The biggest thing this biography has going for it is the undeniable appeal of its subject: John R. Horner, chief curator of paleontology at the University of Montana and scientific adviser to the film Jurassic Park (now there's a handy hook for getting young readers' attention). Horner is a ready-made kids' hero, with his gee-whiz way of speaking, his mediocre performance in school (he turns out to have been dyslexic), and his uncanny ability to spot dinosaur bones out in the field. Lessem (The Iceman, p. 702, etc.) presents some adult details of Horner's career in a way kids will understand. He flunked out of college seven times—a statistic that proves how persistent he was—but received an honorary doctorate anyway because he just knows so much about dinosaurs. Lessem also dramatically reveals Horner's major scientific discoveries: the first dinosaur eggs and embryos found in North America; the first evidence that dinosaurs nurtured their young; and the most complete T. Rex skeleton ever discovered. Lessem, founder of the Dinosaur Society for kids, has written a couple of books with Horner and obviously is a big fan of his, but the book works thanks to Lessem's own enthusiasm for dinosaurs and his impressive knack for writing in kid-speak. Getting kids interested in dinosaurs isn't hard, but giving them an inspiring scientist role model is no mean feat. This book pulls it off splendidly. (Nonfiction. 7-12)
Pub Date: Oct. 27, 1994
ISBN: 0-7167-6546-2
Page Count: 48
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 1994
A fast and funny alternative to the Wimpy Kid.
Black sixth-grader Jake Liston can only play one song on the piano. He can’t read music very well, and he can’t improvise. So how did Jake get accepted to the Music and Art Academy? He faked it.
Alongside an eclectic group of academy classmates, and with advice from his best friend, Jake tries to fit in at a school where things like garbage sculpting and writing art reviews of bird poop splatter are the norm. All is well until Jake discovers that the end-of-the-semester talent show is only two weeks away, and Jake is short one very important thing…talent. Or is he? It’s up to Jake to either find the talent that lies within or embarrass himself in front of the entire school. Light and humorous, with Knight’s illustrations adding to the fun, Jake’s story will likely appeal to many middle-grade readers, especially those who might otherwise be reluctant to pick up a book. While the artsy antics may be over-the-top at times, this is a story about something that most preteens can relate to: the struggle to find your authentic self. And in a world filled with books about wanting to fit in with the athletically gifted supercliques, this novel unabashedly celebrates the artsy crowd in all of its quirky, creative glory.
A fast and funny alternative to the Wimpy Kid. (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: March 28, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-553-52351-5
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Dec. 5, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2016
This standout novella lustrously portrays Ana Rosa and the rich simplicity of her family’s daily life in the Dominican Republic. The linked vignettes and elegant prose vitalize the merengue music, colorful houses, as well as the people’s poverty and the tyranny of the government. Each chapter begins with one of Ana Rosa’s lovely rhythmic verses. A poet and writer at age 12, she steals bits of paper to record everything she sees, hears, and imagines. Ana Rosa’s family is very close by necessity, but it is her beloved brother Guario who has the job that supports them. As the novella proceeds, dark shadows begin to slink through the gentle days. We learn that Ana Rosa’s father drinks too much rum and Coke, especially on Sundays, when he becomes a lurching spectacle. Then an official informs the villagers that to build a hotel, the government has sold the land on which their families have lived for generations. The villagers band together, Ana Rosa writes an article, and her brother Guario becomes their passionate leader. But when the day of the standoff arrives, the villager’s words and rocks are nothing against the guardia’s guns and bulldozers. The heartbreaking result is Guario’s death. Without diluting the sorrow, Joseph (Fly, Bessie, Fly, 1998, etc.) illustrates the good arising from the tragedy as the government cancels the hotel project and Ana Rosa begins writing the life of her brother. This is an achingly beautiful story that will awaken profound emotions in the reader. (author’s note) (Fiction. 8-11)
Pub Date: Aug. 31, 2000
ISBN: 0-06-028232-0
Page Count: 144
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2000
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