Still, especially for kids who have watched recent elections, Kevin’s brand of campaigning is readily recognizable.
Kevin knows the buzzwords that will surely get him elected student-body president; it’s unfortunate that he’s running for the wrong reason.
Kevin’s gotten into trouble before (Crush, 2002, etc.). In this fourth, funny outing, he navigates the mostly self-created obstacles of eighth grade. This time, having achieved a first date with his new girlfriend, Tina, he realizes that a new student, good-looking Cash Devine, is running unopposed for student-body president—and capturing lots of attention in the process. That just doesn’t seem right to Kevin. After all, he’s the one with all of the natural leadership ability, and he knows, somehow, all of the ins and outs of campaigning. However, he might not know quite as much as Cash’s campaign manager, Kevin’s clever rival, Katie. The strength of this effort comes from the surfeit of hyperbole that Kevin effortlessly churns out in his rarely self-critical but frequently amusing first-person narration. Each chapter title offers yet another pithy rule for aspiring politicians: “The True Politician Deftly Sidesteps Problems That Might Arise from an Overabundance of Truth,” for example. Many of these “rules” seem unlikely to arise from the brain of an eighth-grader however, making this a little less credible than others in the series.
Still, especially for kids who have watched recent elections, Kevin’s brand of campaigning is readily recognizable. (Fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: May 13, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-385-74228-3
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Wendy Lamb/Random
Review Posted Online: Feb. 26, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2013
Hope prevails in this story, filled with a resounding authenticity.
Terrifying statistics run through Zoey’s mind day and night, controlling her decisions.
After her father dies in a bus accident, anxiety-ridden 12-year-old Zoey Turner, who presents white, spends her summer escaping into the familiar world of her favorite fantasy series, the Magic of Ever After by Raven M. Wells. When a book signing ends in a panic attack, Zoey receives a pencil allegedly belonging to Wells herself. Zoey writes a story with the pencil, which seems innocent enough until the next day, when the events of her story happen in real life. Always the type to practice extreme caution, the nervous seventh grader asks Derek Beal, the redheaded president of a fantasy club with his own anxieties and fears, for help in how best to use her new magic. She keeps the pencil a secret from everyone else in her life, even her Lebanese American best friend, Lena. Zoey fears losing Lena when secrets and fears begin to separate them. As Zoey sharpens the pencil with each new story, her chances of writing the perfect ending dwindle away. She’ll need to find her own magic before it’s too late. This emotional narrative skillfully informs readers about anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder and will comfort anyone facing challenges similar to the main characters’, reminding them to look for the pockets of joy in every day and inspiring them to discover their own forgotten magic.
Hope prevails in this story, filled with a resounding authenticity. (Fantasy. 10-13)Pub Date: Jan. 14, 2025
ISBN: 9781665952255
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Aladdin
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2024
A timely, emotional story full of hope and love even in the face of discrimination and prejudice.
Twelve-year-old Yusuf Azeem is excited to start sixth grade until he finds hostile and racist notes in his locker.
Pakistani American Yusuf lives in the small town of Frey, Texas, with his father, who owns the A to Z Dollar Store; his mom, a freelance journalist and editor; and his younger sister. Yusuf has a feeling that 2021 will be a great year; he’s especially looking forward to participating in a robotics competition. Then he runs into bully Ethan Grant, a White boy whose father belongs to a nationalist group opposing the construction of a local mosque. With the 20th anniversary of 9/11, Yusuf’s social studies teacher has made it the subject of an assignment. Uncle Rahman gives Yusuf his journal from 2001—when he was 12—and through it Yusuf learns about how his uncle and other American Muslims were affected by Islamophobia and why 9/11 still matters today. Yusuf endures a life-changing incident when Ethan makes an accusation that publicly terrifies and humiliates him. Faruqi seamlessly interweaves Uncle Rahman’s journal entries into the story and realistically portrays the relationships and dynamics of the town’s small Muslim population. Yusuf’s character is well developed; surrounded by a loving family and tightknit community, he slowly finds his voice and the strength to stand up for what’s right even if it is scary.
A timely, emotional story full of hope and love even in the face of discrimination and prejudice. (author's note) (Fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Sept. 7, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-06-294325-5
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: July 7, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2021
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