Fantastic in both senses of the word.
A girl struggles to find her sister’s lost shadow, and her own, in this debut.
On the morning of Gail’s 12th birthday, her shadow leaves her, rippling away outdoors. Gail isn’t particularly concerned—between her father’s leaving two months ago and her older sister’s subsequent depression, she has bigger things to worry about. But when Kay’s shadow disappears, too, Gail sets out in pursuit of it over the remote, forsaken end of the Scottish island where she lives. Gail’s afraid to swim without Kay—more than that, she can’t be herself with Kay. And Kay can’t be herself without her shadow. Following the shadow into a vast mazelike cave, she meets chatterbox Mhirran and menacing Francis, a pair of siblings also hunting shadows; a gang of mussel poachers; a wildcat and whales; and the living embodiments of storms. Fluent and sophisticated storytelling combines with precise sensory detail and a tangible sense of place; characters both human and non- are real, multidimensional, and sympathetic. Even the shadows of petrels and the rocks themselves come to life. Ilett blends magic and reality so deftly that one can be mistaken for the other; both have a sharp, briny tang of the sea. Gail’s ultimate triumph feels real and hard-earned. Gail, Kay, and their mum have brown skin; Gaelic-speaking Mhirran and Francis are pale.
Fantastic in both senses of the word. (Fantasy. 8-14)Pub Date: Feb. 11, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-78250-607-2
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Kelpies
Review Posted Online: Nov. 9, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2019
Cleareyed, empowering, and hopeful while still frankly tackling sexual harassment.
A group of middle school girls take on harassment despite facing challenges.
Twelve-year-old Hazel Hill has spent seventh grade focusing on how to win the speech contest and how best to ignore Tyler Harris’ incessant talking, until the day Tyler tells her that Ella Quinn, her speech contest nemesis, has a crush on her. No one knows Hazel likes girls, and she doesn’t know what to do with this information about Ella. As it turns out, there’s more Hazel doesn’t know: Tyler has been harassing Ella online. Based on everything Tyler tells Hazel, the two girls, along with Riley Beckett, Ella’s best friend, realize that he’s probably harassed many other girls. When the three try to report Tyler, they find that the adults they approach don’t listen or don’t care. Left with no other options, the girls decide to take matters into their own hands. The serious subject matter this novel covers is mediated well through Hazel’s wry narration: She is funny, smart, and well adjusted even if she hasn’t managed to make friends in middle school. The portrayal of the girls’ concerns is also remarkably realistic, from their own reactions and considerations about when to speak up or remain silent to the varied and sometimes-disappointing responses of their parents and teachers. All main characters are assumed to be White.
Cleareyed, empowering, and hopeful while still frankly tackling sexual harassment. (notes) (Fiction. 10-13)Pub Date: Oct. 18, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-358-66470-3
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
This tender retelling of tragedy is a solid vessel to help young readers understand the gravity of 9/11 and how it touches...
Dèja Barnes doesn't want to stand out at the integrated Brooklyn Collective Elementary, and she wishes her family could move out of the Avalon Family Residence into a home; despite her fears, Dèja tackles new friendships, a new teacher, and the mystery behind her father's deep sadness.
On the first day of fifth grade, the African-American girl makes fun of Mexican-American Ben's cowboy boots and Muslim Sabeen's cheery attitude, but despite her defensiveness, Dèja grows to appreciate her new friends' backgrounds. The trio draws from each of their experiences to help them navigate Miss Garcia’s 9/11 curriculum. Dèja hates thinking about the past—her old best friend, her old neighborhood, her old home—yet the more she learns, the more she understands that this event affected her and every American. Rhodes pulls off the difficult feat of making a well-known story new. Sept. 11 is anchored in the minds of many readers, but for a new generation, it is history they learn in school, like Dèja. Through her eyes the event becomes fresh, heavy, and palpable, but at times 9/11 appears to be a competing rather than complementary protagonist. The cadences of the fifth-graders flow almost like slam poetry, emphasizing their feelings and senses over drawn-out descriptions or narration.
This tender retelling of tragedy is a solid vessel to help young readers understand the gravity of 9/11 and how it touches all Americans, no matter where we come from. (author’s note) (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: July 12, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-316-26222-4
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: March 29, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2016
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