A heady romp, fun and scary in turn, with just deserts dealt all round.
Who could guess that making a 10-minute film would plunge a group of seventh graders into a whirl of dirty politics, in school and beyond?
Playing his latest largely for laughs, Markell stocks Saint Anselm’s Academy, a Brooklyn school for gifted students, with an entertaining array of moneyed fashionistas, budding social radicals, and other middle-grade archetypes—including the obsessed gamers from his The Game Masters of Garden Place (2018)—and inserts the customary gags about school lunches and teachers (hip or otherwise) amid plenty of rapid banter. Film studies may be nowhere near Alex Davis’ first choice for an elective, but being grouped with dazzling A-lister Priti Sharma and secretive superhacker Theo Schatten (a creepily pale new kid) to create a video contest entry transforms his dismay into enthusiasm…and then back to dismay when someone makes repeated attempts to destroy their work (a satiric mashup of a school tour and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland). Why? As it turns out, an antagonistic teacher, an unscrupulous real estate tycoon, and a corrupt politician have their reasons. Overall, though the shenanigans add suspense, they play second fiddle to Alex’s experience of filmmaking as a mix of collaboration, compromise, and creativity, not to mention his getting schooled in local politics, cybercrime, and areas related to gender where he could be more self-aware. Alex reads as White; the supporting cast reflects the ethnic diversity of the setting.
A heady romp, fun and scary in turn, with just deserts dealt all round. (Fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: April 26, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-18066-2
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: Jan. 25, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Brava!
From award winner Telgemeier (Smile, 2010), a pitch-perfect graphic novel portrayal of a middle school musical, adroitly capturing the drama both on and offstage.
Seventh-grader Callie Marin is over-the-moon to be on stage crew again this year for Eucalyptus Middle School’s production of Moon over Mississippi. Callie's just getting over popular baseball jock and eighth-grader Greg, who crushed her when he left Callie to return to his girlfriend, Bonnie, the stuck-up star of the play. Callie's healing heart is quickly captured by Justin and Jesse Mendocino, the two very cute twins who are working on the play with her. Equally determined to make the best sets possible with a shoestring budget and to get one of the Mendocino boys to notice her, the immensely likable Callie will find this to be an extremely drama-filled experience indeed. The palpably engaging and whip-smart characterization ensures that the charisma and camaraderie run high among those working on the production. When Greg snubs Callie in the halls and misses her reference to Guys and Dolls, one of her friends assuredly tells her, "Don't worry, Cal. We’re the cool kids….He's the dork." With the clear, stylish art, the strongly appealing characters and just the right pinch of drama, this book will undoubtedly make readers stand up and cheer.
Brava! (Graphic fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-545-32698-8
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Graphix/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: July 21, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2012
SEEN & HEARD
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