Joseph’s journey turns out to be an amazing and deeply rewarding transformation.
Joseph, white and Jewish, has ADD, is clumsy and phobic, and seems to be a magnet for middle school bullies.
Heather, the new girl, is white, very tall, and athletically gifted. They may seem an odd pair, but they share a common problem: they don’t fit in. At the urging of his Resource Room teacher, Joseph joins the new cross-country team right along with Heather—the one most likely a last-place finisher of races and the other the almost-certain winner. But each needs support that the other provides. Heather is dealing with an unengaged mother who is on an extended trip to Hawaii, leaving her feeling rejected and vulnerable (although perhaps a bit more than might be expected of such a seemingly grounded girl). Joseph long ago decided to take the path of least resistance to life’s many hardships (and bullies.) As he says, “They multiply, and they find you, and they always, always win.” He’s pretty surprised by Heather’s willingness to fight back, especially when she punches his worst tormentor. Joseph’s first-person voice is fresh and authentic, and his character arc is immensely satisfying. Persevering because Heather inspires him to, eventually he begins to learn some valuable lessons on living in his own skin even as he challenges himself to be more than he thought he could be.
Joseph’s journey turns out to be an amazing and deeply rewarding transformation. (Fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Aug. 22, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4197-2601-9
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Amulet/Abrams
Review Posted Online: April 30, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2017
Rich and strange (and kitted out with an eye-catching cover), but stronger in the set pieces than the internal logic.
Chainani works an elaborate sea change akin to Gregory Maguire’s Wicked (1995), though he leaves the waters muddied.
Every four years, two children, one regarded as particularly nice and the other particularly nasty, are snatched from the village of Gavaldon by the shadowy School Master to attend the divided titular school. Those who survive to graduate become major or minor characters in fairy tales. When it happens to sweet, Disney princess–like Sophie and her friend Agatha, plain of features, sour of disposition and low of self-esteem, they are both horrified to discover that they’ve been dropped not where they expect but at Evil and at Good respectively. Gradually—too gradually, as the author strings out hundreds of pages of Hogwarts-style pranks, classroom mishaps and competitions both academic and romantic—it becomes clear that the placement wasn’t a mistake at all. Growing into their true natures amid revelations and marked physical changes, the two spark escalating rivalry between the wings of the school. This leads up to a vicious climactic fight that sees Good and Evil repeatedly switching sides. At this point, readers are likely to feel suddenly left behind, as, thanks to summary deus ex machina resolutions, everything turns out swell(ish).
Rich and strange (and kitted out with an eye-catching cover), but stronger in the set pieces than the internal logic. (Fantasy. 11-13)Pub Date: May 14, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-06-210489-2
Page Count: 496
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK TO SCREEN
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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