A ballet story with a slight surreal twist for dance lovers.
Can a pair of enchanted shoes save a ballerina’s career?
As a child, Miriam was pushed to be the best. Now, as an adult principal dancer, her ambition leads her to overwork her body to the point of injury. Refusing to believe she’ll never dance again, Miriam pushes herself, her attempts to dance ending in devastating pain until she uncovers a magical door to the wings of a shadowy theater. There, a childlike shadow spirit entices Miriam with an enchanted pair of pointe shoes that will allow her to dance again. Will Miriam’s jealousy and ambition lead to tragedy, or will she find the courage to fight back and take steps toward a healthier, happier life? Done in a palette dominated by gray-blue and soft yellow, the illustrations use a variety of perspectives to show the movement of the dancers. Speech-bubble dialogue and wordless sequences move the serviceable plot along at a brisk pace. Miriam is drawn as a tall, blond White woman; the company as a whole is diverse. Balletomanes will notice that, oddly, the dancers often wear their hair loose. Although there are parallels to Hans Christian Andersen’s classic “The Red Shoes,” this moralistic story avoids a sinister or tragic conclusion. Instead, Miriam is forgiven by most for her overweening ambition, and the tidy, bland resolution allows her the opportunity to lead a meaningful life.
A ballet story with a slight surreal twist for dance lovers. (glossary) (Graphic fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Jan. 12, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-945820-72-4
Page Count: 190
Publisher: Iron Circus Comics
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
Joyfully captures an all-consuming passion for an intriguing niche interest.
Puzzle cubes challenge a cast of determined contenders in a tense national competition.
Twelve-year-old Tyler Gooden loves solving his Rubik’s Cube. After his dad died three years ago, he felt adrift until he found this gift from his father, set aside years before. The mental aerobics and motor dexterity that cube-solving required gave him a sense of focus. So begins the story of Tyler’s determined journey to the national championship, sponsored by Cube-Mania. He can’t afford to attend, but Cube-Mania founder and CEO Victor Chen recognizes his “remarkable ability” and offers a surprise sponsorship. As the competition begins, Tyler meets a crew of fellow cubers, including “cubing prodigy” Eli Newton and his overbearing dad, twin sensations Lizzy and Izzy Peterson, world record holder Dirk Speedman, and the elderly Miles Wizzinski, the first great cuber of the 1980s, whose efforts have resulted in carpal tunnel syndrome. The story’s slightly stilted present-tense language will make readers feel as though they’re reading the novelization of a competition documentary (think The Speed Cubers or the Scrabble-focused Word Wars). Gamers’ backstories combine with play-by-play scenes of puzzles being solved, shocking twists, and some well-earned victories. Colorful graphic novel panel interludes bring to life the drama of gameplay—it’s hard to look away from this delightfully hyperfocused tale. Most characters present white; Tyler is of Filipino descent, the Peterson twins are Black, and Victor Chen is cued Asian.
Joyfully captures an all-consuming passion for an intriguing niche interest. (Fiction/graphic hybrid. 8-12)Pub Date: April 23, 2024
ISBN: 9780593531907
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2024
A worthy combination of athletic action, the virtues of inner strength, and the importance of friendship.
A young tennis champion becomes the target of revenge.
In this sequel to Legacy and the Queen (2019), Legacy Petrin and her friends Javi and Pippa have returned to Legacy’s home province and the orphanage run by her father. With her friends’ help, she is in training to defend her championship when they discover that another player, operating under the protection of High Consul Silla, is presenting herself as Legacy. She is so convincing that the real Legacy is accused of being an imitation. False Legacy has become a hero to the masses, further strengthening Silla’s hold, and it becomes imperative to uncover and defeat her. If Legacy is to win again, she must play her imposter while disguised as someone else. Winning at tennis is not just about money and fame, but resisting Silla’s plans to send more young people into brutal mines with little hope of better lives. Legacy will have to overcome her fears and find the magic that allowed her to claim victory in the past. This story, with its elements of sports, fantasy, and social consciousness that highlight tensions between the powerful and those they prey upon, successfully continues the series conceived by late basketball superstar Bryant. As before, the tennis matches are depicted with pace and spirit. Legacy and Javi have brown skin; most other characters default to White.
A worthy combination of athletic action, the virtues of inner strength, and the importance of friendship. (Fantasy. 9-12)Pub Date: Aug. 24, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-949520-19-4
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Granity Studios
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
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