An entertaining, contemporary coming-of-age tale that subtly draws from an archetypal well.
A seventh grader with an unfortunate last name tries to survive junior high hazing in this middle-grade novel.
As his first year at Robert Frost Junior High in Los Angeles begins, Max Odor has two chief worries, neither of them about academics. The first is the inevitable giggling about his name and having to correct every new teacher’s pronunciation (it’s “Odder”). The second is the challenge, apparently for boys only, known as the Ninth-Grade Lawn. Any seventh grader who dares to step on it will be pounced upon by ninth grade boys and stuffed in a trash can. Max is a special target because his older brother, Jason, is a legend: “The only seventh grader ever to make it across the lawn untouched.” A senior now, Jason is star running back—and the unrelenting focus of the brothers’ football-obsessed dad, which has serious consequences. More problems arise for Max, like having to shower with classmates after gym or getting the attention of Emily Brookings, the prettiest girl in school. Max finds encouragement in sources like novels recommended by the school librarian and the support of his friends. With their help, Max might be able to pull off a win. Trine, who’s written several books for children and middle schoolers, enters sympathetically into Max’s typical junior high problems. Though often light and amusing, with comical elements like Max’s name or Halloween hijinks with friends, the story is balanced with more earnest concerns. Max’s rueful voice downplays the lawn challenge, but the ordeal could be said to serve as a hero’s journey; the school librarian is a classic wise-old-man figure, and by engaging with his reading suggestions (such as The Red Badge of Courage), Max matures his sense of self.
An entertaining, contemporary coming-of-age tale that subtly draws from an archetypal well.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: 978-1-7339589-6-7
Page Count: 202
Publisher: Malamute Press
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Telgemeier’s bold colors, superior visual storytelling, and unusual subject matter will keep readers emotionally engaged and...
Catrina narrates the story of her mixed-race (Latino/white) family’s move from Southern California to Bahía de la Luna on the Northern California coast.
Dad has a new job, but it’s little sister Maya’s lungs that motivate the move: she has had cystic fibrosis since birth—a degenerative breathing condition. Despite her health, Maya loves adventure, even if her lungs suffer for it and even when Cat must follow to keep her safe. When Carlos, a tall, brown, and handsome teen Ghost Tour guide introduces the sisters to the Bahía ghosts—most of whom were Spanish-speaking Mexicans when alive—they fascinate Maya and she them, but the terrified Cat wants only to get herself and Maya back to safety. When the ghost adventure leads to Maya’s hospitalization, Cat blames both herself and Carlos, which makes seeing him at school difficult. As Cat awakens to the meaning of Halloween and Day of the Dead in this strange new home, she comes to understand the importance of the ghosts both to herself and to Maya. Telgemeier neatly balances enough issues that a lesser artist would split them into separate stories and delivers as much delight textually as visually. The backmatter includes snippets from Telgemeier’s sketchbook and a photo of her in Día makeup.
Telgemeier’s bold colors, superior visual storytelling, and unusual subject matter will keep readers emotionally engaged and unable to put down this compelling tale. (Graphic fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-545-54061-2
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: July 1, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2016
Charming, poignant, and thoughtfully woven.
An aspiring scientist and a budding artist become friends and help each other with dream projects.
Unfolding in mid-1980s Sacramento, California, this story stars 12-year-olds Rosalind and Benjamin as first-person narrators in alternating chapters. Ro’s father, a fellow space buff, was killed by a drunk driver; the rocket they were working on together lies unfinished in her closet. As for Benji, not only has his best friend, Amir, moved away, but the comic book holding the clue for locating his dad is also missing. Along with their profound personal losses, the protagonists share a fixation with the universe’s intriguing potential: Ro decides to complete the rocket and hopes to launch mementos of her father into outer space while Benji’s conviction that aliens and UFOs are real compels his imagination and creativity as an artist. An accident in science class triggers a chain of events forcing Benji and Ro, who is new to the school, to interact and unintentionally learn each other’s secrets. They resolve to find Benji’s dad—a famous comic-book artist—and partner to finish Ro’s rocket for the science fair. Together, they overcome technical, scheduling, and geographical challenges. Readers will be drawn in by amusing and fantastical elements in the comic book theme, high emotional stakes that arouse sympathy, and well-drawn character development as the protagonists navigate life lessons around grief, patience, self-advocacy, and standing up for others. Ro is biracial (Chinese/White); Benji is White.
Charming, poignant, and thoughtfully woven. (Fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: Jan. 12, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-06-300888-5
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2020
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