and makeup for her divas, on occasion. Mired in trendy youngster lingo, Saii’s tale accurately depicts girls’ power plays and the alienation that can result from simply owning jeans without a designer label. Fashion, gossip, popularity and shopping define these characters, and any threat of competition is cause for war. Vanessa’s parents rarely make appearances, except for a poignant scene when Vanessa’s mother engages her daughter in a heart-to-heart about her selfish behavior. It’s a relief to finally hear the mother speak and lead the story to an ending marked with humor and depth. Saii’s literary chops are inconsistently displayed and improve toward the conclusion. Although the average middle school girl may not wear Jimmy Choos or form private elitist groups, young readers might find themselves curious about these affluent trendsetters. At least Vanessa learns her lesson, which raises the novel a notch above teenybopper fluff.
A swift fable about navigating the perils of middle school.Pub Date: March 1, 2013
ISBN: 9781937675080
Page Count: 155
Publisher: Lekha Publishers
Review Posted Online: March 4, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An intriguing, if not always emotionally engaging, story of a serious teen problem.
Somers’ debut young-adult novel follows a teenage boy from sickness to tenuous health as he battles an eating disorder and the problems that helped create it.
Nathan is a typical teen with typical problems, including an unhappy family life and romantic disappointment, but he’s got an unhealthy “solution” for dealing with them: starving and purging himself. His descent into bulimia and anorexia occurs quite quickly; it starts with Nathan taking short bike rides to get away from his domineering father and alcoholic mother, and soon he’s inducing vomiting; not long afterward, he’s admitted to an eating-disorder program, at which point the book seems to find its center. Nathan is the only boy in his unit, a fact that his status-obsessed parents find it hard to understand; in fact, as the book makes clear, boys make up 10 percent of those who suffer from eating disorders. Somers’ novel never falls into “after-school special” territory, but it has a clear message. Nathan is depicted as a smart, cynical teenager, but his trials are sometimes more informative than heart-wrenching. The short chapters, complete with bad teenage poetry, keep the story moving, and Nathan’s dad, mom and nurse all get at least one chance to tell their side of the story. But although these multiple points of view are interesting, they may distract readers from Nathan’s personal trials. Also, the novel sometimes gets bogged down in eating-disorder program protocol; for example, a plan to interrupt Nathan’s family therapy takes two pages of emails, rather than a line or two of dialogue.
An intriguing, if not always emotionally engaging, story of a serious teen problem.Pub Date: Nov. 12, 2012
ISBN: 978-0988367203
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Rundy Hill Press LLC
Review Posted Online: April 30, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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