Poignant and lyrical but marred by oversimplifications.
A refugee narrative unfolds through the eyes of a gifted Afghan boy who’s navigating trauma and displacement.
Thirteen-year-old Samim Ali, a boy from Ghazni, Afghanistan, recounts the journey he undertook after losing his family in a devastating airstrike; they were targeted by the Taliban for being Shia Muslim Hazaras. Ten-year-old Samim fled with his Uncle Roshan and his neighbor and best friend, Zayn (who also lost his home and family), embarking on a nearly-three-year journey spanning six countries, which ends with Samim arriving alone in the U.K. Comforted by Zayn’s ghostly presence, Samim shares his story with his caseworker while struggling to adjust to his new circumstances. His foster family and his brilliance in math and chess offer solace amid the trauma. Meikle’s lyrical prose captures the emotional weight of displacement and survival, offering middle-grade readers a heartfelt glimpse into refugee experiences. The gripping dual-timeline narrative adds depth, balancing past horrors with present challenges, including facing bullying and the uncertainty of applying for asylum. However, the story occasionally falters in its framing of complex geopolitics and the nuances of religious and societal differences. For example, Samim’s repeated reflections on contrasting social norms around mixed-gender interactions in Afghanistan and the U.K. show one aspect of his adjustment process but risk reinforcing a flattened, binary view of cultures and potentially lack the nuance necessary for readers to grasp the diversity of global experiences.
Poignant and lyrical but marred by oversimplifications. (map, author Q&A) (Fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Feb. 10, 2026
ISBN: 9781782509301
Page Count: 296
Publisher: Kelpies
Review Posted Online: Nov. 8, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2025
Rich and strange (and kitted out with an eye-catching cover), but stronger in the set pieces than the internal logic.
Chainani works an elaborate sea change akin to Gregory Maguire’s Wicked (1995), though he leaves the waters muddied.
Every four years, two children, one regarded as particularly nice and the other particularly nasty, are snatched from the village of Gavaldon by the shadowy School Master to attend the divided titular school. Those who survive to graduate become major or minor characters in fairy tales. When it happens to sweet, Disney princess–like Sophie and her friend Agatha, plain of features, sour of disposition and low of self-esteem, they are both horrified to discover that they’ve been dropped not where they expect but at Evil and at Good respectively. Gradually—too gradually, as the author strings out hundreds of pages of Hogwarts-style pranks, classroom mishaps and competitions both academic and romantic—it becomes clear that the placement wasn’t a mistake at all. Growing into their true natures amid revelations and marked physical changes, the two spark escalating rivalry between the wings of the school. This leads up to a vicious climactic fight that sees Good and Evil repeatedly switching sides. At this point, readers are likely to feel suddenly left behind, as, thanks to summary deus ex machina resolutions, everything turns out swell(ish).
Rich and strange (and kitted out with an eye-catching cover), but stronger in the set pieces than the internal logic. (Fantasy. 11-13)Pub Date: May 14, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-06-210489-2
Page Count: 496
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK TO SCREEN
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
SEEN & HEARD
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