A deeply felt, if unevenly executed, rendering of one boy’s bravery and individuation.
In this middle-grade novel, a 13-year-old boy travels with his emotionally distant father to Gilgit-Baltistan, where he grows up and faces new challenges.
When Coach Perkins announces there’s a center midfield position on the soccer team, Waris Ahmed does everything he can to get it. But after he does so, his dad demands that he travel with him to Gilgit-Baltisan,a Pakistan territory, for seven months to improve his studies. Waris is devastated, as he must leave his best friends, Alex and Nolan; his beloved mother; and his soccer team back in the United States. Worst of all, he must spend his days with his authoritarian father, who neglects to see Waris for who he is. Early in his travels, the boy learns to face adversity alone as he adjusts to the culture of a new country, stands up to an enemy, and finds friendship despite his father’s strict rules and impossible expectations. However, in the end, Waris solves a family mystery and even plans a rescue as discord between Afghanistan and Pakistan rages. Mirza’s novel effectively highlights the divide in Waris’ family: His mother and father are originally from Pakistan and Afghanistan, respectively. Later, the book exhibits the divide between the two countries in an age-appropriate and appealing manner. Themes of friendship and multiculturalism are well developed, showcasing multiple connections between American, Afghani, and Pakistani children. Although there are moments where the prose and dialogue feel too formal and sometimes awkward: “ ‘I was born here and will live here which is why this is my home country,’ Waris pointed his finger down for emphasis.” However, the book offers a good sense of place and fine character development throughout.
A deeply felt, if unevenly executed, rendering of one boy’s bravery and individuation.Pub Date: Sept. 9, 2022
ISBN: 9798351809540
Page Count: 260
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: Jan. 21, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Little Blue Truck keeps on truckin’—but not without some backfires.
Little Blue Truck feels, well, blue when he delivers valentine after valentine but receives nary a one.
His bed overflowing with cards, Blue sets out to deliver a yellow card with purple polka dots and a shiny purple heart to Hen, one with a shiny fuchsia heart to Pig, a big, shiny, red heart-shaped card to Horse, and so on. With each delivery there is an exchange of Beeps from Blue and the appropriate animal sounds from his friends, Blue’s Beeps always set in blue and the animal’s vocalization in a color that matches the card it receives. But as Blue heads home, his deliveries complete, his headlight eyes are sad and his front bumper droops ever so slightly. Blue is therefore surprised (but readers may not be) when he pulls into his garage to be greeted by all his friends with a shiny blue valentine just for him. In this, Blue’s seventh outing, it’s not just the sturdy protagonist that seems to be wilting. Schertle’s verse, usually reliable, stumbles more than once; stanzas such as “But Valentine’s Day / didn’t seem much fun / when he didn’t get cards / from anyone” will cause hitches during read-alouds. The illustrations, done by Joseph in the style of original series collaborator Jill McElmurry, are pleasant enough, but his compositions often feel stiff and forced.
Little Blue Truck keeps on truckin’—but not without some backfires. (Board book. 1-4)Pub Date: Dec. 8, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-358-27244-1
Page Count: 20
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Readers can still rely on this series to bring laughs.
The Heffley family’s house undergoes a disastrous attempt at home improvement.
When Great Aunt Reba dies, she leaves some money to the family. Greg’s mom calls a family meeting to determine what to do with their share, proposing home improvements and then overruling the family’s cartoonish wish lists and instead pushing for an addition to the kitchen. Before bringing in the construction crew, the Heffleys attempt to do minor maintenance and repairs themselves—during which Greg fails at the work in various slapstick scenes. Once the professionals are brought in, the problems keep getting worse: angry neighbors, terrifying problems in walls, and—most serious—civil permitting issues that put the kibosh on what work’s been done. Left with only enough inheritance to patch and repair the exterior of the house—and with the school’s dismal standardized test scores as a final straw—Greg’s mom steers the family toward moving, opening up house-hunting and house-selling storylines (and devastating loyal Rowley, who doesn’t want to lose his best friend). While Greg’s positive about the move, he’s not completely uncaring about Rowley’s action. (And of course, Greg himself is not as unaffected as he wishes.) The gags include effectively placed callbacks to seemingly incidental events (the “stress lizard” brought in on testing day is particularly funny) and a lampoon of after-school-special–style problem books. Just when it seems that the Heffleys really will move, a new sequence of chaotic trouble and property destruction heralds a return to the status quo. Whew.
Readers can still rely on this series to bring laughs. (Graphic/fiction hybrid. 8-12)Pub Date: Nov. 5, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4197-3903-3
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Amulet/Abrams
Review Posted Online: Nov. 18, 2019
SEEN & HEARD
© Copyright 2026 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.
