by Ellen Howard ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 1999
Locked out of the silk factory for being but a moment late, an orphan passes through an unexpectedly open gate to a better life in this engrossing tale of expanding horizons from Howard (A Different Kind of Courage, 1996, etc.). Hungry and despairing, Emma peers past an open door to see a gaily painted boat, the Cygnet, moored on the nearby canal, the shipping lanes of Victorian England. The scent of potato is too strong to resist, but she’s just eaten one raw when she is pressed into service as a “huffler” for crusty old Mrs. Minshull, the boat’s owner, helping haul cargoes of potatoes, coal, salt, and the like between towns, while caring for Rosie, the huge, gentle tow horse, and getting regular meals for the first time since her parents’ deaths. Readers will be drawn in, both by Emma’s sense of wonder at the new world that unfolds before her, and by Howard’s evocative portrait of the canal people’s distinctive way of life. Emma develops into a sturdy, loyal, self-reliant child who proves herself by resolving an internal conflict, then by hatching a scheme to keep the Cygnet independent. Although the uniformly kind-hearted supporting cast and neatly wrapped ending give this a conventional narrative arc, the strong female leads and well-established sense of era will remind readers of Karen Cushman’s The Midwife’s Apprentice (1995). (Fiction. 10-12)
Pub Date: April 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-689-82295-2
Page Count: 148
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 1999
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by Ellen Howard & illustrated by Ronald Himler
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by Irene Smalls ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 1999
There is something profoundly elemental going on in Smalls’s book: the capturing of a moment of unmediated joy. It’s not melodramatic, but just a Saturday in which an African-American father and son immerse themselves in each other’s company when the woman of the house is away. Putting first things first, they tidy up the house, with an unheralded sense of purpose motivating their actions: “Then we clean, clean, clean the windows,/wipe, wipe, wash them right./My dad shines in the windows’ light.” When their work is done, they head for the park for some batting practice, then to the movies where the boy gets to choose between films. After a snack, they work their way homeward, racing each other, doing a dance step or two, then “Dad takes my hand and slows down./I understand, and we slow down./It’s a long, long walk./We have a quiet talk and smile.” Smalls treats the material without pretense, leaving it guileless and thus accessible to readers. Hays’s artwork is wistful and idyllic, just as this day is for one small boy. (Picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: April 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-316-79899-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1999
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by Irene Smalls & illustrated by Cathy Ann Johnson
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by Beverly Cleary ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 25, 1999
Ramona returns (Ramona Forever, 1988, etc.), and she’s as feisty as ever, now nine-going-on-ten (or “zeroteen,” as she calls it). Her older sister Beezus is in high school, baby-sitting, getting her ears pierced, and going to her first dance, and now they have a younger baby sister, Roberta. Cleary picks up on all the details of fourth grade, from comparing hand calluses to the distribution of little plastic combs by the school photographer. This year Ramona is trying to improve her spelling, and Cleary is especially deft at limning the emotional nuances as Ramona fails and succeeds, goes from sad to happy, and from hurt to proud. The grand finale is Ramona’s birthday party in the park, complete with a cake frosted in whipped cream. Despite a brief mention of nose piercing, Cleary’s writing still reflects a secure middle-class family and untroubled school life, untouched by the classroom violence or the broken families of the 1990s. While her book doesn’t match what’s in the newspapers, it’s a timeless, serene alternative for children, especially those with less than happy realities. (Fiction. 8-12)
Pub Date: Aug. 25, 1999
ISBN: 0-688-16816-7
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Morrow/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 1999
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