Reductive morality and characterizations muffle the meaningful core of this post–World War II identity crisis. Thirteen-year-old Peter lives in Rolfen, Germany, happily playing soccer and helping his architect father repair St. Mary’s Church, which was bombed by the Allies during the war. It’s 1955, and Peter’s teacher struggles to make his students comprehend Germany’s wartime deeds. When Peter, snooping at home, finds some hidden photographs that match his old nightmares of a strange woman, seasoned readers will immediately guess that Peter’s adopted, and Jewish. Peter himself is slow to understand, his comprehension dawning in an illogical order. Sometimes Whelan’s first-person narration sounds genuinely like it comes from Peter, other times it sounds instructional. Lessons arrive via Whelan’s idealized portrayal of Herr Shafer, an unceasingly wise, ever-noble Jewish Holocaust survivor who harbors zero bitterness. The author does a good job examining Peter’s identity and establishing the beautiful symbolism of laying bricks to restore buildings, but she oversimplifies Peter’s mother and glosses over both Herr Shafer’s losses and Peter’s father’s architectural-but-military service for the Third Reich. (Historical fiction. 8-12)
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-06-029596-7
Page Count: 176
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2009
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A wholesome story that bridges generations.
A boy improves his relationship with his father as they prepare to open a cookie store over summer break.
Dad has had a lot of ridiculous ideas, but to 11-year-old Ellis, opening a store that only sells chocolate chip cookies—even if they are delicious—seems to be the worst. With his parents recently divorced and his mother visiting her best friend out of town, Ellis dreads spending the summer of 1976 with his father. It only gets worse when they arrive at a run-down storefront. The next six weeks are all about perfecting their recipe, fixing up the shop, and attracting customers—when all he really wants is to play his harmonica and hang out with his best friend. Through Ellis’ first-person account, readers encounter several interesting characters on Sunset Boulevard as he explores his new neighborhood. One surprise is the existence of a mysterious paternal uncle that neither of his parents ever told him about, a discovery that sets Ellis on a course to reunite his family. Ellis learns not only the value of clear communication, but the importance of community as well. Readers will immediately love Ellis and his family as they learn to reconnect in this novel that is full of heart and humor. The easygoing pace and descriptive narration make it a suitable choice for reading aloud. Ellis and his family are Black. Final art not seen.
A wholesome story that bridges generations. (author's note, recipe, playlist) (Historical fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: May 17, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-7595-5677-5
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: March 1, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK TO SCREEN
A beautifully evolving story of an indigenous American family.
Erdrich continues the saga of Omakayas and her family, who now embark in 1866 on a life-changing search that takes them from Minnesota’s North Woods to the Great Plains in this fourth book of The Birchbark House series.
Omakayas is now a young mother with lively 8-year-old twins named Chickadee and Makoons. When the tribe’s bully, Zhigaag, calls Chickadee a “weakling” who’s “scrawny like his namesake,” grandmother Nokomis reminds him that “[s]mall things have great power.” After Makoons tricks Zhigaag, his oafish sons avenge their father by hijacking Chickadee to the Red River Valley. Chickadee’s family searches desperately until they reach Pembina on the Great Plains. Meanwhile, resourceful Chickadee escapes and survives with help from his wee namesake until he runs into his Uncle Quill driving an ox cart of furs to sell in St. Paul. Quill and Chickadee travel with fellow traders on the Red River ox cart trail, arriving in Pembina to find Makoons seriously ill. Chickadee and Makoons extend Omakaya’s story to the next generation as her Ojibwe family transitions from its native woods culture to life on the plains. Realistic black-and-white spot art provides snapshots of Chickadee’s adventures.
A beautifully evolving story of an indigenous American family. (map, glossary & pronunciation guide of Ojibwe terms) (Historical fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Aug. 21, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-06-057790-2
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: June 5, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2012
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