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LIKE LAVA IN MY VEINS

A thrilling story with a sound takeaway: Compassionate teachers are the real superheroes.

A Black youngster attends a school designed to help him control his superpowers.

Bobby Beacon can wield light and fire with impressive—and at times terrifying—results, but sometimes his talent seems to have a mind of its own. At the Academy of Kids With Awesome Abilities, he meets other superheroes-in-training. Not all the teachers are understanding, however; Ms. Flores either scolds or ignores Bobby—until frustration sets in, lava seems to fill his veins, and he accidentally melts his chair. Miss Brooklyn, a different teacher, is more understanding, and her techniques and willingness to listen set Bobby on the path to success. However, the Institute for Supervillains and its leader, Headmaster Chaos, do not intend to let a talent like Bobby’s elude their clutches. But Bobby and his classmates are ready to fight back. With this lively and clever picture book, award-winning author Barnes tells an engaging story while skillfully conveying the idea that young people can flourish with guidance from empathetic educators. In particular, the narrative speaks to the experiences of Black students, who are disproportionately disciplined for misbehavior far more often than their White counterparts. Comic-book elements such as speech bubbles and panels work perfectly with the text; Martinbrough and Lucas’ dramatic art oozes action. Miss Brooklyn and Ms. Flores are Black, while Headmaster Chaos is White. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A thrilling story with a sound takeaway: Compassionate teachers are the real superheroes. (Picture book. 5-8)

Pub Date: July 4, 2023

ISBN: 9780525518747

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books

Review Posted Online: May 9, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2023

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A BIKE LIKE SERGIO'S

Embedded in this heartwarming story of doing the right thing is a deft examination of the pressures of income inequality on...

Continuing from their acclaimed Those Shoes (2007), Boelts and Jones entwine conversations on money, motives, and morality.

This second collaboration between author and illustrator is set within an urban multicultural streetscape, where brown-skinned protagonist Ruben wishes for a bike like his friend Sergio’s. He wishes, but Ruben knows too well the pressure his family feels to prioritize the essentials. While Sergio buys a pack of football cards from Sonny’s Grocery, Ruben must buy the bread his mom wants. A familiar lady drops what Ruben believes to be a $1 bill, but picking it up, to his shock, he discovers $100! Is this Ruben’s chance to get himself the bike of his dreams? In a fateful twist, Ruben loses track of the C-note and is sent into a panic. After finally finding it nestled deep in a backpack pocket, he comes to a sense of moral clarity: “I remember how it was for me when that money that was hers—then mine—was gone.” When he returns the bill to her, the lady offers Ruben her blessing, leaving him with double-dipped emotions, “happy and mixed up, full and empty.” Readers will be pleased that there’s no reward for Ruben’s choice of integrity beyond the priceless love and warmth of a family’s care and pride.

Embedded in this heartwarming story of doing the right thing is a deft examination of the pressures of income inequality on children. (Picture book. 5-8)

Pub Date: Oct. 4, 2016

ISBN: 978-0-7636-6649-1

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Candlewick

Review Posted Online: July 19, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2016

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IMANI'S MOON

While the blend of folklore, fantasy and realism is certainly far-fetched, Imani, with her winning personality, is a child...

Imani endures the insults heaped upon her by the other village children, but she never gives up her dreams.

The Masai girl is tiny compared to the other children, but she is full of imagination and perseverance. Luckily, she has a mother who believes in her and tells her stories that will fuel that imagination. Mama tells her about the moon goddess, Olapa, who wins over the sun god. She tells Imani about Anansi, the trickster spider who vanquishes a larger snake. (Troublingly, the fact that Anansi is a West African figure, not of the Masai, goes unaddressed in both text and author’s note.) Inspired, the tiny girl tries to find new ways to achieve her dream: to touch the moon. One day, after crashing to the ground yet again when her leafy wings fail, she is ready to forget her hopes. That night, she witnesses the adumu, the special warriors’ jumping dance. Imani wakes the next morning, determined to jump to the moon. After jumping all day, she reaches the moon, meets Olapa and receives a special present from the goddess, a small moon rock. Now she becomes the storyteller when she relates her adventure to Mama. The watercolor-and-graphite illustrations have been enhanced digitally, and the night scenes of storytelling and fantasy with their glowing stars and moons have a more powerful impact than the daytime scenes, with their blander colors.

While the blend of folklore, fantasy and realism is certainly far-fetched, Imani, with her winning personality, is a child to be admired. (Picture book. 5-8)

Pub Date: Oct. 14, 2014

ISBN: 978-1-934133-57-6

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Mackinac Island Press

Review Posted Online: July 28, 2014

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2014

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