If Dad seems less a character than a collection of folksy forest do’s and don’ts, the author’s practice of recounting...
Her dad has climbed Denali, North America’s highest mountain, six times, so when he’s reported as having fallen to his death in a deep crevasse, narrator Lily, 12, knows better than to believe it.
Lily talks her sister, Sophie, 18, into a camping trip in Denali National Park but omits the true reason for their journey: rescuing Dad. Guilt-ridden over her fight with Dad before he left, Sophie doesn’t share Lily’s conviction but likes the suggestion that Dad will hear her apology better there. Mom agrees to their trip reluctantly when reminded that Ranger Collins at the Wonder Lake campground will be there to keep an eye on them. The trip isn’t easy. At the crowded Wilderness Access Center, they’re told that Wonder has no vacancies until the following night. Lily agonizes over the delay—Dad’s now been lost for four days. At Wonder, the weather is rainy and mosquitoes are biting, but Lily’s conviction and drive persuade Sophie to take off, exhausted and sleep-deprived, on the 20-mile trek to the glacier where their father disappeared. Dad’s portrayed as a free spirit and savvy woodsman. His remembered teachings and outdoor lore sustain Lily and help the girls ford icy rivers and survive wildlife (porcupine and grizzlies) encounters. An absence of racial markers will likely have readers seeing them as white.
If Dad seems less a character than a collection of folksy forest do’s and don’ts, the author’s practice of recounting terrifying events in a matter-of-fact tone (an Alaskan specialty) renders the sisters’ journey more than sufficiently compelling. (Adventure. 10-12)Pub Date: Nov. 14, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-544-97800-3
Page Count: 192
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 20, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2017
Piratical fun well-stocked with colorful cast members living and arrghh.
A new bedroom with seven high-spirited spirits! Just the place where shyness goes to die.
Thanks to smothering parents and a bullying classmate, young Lewis is such a skittish wreck that he’s unable to speak at all in school. An isolated tower room in Shornoway, a ramshackle seaside mansion that his family has inherited, seems like the perfect hideout—until, that is, he discovers that he’s sharing space with a boisterous, argumentative crew of pirates two centuries dead. Terror turns to cautious acceptance as he discovers that his ghostly roommates are captivated by tales of Capt. Hook and Long John Silver. Lewis also learns that if only they can be reunited with their old ship, now housed in the town museum, they will happily sail off for a fabled pirate haven. But for all their bluster and cutlass-waving, these sea dogs are leery of venturing out into the modern world. Their tendency to become visible when upset becomes an issue when one follows him to school. This and other incidents forcibly chip away at Lewis’ reserve, leaving him not only ready to lead the pirates publicly down to the museum, but to perform heroically when the ship turns out to have a rival spectral crew. Bailey endows Lewis with several scene-stealing allies (notably a fierce kindergartener) and leaves him confidently steering a course toward calm waters.
Piratical fun well-stocked with colorful cast members living and arrghh. (Fantasy. 10-12)Pub Date: Sept. 8, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-77049-815-0
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Tundra Books
Review Posted Online: May 5, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
This delightful series opener is an exciting blend of Russian and Jewish traditions
A Jewish girl meets dragons in a fantastical version of Kievan Rus’, where magic has been illegal for 10 years.
Anya’s the only Jewish child in Zmeyreka. In the mostly Christian 10th-century village, Anya’s family stands out: Her father’s father remains pagan, while her mother’s people are refugee Khazars and Mountain Jews. But unbeknownst to Anya, her village is not like the rest of Kievan Rus’. Magical creatures are nearly extinct everywhere else but common in Zmeyreka. The tsar’s sent a “fool family”—users of fool magic, authorized to use magic despite the ban—to capture the last dragon in the land. The youngest fool is Anya’s age (he’s named Ivan, just like his seven older brothers), and the two become fast friends. But can Anya really bring herself to help Ivan kill a dragon that hasn’t harmed anyone? Zmeyreka’s magical creatures are both helpful and frightening; there are dragons, leshiye, vodyaniye, and even a Jewish domovoi with a little kippah. Ivan, unlike his pale father and brothers, is dark-skinned like his mother, a princess from “far to the east.” Though historical accuracy isn’t perfect (Anya anticipates her bat mitzvah, for instance, and reads Hebrew), it is a fantasy, and anachronisms don’t detract from the adventures of truly likable characters in this original setting.
This delightful series opener is an exciting blend of Russian and Jewish traditions . (Fantasy. 10-12)Pub Date: Sept. 24, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-358-00607-7
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Versify/HMH
Review Posted Online: May 25, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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