An uplifting tale of magic, community, and acceptance.
A neurodivergent tween discovers a hidden world.
Twelve-year-old beret-aficionado Ramya Knox is dyspraxic. When her famous newsreader parents move the family from London to Edinburgh, she is reunited with her previously estranged maternal aunts and her cousin, Marley. Her grandfather recently died and left Ramya a magical book that only she can read, and with the help of a mysterious stranger, she soon learns that she can see Hidden Folk (like sprites, trolls, and vampires), who cloak themselves in Glamour to blend into the human world. The Hidden Folk are being terrorized and divided by the power-hungry and entirely evil sirens, who wish to cleave not only their own world but the human world as well. With loyal Marley by her side, Ramya discovers how nefarious and dangerous the sirens can be, and how her own differences may ultimately be what saves both worlds. McNicoll, who mentions in her author’s note that she also has dyspraxia, has written a timely tale that stresses how damaging othering can be, how important friendship and belonging are, and how differences can and should be celebrated. While the worldbuilding is cleverly wrought and inviting, more sophisticated readers may easily anticipate the plot twists; this minor quibble aside, tenacious Ramya is wholly likable, and a cliffhanger ending hints at further adventures. Most characters seem to be white; Ramya has dark hair, and it’s unclear whether her given name is intended to cue South Asian heritage.
An uplifting tale of magic, community, and acceptance. (Fantasy. 7-12)Pub Date: Oct. 10, 2023
ISBN: 9780593649138
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The three way chats, in which they are joined by other animals, about web spinning, themselves, other humans—are as often...
A successful juvenile by the beloved New Yorker writer portrays a farm episode with an imaginative twist that makes a poignant, humorous story of a pig, a spider and a little girl.
Young Fern Arable pleads for the life of runt piglet Wilbur and gets her father to sell him to a neighbor, Mr. Zuckerman. Daily, Fern visits the Zuckermans to sit and muse with Wilbur and with the clever pen spider Charlotte, who befriends him when he is lonely and downcast. At the news of Wilbur's forthcoming slaughter, campaigning Charlotte, to the astonishment of people for miles around, spins words in her web. "Some Pig" comes first. Then "Terrific"—then "Radiant". The last word, when Wilbur is about to win a show prize and Charlotte is about to die from building her egg sac, is "Humble". And as the wonderful Charlotte does die, the sadness is tempered by the promise of more spiders next spring.
The three way chats, in which they are joined by other animals, about web spinning, themselves, other humans—are as often informative as amusing, and the whole tenor of appealing wit and pathos will make fine entertainment for reading aloud, too.Pub Date: Oct. 15, 1952
ISBN: 978-0-06-026385-0
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1952
PERSPECTIVES
SEEN & HEARD
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists.
How to raise money for a coveted poster: put your friends to work!
John, founder of the FUBU fashion line and a Shark Tank venture capitalist, offers a self-referential blueprint for financial success. Having only half of the $10 he needs for a Minka J poster, Daymond forks over $1 to buy a plain T-shirt, paints a picture of the pop star on it, sells it for $5, and uses all of his cash to buy nine more shirts. Then he recruits three friends to decorate them with his design and help sell them for an unspecified amount (from a conveniently free and empty street-fair booth) until they’re gone. The enterprising entrepreneur reimburses himself for the shirts and splits the remaining proceeds, which leaves him with enough for that poster as well as a “brand-new business book,” while his friends express other fiscal strategies: saving their share, spending it all on new art supplies, or donating part and buying a (math) book with the rest. (In a closing summation, the author also suggests investing in stocks, bonds, or cryptocurrency.) Though Miles cranks up the visual energy in her sparsely detailed illustrations by incorporating bright colors and lots of greenbacks, the actual advice feels a bit vague. Daymond is Black; most of the cast are people of color. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists. (Picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: March 21, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-593-56727-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
