An endearing book exploring the ups and downs of friendship.
Mai Hirano, almost 13, seeks revenge on her ex–best friend.
The Hiranos have left California to spend every summer in Mystic, Connecticut, at the vacation home of the Koyamas: Holly, her mom’s best friend from college; Holly’s husband, Wes; and their son, Zach, Mai’s childhood best friend. But two summers ago, Zach ruined their friendship, then the Koyamas moved to Japan, and the two haven’t spoken since. Now the families are together in Connecticut again, but Mai is still angry and wants revenge. But Zach isn’t the same kid: He’s more confident, has learned Japanese, and even styles his hair a bit like a pop star. Even worse, he keeps acting like they’re still best friends. The more time she spends with him, the harder it gets to pretend and hide her new feelings of attraction. Mai must decide whether to forgive him or let him go completely, but first she needs to hear his side of the story. Florence writes a delightful tale about close friendship that delves into feelings both positive and negative. Flashback chapters labeled “Sweet” and “Sour” depict the pair’s good and bad memories, building up their backstories. Mai’s relationship with her parents addresses adults’ roles in supporting children’s emotional health, particularly with regard to difficult emotions. There are beautiful depictions of nature and wildlife as well as nods to Japanese culture, music, and language. Mai, Zach, and their families are Japanese American.
An endearing book exploring the ups and downs of friendship. (Fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: Sept. 6, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-338-67159-9
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: April 26, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2022
A real gem.
A 10-year old girl learns to adjust to a strange town, makes some fascinating friends, and fills the empty space in her heart thanks to a big old stray dog in this lyrical, moving, and enchanting book by a fresh new voice.
India Opal’s mama left when she was only three, and her father, “the preacher,” is absorbed in his own loss and in the work of his new ministry at the Open-Arms Baptist Church of Naomi [Florida]. Enter Winn-Dixie, a dog who “looked like a big piece of old brown carpet that had been left out in the rain.” But, this dog had a grin “so big that it made him sneeze.” And, as Opal says, “It’s hard not to immediately fall in love with a dog who has a good sense of humor.” Because of Winn-Dixie, Opal meets Miss Franny Block, an elderly lady whose papa built her a library of her own when she was just a little girl and she’s been the librarian ever since. Then, there’s nearly blind Gloria Dump, who hangs the empty bottle wreckage of her past from the mistake tree in her back yard. And, Otis, oh yes, Otis, whose music charms the gerbils, rabbits, snakes and lizards he’s let out of their cages in the pet store. Brush strokes of magical realism elevate this beyond a simple story of friendship to a well-crafted tale of community and fellowship, of sweetness, sorrow and hope. And, it’s funny, too.
A real gem. (Fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: March 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-7636-0776-2
Page Count: 182
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2000
SEEN & HEARD
Entrancing and uplifting.
A small dog, the elderly woman who owns him, and a homeless girl come together to create a tale of serendipity.
Piper, almost 12, her parents, and her younger brother are at the bottom of a long slide toward homelessness. Finally in a family shelter, Piper finds that her newfound safety gives her the opportunity to reach out to someone who needs help even more. Jewel, mentally ill, lives in the park with her dog, Baby. Unwilling to leave her pet, and forbidden to enter the shelter with him, she struggles with the winter weather. Ree, also homeless and with a large dog, helps when she can, but after Jewel gets sick and is hospitalized, Baby’s taken to the animal shelter, and Ree can’t manage the complex issues alone. It’s Piper, using her best investigative skills, who figures out Jewel’s backstory. Still, she needs all the help of the shelter Firefly Girls troop that she joins to achieve her accomplishment: to raise enough money to provide Jewel and Baby with a secure, hopeful future and, maybe, with their kindness, to inspire a happier story for Ree. Told in the authentic alternating voices of loving child and loyal dog, this tale could easily slump into a syrupy melodrama, but Pyron lets her well-drawn characters earn their believable happy ending, step by challenging step, by reaching out and working together. Piper, her family, and Jewel present white; Pyron uses hair and naming convention, respectively, to cue Ree as black and Piper’s friend Gabriela as Latinx.
Entrancing and uplifting. (Fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: Aug. 13, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-06-283922-0
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: April 9, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2019
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