A biracial teen living in a Pennsylvania town makes a difference by fostering an abandoned Hispanic child. As the only black in a white town, 17-year-old Madge has felt like “the black button in the white button box.” An ex-con and illegal alien, Madge’s single-parent mom frequently disappears, leaving Madge to fend for herself with support from her Aunt Liz, her best friend Serena and her boyfriend Krishna. Madge’s skin has always made her feel like a pariah until she visits her cousin in New York City where she finds Timmy, a four-year-old brown-skinned boy who seems alone and at risk. Impulsively, Madge “rescues” Timmy, bringing him home to Pennsylvania. Madge soon realizes raising a child may be more than she can handle. As she becomes attached to Timmy, Madge learns that Timmy’s aunt in New York wants him back. In the end, Madge makes the right decision by refusing to be indifferent. Mature language and realistic life situations lend verisimilitude to this compelling drama of a young woman’s brave stand against abuse and intolerance. (author’s note) (Fiction. 13-17)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2007
ISBN: 978-0-670-06135-8
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2007
There is something profoundly elemental going on in Smalls’s book: the capturing of a moment of unmediated joy. It’s not melodramatic, but just a Saturday in which an African-American father and son immerse themselves in each other’s company when the woman of the house is away. Putting first things first, they tidy up the house, with an unheralded sense of purpose motivating their actions: “Then we clean, clean, clean the windows,/wipe, wipe, wash them right./My dad shines in the windows’ light.” When their work is done, they head for the park for some batting practice, then to the movies where the boy gets to choose between films. After a snack, they work their way homeward, racing each other, doing a dance step or two, then “Dad takes my hand and slows down./I understand, and we slow down./It’s a long, long walk./We have a quiet talk and smile.” Smalls treats the material without pretense, leaving it guileless and thus accessible to readers. Hays’s artwork is wistful and idyllic, just as this day is for one small boy. (Picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: April 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-316-79899-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1999
Ramona returns (Ramona Forever, 1988, etc.), and she’s as feisty as ever, now nine-going-on-ten (or “zeroteen,” as she calls it). Her older sister Beezus is in high school, baby-sitting, getting her ears pierced, and going to her first dance, and now they have a younger baby sister, Roberta. Cleary picks up on all the details of fourth grade, from comparing hand calluses to the distribution of little plastic combs by the school photographer. This year Ramona is trying to improve her spelling, and Cleary is especially deft at limning the emotional nuances as Ramona fails and succeeds, goes from sad to happy, and from hurt to proud. The grand finale is Ramona’s birthday party in the park, complete with a cake frosted in whipped cream. Despite a brief mention of nose piercing, Cleary’s writing still reflects a secure middle-class family and untroubled school life, untouched by the classroom violence or the broken families of the 1990s. While her book doesn’t match what’s in the newspapers, it’s a timeless, serene alternative for children, especially those with less than happy realities. (Fiction. 8-12)
Pub Date: Aug. 25, 1999
ISBN: 0-688-16816-7
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Morrow/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 1999
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