Essential. (Nonfiction. 12-16)
A 50th-anniversary examination of the Mississippi murders of James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner and their aftermath.
An introduction describes the legally entrenched racism of Mississippi and the inception of the Freedom Summer campaign. Following this, Mitchell drops readers right in with the events that led up to the murder of the three young men, evoking the hostility and fear that covered Neshoba County like a blanket. He pulls back to sketch the victims’ biographies in separate chapters, then takes readers through the investigation and the steps toward the 1967 trial that infamously failed to deliver justice. That account alone, illustrated with ample archival photographs and memorabilia, makes riveting reading. He clearly states the legal intricacies and thoroughly incorporates the players’ own voices, with often breathtaking effect: “They killed one nigger, one Jew, and a white man. I gave them all what I thought they deserved,” said the presiding judge later. Mitchell takes the story into the present day, describing how the families of the victims continue to fight for civil rights and how both locals and state officials kept the case alive, simultaneously working toward legal and emotional resolution. He leaves open the question whether now “the killing of a black mother’s son is as important as the killing of a white mother’s son”—but the country is getting closer to that goal. The book includes a map, endnotes, bibliographic essay, bibliography and index.
Essential. (Nonfiction. 12-16)Pub Date: April 29, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-545-47725-3
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2014
Congolese-American Sophie makes a harrowing trek through a war-torn jungle to protect a young bonobo.
On her way to spend the summer at the bonobo sanctuary her mother runs, 14-year-old Sophie rescues a sickly baby bonobo from a trafficker. Though her Congolese mother is not pleased Sophie paid for the ape, she is proud that Sophie works to bond with Otto, the baby. A week before Sophie's to return home to her father in Miami, her mother must take advantage
of a charter flight to relocate some apes, and she leaves Sophie with Otto and the sanctuary workers. War breaks out, and after missing a U.N. flight out, Sophie must hide herself and Otto from violent militants and starving villagers. Unable to take Otto out of the country, she decides finding her mother hundreds of miles to the north is her only choice. Schrefer jumps from his usual teen suspense to craft this well-researched tale of jungle survival set during a fictional conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Realistic characters (ape and human) deal with disturbing situations described in graphic, but never gratuitous detail. The lessons Sophie learns about her childhood home, love and what it means to be endangered will resonate with readers.
Even if some hairbreadth escapes test credulity, this is a great next read for fans of our nearest ape cousins or survival adventure. (map, author's note, author Q&A) (Adventure. 12-16)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-545-16576-1
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Oct. 2, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2012
Best for nostalgic Scarry fans.
Culling from vintage Golden Books, this work repurposes Richard Scarry’s illustrations as life lessons.
Standing in for the humans whose roles they embody, genial animals engage in domestic chores, flounder through cheerfully chaotic adventures, and weather comical disasters. Members of a bunny family make breakfast, get dressed, and brush their teeth (“Greet the morning with joy!”), a warthog tackles bedhead, and an earthworm makes a bed. The art lightens the effect of many vague, imperative instructions (“Be helpful!”, “Save your money”), while the ensemble scenes of merrymaking and mayhem show Scarry at his best. Although the animal antics add interest to the bland, greeting-card platitudes (“Discover your own style,” “Appreciate beauty, and fill your life with art!”), some of the messaging feels contradictory. Two impeccably attired bunnies illustrate “Dress to impress!” Meanwhile, on a tropical beach, monkeys, jaguars, a crocodile, a toucan, a sloth, an ostrich, an anteater, and others “dance like no one is watching, even when they are.” Most of the selected art dates from the 1950s to the 1970s, and some of the messaging reflects the era. “Don’t be too hard on yourself” accompanies a dismayed, rotund pig on bathroom scales, bursting out of its pajamas, while slender animals on the facing page embody healthful exercise. (“Keep fit!”, “Have you tried yoga?”). The adult male-presenting figures often appear in active, public, or professional roles, while most of the adult female-presenting characters are caregivers or passive recipients of male attention.
Best for nostalgic Scarry fans. (Self-help. 12-adult)Pub Date: Sept. 8, 2026
ISBN: 9798217125319
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Golden Books/Random
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2026
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