by Elise Primavera ; illustrated by Elise Primavera ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 18, 2019
A humorous, affirming middle-grade fantasy extolling friendships (especially imaginary ones).
An upbeat little girl embarks on a quest to discover her magical power.
Marigold Star quite literally has “a star above her head,” a “sure sign,” according to her parents, that she’s “marked for greatness.” While gregarious Marigold makes friends easily, she has problems. She hasn’t mastered flying or invisibility, she keeps misplacing her magic wand, a new baby sister has disrupted her home life, and her star is blinking. She seeks advice from Granny Cabbage, who urges Marigold to discover her magical power and warns her to never let her wand fall into human hands. After her wand vanishes during a failed spell, Marigold invokes another spell to make her invisible to all but one special friend who needs her the most. Instantly, Marigold finds herself in the Human World, invisible to all except Winnie, a nasty, friendless girl who has Marigold’s wand and refuses to return it—which threatens to trap Marigold in the Human World. Nevertheless, Marigold befriends Winnie as well as other friendless kids and creatures she encounters as she tries to regain her wand. Somehow Primavera succeeds in writing a preternaturally good protagonist who is nevertheless likable, and although she flirts with the twee throughout, she never succumbs to it. Black-and-white illustrations capture Marigold’s whimsical friends, both magical and human; she and Winnie present white, but illustrations suggest some secondary characters of color.
A humorous, affirming middle-grade fantasy extolling friendships (especially imaginary ones). (Fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: June 18, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-06-056949-5
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2019
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by Elise Primavera ; illustrated by Juana Medina
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by Elise Primavera ; illustrated by Elise Primavera
by Raina Telgemeier ; illustrated by Raina Telgemeier ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 13, 2016
Telgemeier’s bold colors, superior visual storytelling, and unusual subject matter will keep readers emotionally engaged and...
Catrina narrates the story of her mixed-race (Latino/white) family’s move from Southern California to Bahía de la Luna on the Northern California coast.
Dad has a new job, but it’s little sister Maya’s lungs that motivate the move: she has had cystic fibrosis since birth—a degenerative breathing condition. Despite her health, Maya loves adventure, even if her lungs suffer for it and even when Cat must follow to keep her safe. When Carlos, a tall, brown, and handsome teen Ghost Tour guide introduces the sisters to the Bahía ghosts—most of whom were Spanish-speaking Mexicans when alive—they fascinate Maya and she them, but the terrified Cat wants only to get herself and Maya back to safety. When the ghost adventure leads to Maya’s hospitalization, Cat blames both herself and Carlos, which makes seeing him at school difficult. As Cat awakens to the meaning of Halloween and Day of the Dead in this strange new home, she comes to understand the importance of the ghosts both to herself and to Maya. Telgemeier neatly balances enough issues that a lesser artist would split them into separate stories and delivers as much delight textually as visually. The backmatter includes snippets from Telgemeier’s sketchbook and a photo of her in Día makeup.
Telgemeier’s bold colors, superior visual storytelling, and unusual subject matter will keep readers emotionally engaged and unable to put down this compelling tale. (Graphic fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-545-54061-2
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: July 1, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2016
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by Raina Telgemeier ; illustrated by Raina Telgemeier
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by Raina Telgemeier ; illustrated by Raina Telgemeier
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by Raina Telgemeier ; illustrated by Raina Telgemeier
by Christina Li ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 12, 2021
Charming, poignant, and thoughtfully woven.
An aspiring scientist and a budding artist become friends and help each other with dream projects.
Unfolding in mid-1980s Sacramento, California, this story stars 12-year-olds Rosalind and Benjamin as first-person narrators in alternating chapters. Ro’s father, a fellow space buff, was killed by a drunk driver; the rocket they were working on together lies unfinished in her closet. As for Benji, not only has his best friend, Amir, moved away, but the comic book holding the clue for locating his dad is also missing. Along with their profound personal losses, the protagonists share a fixation with the universe’s intriguing potential: Ro decides to complete the rocket and hopes to launch mementos of her father into outer space while Benji’s conviction that aliens and UFOs are real compels his imagination and creativity as an artist. An accident in science class triggers a chain of events forcing Benji and Ro, who is new to the school, to interact and unintentionally learn each other’s secrets. They resolve to find Benji’s dad—a famous comic-book artist—and partner to finish Ro’s rocket for the science fair. Together, they overcome technical, scheduling, and geographical challenges. Readers will be drawn in by amusing and fantastical elements in the comic book theme, high emotional stakes that arouse sympathy, and well-drawn character development as the protagonists navigate life lessons around grief, patience, self-advocacy, and standing up for others. Ro is biracial (Chinese/White); Benji is White.
Charming, poignant, and thoughtfully woven. (Fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: Jan. 12, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-06-300888-5
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2020
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