The book is dedicated “to all who just need a moment of peace,” but it may leave readers feeling far from peaceful.
A collection of short stories organized around the mental image of a sitting child.
It begins with a young boy, Jafar, who works in a furniture factory under an abusive boss, secretly attending a school for working children. He attaches a short poem to one of the chairs that he’s made to be shipped off into the world, leading right to the next story, about a little girl, Macie, who defiantly sits in a timeout chair. The stories progress from one character to the next, continuing the thread. In “The Question Chair,” German student Gretchen ponders the Holocaust while seated on a communal toilet during a tour of a concentration camp. In another story, Jed, an Amish boy, sits on a schoolhouse fence, anxious about the task set before him: to help restore a school that was ambushed by a shooter. His little sister had been one of the fatalities. The apparent purpose of the book is to draw attention to traumatic events in the lives of children the world over, but Ellis’ attempts to personalize these stories through the main characters often leave readers working to fill in the gaps. Without resolution, the stories provoke unease, and how readers respond to them may depend in large part on whether they have suffered trauma themselves.
The book is dedicated “to all who just need a moment of peace,” but it may leave readers feeling far from peaceful. (Short stories. 10-14)Pub Date: Oct. 3, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-77306-086-6
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Groundwood
Review Posted Online: July 16, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2017
This coming-of-age story about diverse characters coming to grips with their layered identities rings true.
An Indian American boy struggles with his sexuality and mental health while finding a place for himself in seventh grade.
Rahul Kapoor may not be sure about his sexuality, but he is sure of one thing: This year, he wants to make an impression. Inspired by a story his grandfather tells him, Rahul decides that the best way to impress his classmates—and, in the process, to protect himself from bullies—is to pick something and be the best at it. With the help of his fiery best friend, Chelsea, a white girl who wisely, consistently steers Rahul toward being himself and doing what he loves, Rahul tries a number of activities before settling on Mathletes, where he soon becomes a star. But when Japanese American Jenny asks him to the Sadie Hawkins dance, and when his Mathletes career doesn’t go as planned, Rahul spirals into an anxious depression with symptoms of OCD that force him to confront and eventually accept exactly who he is. In his author’s note, Pancholy notes that Rahul’s story is semiautobiographical, and it shows. Every character in the story is nuanced and sympathetically rendered, and the book does not shy away from racism, sexism, ableism, or homophobia. The protagonist’s devastatingly honest voice pulls readers deeply into a fast-paced journey riddled with heartbreakingly authentic moments of anxiety, confusion, and triumph.
This coming-of-age story about diverse characters coming to grips with their layered identities rings true. (Fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Oct. 8, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-06-286641-7
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: June 9, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
An adventurous work whose authentic voice celebrates the outdoors and everyday heroism.
A summer spent summiting the Adirondacks allows a teenager to reckon with grief.
Thirteen-year-old Finn Connelly’s summer is off to a rocky start. In addition to several incomplete class assignments—including a poetry project about heroes—he’s facing vandalism charges after an angry outburst at the local cemetery. To avoid paying thousands in fines that his family can’t spare, he reluctantly agrees to the proffered alternative: climbing all 46 Adirondack peaks over 4,000 feet by Labor Day accompanied by Seymour, the enthusiastic dog who belonged to the woman whose headstone he damaged. As Finn attempts the hikes, he wrestles with what it means to be a hero, a term often used for his deceased father, a local hockey legend, New York City firefighter, 9/11 first responder, and paramedic who died on the front lines of the Covid-19 pandemic. This verse novel is engaging and easy to follow. It encompasses varied structures, like haiku, sonnet, and found poetry. Other ephemera, such as letters, recipes, and school progress reports, create visual breaks evocative of a commonplace book. The first-person narration vividly conveys a disgruntled teenager’s feelings, including moments of humor and contemplation. The novel wrestles with loss and legacy intertwined with weighty events, challenges, and themes—PTSD, alcoholism, toxic masculinity—and their resulting impact on Finn’s emotional well-being. The supporting characters are encouraging adult role models. Characters present white.
An adventurous work whose authentic voice celebrates the outdoors and everyday heroism. (author’s note) (Verse fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: April 29, 2025
ISBN: 9781547616398
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2025
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