A winningly told story of struggle, solidarity, and optimism.
Curious, creative, and strong-willed Wadjda stages small acts of rebellion at her girls' school in Riyadh.
Eleven-year-old Wadjda isn't supposed to wear Chuck Taylor sneakers to school or sell bracelets and candy to her fellow students for extra cash. But money is tight at home, and Wadjda has always preferred to emulate tough, mischievous older girls like Fatin and Fatima rather than her pious, rule-abiding classmates. Wadjda particularly envies the freedom her childhood friend Abdullah has to roam the city on his bicycle; for Wadjda to ride a bike as a girl would not only look unseemly, but could also, as her mother explains with characteristic frankness and fear, "harm your virginity." Nevertheless, when Wadjda sees a perfect green bicycle at a toy shop, she is determined to save 800 riyals to make it hers. Wadjda's mother's struggles—a long, perilous commute to the only job she can find; Wadjda's father's search for a new wife—are juxtaposed effectively against Wadjda's own, and her alternating frustration with and compassion for her daughter's actions are palpable. Despite the restrictive environment and many setbacks, Wadjda's cleverness and determination keep the mood relatively hopeful. The author, a screenwriter, bases the novel on her first feature-length film, Wadjda.
A winningly told story of struggle, solidarity, and optimism. (Fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: Sept. 22, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-5254-2806-0
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: June 28, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2015
Strong characters grapple with a multitude of issues (a few too many) in this celebration of friendship and the rewards of...
Are there secrets that shouldn’t be revealed?
In this sequel to The Perfect Score (2017), Randi, Natalie, Gavin, Trevor, and Scott are assigned community service for cheating on a standardized test. It’s not really a punishment, as these good-natured students enjoy working in the senior center where they’ve established relationships, and besides, they want to reconcile two of their teachers, a mother and daughter, before it’s too late. As before, narration alternates among the five, and while their characters are well-developed, the various issues are examined lightly. In this case, many are related to secrecy, from budding romance to absentee fathers, familial estrangement, parental marital problems, financial struggle, Alzheimer’s, brain injury, adult illiteracy, immigration, and racism. The last three revolve around Gavin, whose Mexican-immigrant mother is undocumented and who becomes the target of the racist football coach. Aside from biracial Gavin and his mother, the book adheres to the white default. Though handled with kindness and compassion, the sheer abundance of topics results in oversimplification, and every story has a pat ending, which, cumulatively, seems unlikely. Still, the characters shine, the plots are engaging, and the issues are addressed in interesting ways that will provide readers with many perspectives and much to consider.
Strong characters grapple with a multitude of issues (a few too many) in this celebration of friendship and the rewards of volunteer work. (Fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: Oct. 9, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5247-6459-3
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: July 15, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An engaging variation on a familiar theme.
Pippa is in over her head and head over heels in the second installment of the Pippa Park series.
Pippa, a working-class Korean American 12-year-old, lives with her adult sister, Mina, and Mina’s husband in Massachusetts; her mother returned to Korea due to visa issues. Pippa has settled into the private middle school she attends on a basketball scholarship. She is friendly with the Royals, the group of popular girls, most of whom are wealthy and White, but she isn’t quite one of them—yet. When the venue for the Royals’ Christmas party falls through, Pippa impulsively volunteers to host it. What the other girls don’t know is just how tiny Pippa’s apartment is and that her family can’t afford glitzy decorations or catering—even Christmas presents are outside their budget. Obstacles abound, one of the Royals seems to have it in for her, her best friends are drifting away from her, and she develops feelings for two different boys, one White and one Korean American. It’s too much, and Pippa makes one disastrous decision after another until it all comes to a head a few days before the party. Luckily Pippa learns some valuable lessons in friendship and teamwork just in time to make it a very merry Christmas after all. This is solid, classic middle-school drama fare that benefits from the interesting ways Pippa’s family background is developed.
An engaging variation on a familiar theme. (Fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-944020-80-4
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Fabled Films
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2022
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