by Erin Dionne ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 10, 2014
A well-choreographed romp starring an engaging protagonist who richly deserves his turn in the spotlight
Former sidekick Ollie, whose legendary geocaching skills helped Moxie locate some stolen paintings in Moxie and the Art of Rule Breaking (2013), takes center stage in this (literally) breathless thriller set in a Wilderness Scout camp on the Boston Harbor islands.
Asthmatic Ollie is ordered by the FBI agent investigating the art theft from the previous book to join the scout group for two weeks and “[s]tay out of trouble.” Despite the best will in the world, Ollie finds it impossible to subdue his detective instincts. In between hilarious scout pranks, rivalries and games of capture the flag, he is soon caught up in a more desperate hunt for pirate treasure, in which at least one adult member of the group has a serious vested interest. In spite of his less-than-athletic physique—he describes himself as “short, a mix of Caucasian/Vietnamese, asthmatic, overweight and [looking]…like the kid in [the movie Up]”—Ollie keeps up with the best of them, running all over the islands on foot and by boat. Ollie uses his detective skills and determination to outwit the sinister Ranger Johnson and his unpleasant daughter, to find a cache of missing diamonds and to make sure that justice is duly served.
A well-choreographed romp starring an engaging protagonist who richly deserves his turn in the spotlight . (Thriller. 10-15)Pub Date: July 10, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-8037-38720
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: April 29, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2014
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by Raina Telgemeier & illustrated by Raina Telgemeier ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2012
Brava!
From award winner Telgemeier (Smile, 2010), a pitch-perfect graphic novel portrayal of a middle school musical, adroitly capturing the drama both on and offstage.
Seventh-grader Callie Marin is over-the-moon to be on stage crew again this year for Eucalyptus Middle School’s production of Moon over Mississippi. Callie's just getting over popular baseball jock and eighth-grader Greg, who crushed her when he left Callie to return to his girlfriend, Bonnie, the stuck-up star of the play. Callie's healing heart is quickly captured by Justin and Jesse Mendocino, the two very cute twins who are working on the play with her. Equally determined to make the best sets possible with a shoestring budget and to get one of the Mendocino boys to notice her, the immensely likable Callie will find this to be an extremely drama-filled experience indeed. The palpably engaging and whip-smart characterization ensures that the charisma and camaraderie run high among those working on the production. When Greg snubs Callie in the halls and misses her reference to Guys and Dolls, one of her friends assuredly tells her, "Don't worry, Cal. We’re the cool kids….He's the dork." With the clear, stylish art, the strongly appealing characters and just the right pinch of drama, this book will undoubtedly make readers stand up and cheer.
Brava! (Graphic fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-545-32698-8
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Graphix/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: July 21, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2012
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SEEN & HEARD
by Alan Gratz ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 25, 2017
Poignant, respectful, and historically accurate while pulsating with emotional turmoil, adventure, and suspense.
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New York Times Bestseller
Sydney Taylor Book Award Winner
In the midst of political turmoil, how do you escape the only country that you’ve ever known and navigate a new life? Parallel stories of three different middle school–aged refugees—Josef from Nazi Germany in 1938, Isabel from 1994 Cuba, and Mahmoud from 2015 Aleppo—eventually intertwine for maximum impact.
Three countries, three time periods, three brave protagonists. Yet these three refugee odysseys have so much in common. Each traverses a landscape ruled by a dictator and must balance freedom, family, and responsibility. Each initially leaves by boat, struggles between visibility and invisibility, copes with repeated obstacles and heart-wrenching loss, and gains resilience in the process. Each third-person narrative offers an accessible look at migration under duress, in which the behavior of familiar adults changes unpredictably, strangers exploit the vulnerabilities of transients, and circumstances seem driven by random luck. Mahmoud eventually concludes that visibility is best: “See us….Hear us. Help us.” With this book, Gratz accomplishes a feat that is nothing short of brilliant, offering a skillfully wrought narrative laced with global and intergenerational reverberations that signal hope for the future. Excellent for older middle grade and above in classrooms, book groups, and/or communities looking to increase empathy for new and existing arrivals from afar.
Poignant, respectful, and historically accurate while pulsating with emotional turmoil, adventure, and suspense. (maps, author’s note) (Historical fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: July 25, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-545-88083-1
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 9, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2017
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