Breathtaking locales and powerful themes in a flawed but edifying read.
Set in 1959 Ethiopia, this deeply allegorical sequel to Desta and King Solomon’s Coin of Magic and Fortune (2010) continues the story of a barefoot shepherd boy’s heroic search for an ancestral coin that is identical to the one his father possesses.
A palatable tale for readers of all ages, this story follows 10-year-old Desta as he leaves his remote home in Yeedib, in the highlands in west-central Ethiopia. He’s pursuing two potentially life-changing goals: get an education and fulfill a prophecy, revealed to him by his grandfather’s spirit, that involves a boy uniting the two magical coins made by King Solomon nearly 3,000 years ago as gifts for the descendants of his two children. Against the backdrop of a largely agrarian, uneducated country struggling to move itself into the modern world, Desta is in many ways the personification of his nation. Living with relatives in order to go to school, he quickly becomes well-versed in the evils of humankind and the sometimes-unbearable agony of existence. His loving aunt and uncle, with whom he is staying, are tragically killed in a bus accident, and his new benefactors end up starving and abusing him. To make matters worse for the young boy, his coldhearted mother all but disowns him upon hearing rumors that he has befriended Muslims. The richly described setting of midcentury Ethiopia is simply stunning in terms of both natural environments as well as political and societal complexities. The character of Desta is well-developed and endearing, and a powerful dualistic symbolism—love and hate, male and female, ignorance and wisdom, etc.—runs throughout. At times, however, the narrative flow can be lethargic to the point of being serpentine, and some major plot threads—such as one involving the celestial being Eleni—are disregarded for long stretches. But perhaps most disappointing is the anticlimactic ending, which isn’t so much a conclusion as a respite until the series’ next installment.
Breathtaking locales and powerful themes in a flawed but edifying read.Pub Date: May 13, 2013
ISBN: 978-1884459030
Page Count: 452
Publisher: The Falcon Press
Review Posted Online: Jan. 6, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2014
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
In more ways than one, a tale about young creatures testing their wings; a moving, entertaining winner.
A fifth-grade New Orleans girl discovers a mysterious chrysalis containing an unexpected creature in this middle-grade novel.
Jacquelyn Marie Johnson, called Jackie, is a 10-year-old African-American girl, the second oldest and the only girl of six siblings. She’s responsible, smart, and enjoys being in charge; she likes “paper dolls and long division and imagining things she had never seen.” Normally, Jackie has no trouble obeying her strict but loving parents. But when her potted snapdragon acquires a peculiar egg or maybe a chrysalis (she dubs it a chrysalegg), Jackie’s strong desire to protect it runs up against her mother’s rule against plants in the house. Jackie doesn’t exactly mean to lie, but she tells her mother she needs to keep the snapdragon in her room for a science project and gets permission. Jackie draws the chrysalegg daily, waiting for something to happen as it gets larger. When the amazing creature inside breaks free, Jackie is more determined than ever to protect it, but this leads her further into secrets and lies. The results when her parents find out are painful, and resolving the problem will take courage, honesty, and trust. Dumas (Jaden Toussaint, the Greatest: Episode 5, 2017, etc.) presents a very likable character in Jackie. At 10, she’s young enough to enjoy playing with paper dolls but has a maturity that even older kids can lack. She’s resourceful, as when she wants to measure a red spot on the chrysalegg; lacking calipers, she fashions one from her hairpin. Jackie’s inward struggle about what to obey—her dearest wishes or the parents she loves—is one many readers will understand. The book complicates this question by making Jackie’s parents, especially her mother, strict (as one might expect to keep order in a large family) but undeniably loving and protective as well—it’s not just a question of outwitting clueless adults. Jackie’s feelings about the creature (tender and responsible but also more than a little obsessive) are similarly shaded rather than black-and-white. The ending suggests that an intriguing sequel is to come.
In more ways than one, a tale about young creatures testing their wings; a moving, entertaining winner.Pub Date: Nov. 11, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943169-32-0
Page Count: 212
Publisher: Plum Street Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A YA novel that treats its subject and its readers with respect while delivering an engaging story.
In the ninth book in the Bluford young-adult series, a young Latino man walks away from violence—but at great personal cost.
In a large Southern California city, 16-year-old Martin Luna hangs out on the fringes of gang life. He’s disaffected, fatherless and increasingly drawn into the orbit of the older, rougher Frankie. When a stray bullet kills Martin’s adored 8-year-old brother, Huero, Martin seems to be heading into a life of crime. But Martin’s mother, determined not to lose another son, moves him to another neighborhood—the fictional town of Bluford, where he attends the racially diverse Bluford High. At his new school, the still-grieving Martin quickly makes enemies and gets into trouble. But he also makes friends with a kind English teacher and catches the eye of Vicky, a smart, pretty and outgoing Bluford student. Martin’s first-person narration supplies much of the book’s power. His dialogue is plain, but realistic and believable, and the authors wisely avoid the temptation to lard his speech with dated and potentially embarrassing slang. The author draws a vivid and affecting picture of Martin’s pain and confusion, bringing a tight-lipped teenager to life. In fact, Martin’s character is so well drawn that when he realizes the truth about his friend Frankie, readers won’t feel as if they are watching an after-school special, but as though they are observing the natural progression of Martin’s personal growth. This short novel appears to be aimed at urban teens who don’t often see their neighborhoods portrayed in young-adult fiction, but its sophisticated characters and affecting story will likely have much wider appeal.
A YA novel that treats its subject and its readers with respect while delivering an engaging story.Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2004
ISBN: 978-1591940173
Page Count: 152
Publisher: Townsend Press
Review Posted Online: Jan. 26, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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