A mediocre story about a fascinating and largely unexplored location, this may have appeal for avid sailors but not many...
Two young cousins take a job transporting a sailboat from Nova Scotia to Bermuda but discover that their passage has been used to transport equipment needed to retrieve sunken treasure.
Thirteen-year-old Will and 17-year-old Harley are forced at gunpoint to investigate a sunken Civil War blockade runner. But the chest they retrieve fails to yield the expected treasure. They manage to escape only to find themselves on the run from dangerous criminals in the employ of one of the wealthiest men in the country. With only their wits and the support of a handful of locals, the white cousins need to implicate the criminals, clear their names, and retrieve the treasure. Copious tidbits about sailing, diving, and local history are interesting, but the volume of detail overwhelms the story, robbing it of energy. The glimpse into the racial tensions that existed in 19th-century Bermuda and the revelation of its economic importance during the Civil War are appealing. But the strength of the story lies in the devoted relationship between Will and Harley, as the lovely island setting and the very real danger are underplayed and the mystery is too vague to be engaging.
A mediocre story about a fascinating and largely unexplored location, this may have appeal for avid sailors but not many others. (Mystery. 9-12)Pub Date: May 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-77086-479-5
Page Count: 180
Publisher: DCB
Review Posted Online: Feb. 13, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2017
Ultimately, Burg’s lyrical prose will make readers think about the common ground among peoples, despite inevitable...
Melding the colors of heartache and loss with painterly strokes, Burg creates a vivid work of art about a girl grieving for her recently deceased mother against a Third World backdrop.
Clare is not speaking to her father. She has vowed never to speak to him again. Which could be tough, since the pair just touched down in Malawi. There, Clare finds herself struck by the contrast between American wealth and the relatively bare-bones existence of her new friends. Drowning in mourning and enraged at the emptiness of grief, Clare is a hurricane of early-adolescent emotions. Her anger toward her father crackles like lightning in the treetops. She finds purpose, though, in teaching English to the younger children, which leads her out of grief. Burg’s imagery shimmers. “The girl talks to her mother in a language that sounds like fireworks, full of bursts and pops. She holds her hand over her mouth giggling.... She probably has so many minutes with her mother, she can’t even count them.” Her realization of the setting and appreciation for the Malawian people are so successful that they compensate for Clare's wallowing, which sometimes feels contrived.
Ultimately, Burg’s lyrical prose will make readers think about the common ground among peoples, despite inevitable disparities. (Fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: June 12, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-385-73471-4
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: March 20, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
The success of Mah’s memoirs (Falling Leaves, 1997, for adults and Chinese Cinderella, 1999, for kids) led to her well-received novel Chinese Cinderella and the Secret Dragon Society (2005) and historical overview China: Land of Dragons and Emperors (2008). Here, she tries to combine them all, blithely and unwisely stepping beyond her literary capabilities. Readers initially meet CC (the character from the previous novel) on what seems to be a mission in World War II China. Chased, she falls and enters a coma. A doctor hypnotizes her, and readers shift to the Song dynasty and CC’s previous life in a star-crossed romance, observing the scene in the famous painting Along the River at the Qing Ming Festival. Both setting and emotional tension rely heavily on cliché and exclamation points. The author abuses dialogue to cram in historical details (a visitor exclaiming “Good tea!” is treated to an encyclopedic definiton of white tea). It is unclear what story she is trying to tell: the romance? the story of the painting? the bookend of CC’s coma, which will be inexplicable to readers unfamiliar with the previous novel? As none succeed, the question may go unanswered. (Fiction. 9-12)
Pub Date: Sept. 14, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-385-73895-8
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: July 29, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2010
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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