A quick and entertaining novel full of hijinks and sports that may be just what reluctant readers are after.
Baseball and bullies rule in a comedic YA novel populated by everyday and eccentric kids.
The middle school students of this country town have a common problem, and that problem’s name is Billy Murdock. Reluctant hero Gale Wickers would like to steer clear of Billy, which looks possible until Gale’s father signs him up for Little League, and Billy Murdock is on the team. Billy is pretty sinister for a kid: He whacks dead birds with a bat, makes unnerving jokes about Gale’s mother and has strange moments of composure in organized sport. Gale’s character would benefit from some of the full development bestowed upon Billy, as Gale never finds the necessary charisma most beloved YA characters possess. But with a wide cast of freaks and geeks—the nerdy Denny, the tall tomboy Wendy, the bonnet-donning Mennonite Bekah—Gale has enough friends to outwit Billy, who quits one team for another, leading to a classic showdown on the baseball diamond. Smith’s writing occasionally caters to the grosser interests of teens, with references to vomit, chewing tobacco, poop, jock straps and female anatomy. At least the boob jokes are countered by the presence of teammates Wendy and Bekah, girls who know themselves and their baseball. The most dynamic characters come from Smith's effort to include underrepresented teens into the mix, as the deaf Alex and spiritual Bekah bring the team together. Lacking, though, is the romantic tension of a crush Gale speaks of but never acts on, a sort of place marker for the real crushes that color most adolescences. The novel maintains a terrific pace, the plot speeding through a hilarious baseball season, tightly wound by the question of what stunt Billy will try and pull next. But this pacing is also a downside; Smith’s lack of time on spent on Gale and the other characters makes them less memorable.
A quick and entertaining novel full of hijinks and sports that may be just what reluctant readers are after.Pub Date: March 22, 2012
ISBN: 9781466227101
Page Count: 190
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: July 10, 2012
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away.
A Mexican American boy takes on heavy responsibilities when his family is torn apart.
Mateo’s life is turned upside down the day U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents show up unsuccessfully seeking his Pa at his New York City bodega. The Garcias live in fear until the day both parents are picked up; his Pa is taken to jail and his Ma to a detention center. The adults around Mateo offer support to him and his 7-year-old sister, Sophie, however, he knows he is now responsible for caring for her and the bodega as well as trying to survive junior year—that is, if he wants to fulfill his dream to enter the drama program at the Tisch School of the Arts and become an actor. Mateo’s relationships with his friends Kimmie and Adam (a potential love interest) also suffer repercussions as he keeps his situation a secret. Kimmie is half Korean (her other half is unspecified) and Adam is Italian American; Mateo feels disconnected from them, less American, and with worries they can’t understand. He talks himself out of choosing a safer course of action, a decision that deepens the story. Mateo’s self-awareness and inner monologue at times make him seem older than 16, and, with significant turmoil in the main plot, some side elements feel underdeveloped. Aleman’s narrative joins the ranks of heart-wrenching stories of migrant families who have been separated.
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7595-5605-8
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A prototypical survival story: after an airplane crash, a 13-year-old city boy spends two months alone in the Canadian wilderness. In transit between his divorcing parents, Brian is the plane's only passenger. After casually showing him how to steer, the pilot has a heart attack and dies. In a breathtaking sequence, Brian maneuvers the plane for hours while he tries to think what to do, at last crashing as gently and levelly as he can manage into a lake. The plane sinks; all he has left is a hatchet, attached to his belt. His injuries prove painful but not fundamental. In time, he builds a shelter, experiments with berries, finds turtle eggs, starts a fire, makes a bow and arrow to catch fish and birds, and makes peace with the larger wildlife. He also battles despair and emerges more patient, prepared to learn from his mistakes—when a rogue moose attacks him and a fierce storm reminds him of his mortality, he's prepared to make repairs with philosophical persistence. His mixed feelings surprise him when the plane finally surfaces so that he can retrieve the survival pack; and then he's rescued. Plausible, taut, this is a spellbinding account. Paulsen's staccato, repetitive style conveys Brian's stress; his combination of third-person narrative with Brian's interior monologue pulls the reader into the story. Brian's angst over a terrible secret—he's seen his mother with another man—is undeveloped and doesn't contribute much, except as one item from his previous life that he sees in better perspective, as a result of his experience. High interest, not hard to read. A winner.
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1987
ISBN: 1416925082
Page Count: -
Publisher: Bradbury
Review Posted Online: Oct. 18, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1987
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
