Fans of Jeter and Mantell’s earlier books will find more of the same here.
Crises loom when a close friend suddenly turns standoffish, and the distraction affects young Derek’s play on the field.
Exemplifying No. 4 of Jeter’s Life Lessons, “The World Isn’t Always Fair,” the episode chronicles the drive to a citywide Little League trophy. The story acts as a platform for homilies about coping with bad breaks in baseball (and therefore life), frequent expostulations about fairness, and discussions of diversity with allusions to racial and class prejudice. Disturbed and angry that his wealthy, white friend Dave is abruptly avoiding him, Derek has such trouble keeping his head in the game that he whiffs at the plate and even muffs a play on the way to a playoff loss. It’s only a setback, though, and so amid pep talks and heroic plays capped by a walk-off inside-the-park home run, he goes on to lead the Indians (a team name that passes without comment here) to ultimate triumph. Meanwhile Derek defends a frenemy from bullies at school, studies for his finals, turns 11, and, with little sister Sharlee, absorbs the message that differences should be celebrated. The problem with Dave, which turns out to stem from a parental command to steer clear of the biracial, middle-class Jeters, is solved with an air-clearing tête-à-tête between the moms, and by the end everyone is looking forward to an awesome summer.
Fans of Jeter and Mantell’s earlier books will find more of the same here. (Fiction. 8-10)Pub Date: April 18, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4814-9148-8
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Jeter/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Jan. 16, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2017
Wholesome? Yes. Proper hard work and teamwork values in place? Yes. Paint by numbers? Oh, yes.
Olympic gold medalist Morgan runs down the celebrity-sports-fiction checklist in this series opener: New school? Check. New friends? Check. New boyfriend? Maybe! New soccer team? Check. Inspire said team to take on snooty archrival private school? Check.
Quickly shedding perfunctory initial reservations, Devin sails into seventh grade at Kentville Middle School, makes instant connections in class and at Kangaroos soccer tryouts. She meets requisite bully Mirabelle at the latter, then goes on to be elected team co-captain. After a disastrous start to the season, she helps her team’s members and even the less-than-rigorous coach land on the same winning page. Following a sleepover, a dance, team-building drills and exercises, pep rallies, minor problem-solving and motivational strategizing, Devin prods the Kangaroos into position to beat the haughty Pinewood Panthers in a climactic rematch while also schooling Mirabelle, who has jumped ship to join the rival team.
Wholesome? Yes. Proper hard work and teamwork values in place? Yes. Paint by numbers? Oh, yes. (soccer glossary) (Fiction. 8-10)Pub Date: May 7, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4424-8570-9
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: March 26, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
Ironically, by choosing such a dramatic catalyst, the author weakens the adventure’s impact overall and leaves readers to...
A group of talking farm animals catches wind of the farm owner’s intention to burn the barn (with them in it) for insurance money and hatches a plan to flee.
Bond begins briskly—within the first 10 pages, barn cat Burdock has overheard Dewey Baxter’s nefarious plan, and by Page 17, all of the farm animals have been introduced and Burdock is sharing the terrifying news. Grady, Dewey’s (ever-so-slightly) more principled brother, refuses to go along, but instead of standing his ground, he simply disappears. This leaves the animals to fend for themselves. They do so by relying on their individual strengths and one another. Their talents and personalities match their species, bringing an element of realism to balance the fantasy elements. However, nothing can truly compensate for the bland horror of the premise. Not the growing sense of family among the animals, the serendipitous intervention of an unknown inhabitant of the barn, nor the convenient discovery of an alternate home. Meanwhile, Bond’s black-and-white drawings, justly compared to those of Garth Williams, amplify the sense of dissonance. Charming vignettes and single- and double-page illustrations create a pastoral world into which the threat of large-scale violence comes as a shock.
Ironically, by choosing such a dramatic catalyst, the author weakens the adventure’s impact overall and leaves readers to ponder the awkward coincidences that propel the plot. (Animal fantasy. 8-10)Pub Date: July 7, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-544-33217-1
Page Count: 256
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: March 31, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2015
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