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
A deftly told story that dramatizes how Danes appointed themselves bodyguards—not only for their king, who was in the habit...
The author of the Anastasia books as well as more serious fiction (Rabble Starkey, 1987) offers her first historical fiction—a story about the escape of the Jews from Denmark in 1943.
Five years younger than Lisa in Carol Matas' Lisa's War (1989), Annemarie Johansen has, at 10, known three years of Nazi occupation. Though ever cautious and fearful of the ubiquitous soldiers, she is largely unaware of the extent of the danger around her; the Resistance kept even its participants safer by telling them as little as possible, and Annemarie has never been told that her older sister Lise died in its service. When the Germans plan to round up the Jews, the Johansens take in Annemarie's friend, Ellen Rosen, and pretend she is their daughter; later, they travel to Uncle Hendrik's house on the coast, where the Rosens and other Jews are transported by fishing boat to Sweden. Apart from Lise's offstage death, there is little violence here; like Annemarie, the reader is protected from the full implications of events—but will be caught up in the suspense and menace of several encounters with soldiers and in Annemarie's courageous run as courier on the night of the escape. The book concludes with the Jews' return, after the war, to homes well kept for them by their neighbors.
A deftly told story that dramatizes how Danes appointed themselves bodyguards—not only for their king, who was in the habit of riding alone in Copenhagen, but for their Jews. (Historical fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: April 1, 1989
ISBN: 0547577095
Page Count: 156
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: Oct. 17, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1989
Certain to steal hearts.
In this follow-up to 2020’s The One and Only Bob, Ruby the elephant is still living at Wildworld Zoological Park and Sanctuary.
She’s apprehensive about her Tuskday, a rite of passage for young elephants when she’ll give a speech in front of the rest of the herd. Luckily, she can confide in her Uncle Ivan, who is next door in Gorilla World, and Uncle Bob, the dog who lives nearby with human friend Julia. Ruby was born in an unspecified part of Africa, later ending up on display in the mall, where she met Ivan, Bob, and Julia. The unexpected arrival of someone from Ruby’s past life on the savanna revives memories both warmly nostalgic and deeply traumatic. An elephant glossary and Castelao’s charming, illustrated guide to elephant body language help immerse readers in Ruby’s world. Goofy, playful, and mischievous Ruby is fully dimensional, as she has shown her bravery during the many hardships of her young life. Applegate deftly tempers themes of grief and loss with compassion and humor as Ruby finds her place in the herd. The author’s note touches on climate change, the illegal ivory trade, and conservation efforts, but the highly emotive framing of the story through the memories of a bewildered baby elephant emphasizes the impact of lines such as “ ‘in Africa,’ I say softly, ‘there were bad people,’ ” without offering readers a nuanced understanding of the broader context that drives poaching.
Certain to steal hearts. (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9780063080089
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: March 13, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2023
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