The Kidding Pen

Name: The Kidding Pen
Author: Hillrey A Dufner
ISBN: 978-1-5121-3123-9

by Hillrey A Dufner ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 18, 2015

An often engaging story that shows that love and determination can overcome the cycle of abuse and the flaws of the social...

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A novel about unlikely heroes, informed by longtime educator Dufner’s (Chasing Horizons: Gaby’s Story, 2013, etc.) real-life acquaintance with three young abused girls.

Fifty-year-old Virgil Castor Trevor leads a quiet existence, tending his goats and providing frequent care to Jimmy and Caryn, the children of his longtime friend Billie. He’s slightly embittered by his reduced circumstances and his estrangement from his own grown children after his divorce. He makes friends with Bianca, an 11-year-old neighbor, and quickly recognizes that she’s the victim of neglect and abuse. However, he tries not to get deeply involved, only providing her with a safe haven and plentiful food. But when a severely beaten Bianca comes to him one night, he knows he must do the right thing. He takes her to his friend, Dr. Pick, and calls the authorities. He soon becomes acquainted with the shortcomings of the legal and child welfare systems when he’s arrested and charged with abusing Bianca; meanwhile, she’s sent to a foster home, which results in different dangers to her safety. As Trevor attempts to save her, he takes on the law and, later, a Mexican gang. In a work that could easily have become overly sentimental, Dufner manages to include just the right amount of emotionality. Bianca and Trevor’s early, affectionate relationship eclipses all others, as none of the other interactions in the book achieve the same amount of emotional impact and depth. Charming pencil sketches by Esquivel, one of the young women who inspired the author, also enhance the text. However, most of the story’s conflict occurs early on, before Trevor even meets the Mexican gang, and a late plot turn is hardly a surprise after considerable, unsubtle foreshadowing.

An often engaging story that shows that love and determination can overcome the cycle of abuse and the flaws of the social care system.

Pub Date: Aug. 18, 2015

ISBN: 978-1-5121-3123-9

Page Count: 320

Publisher: CreateSpace

Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2016

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

CHILDREN'S FAMILY

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KEVIN AND HIS DAD

by Irene Smalls ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 1999

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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

Categories:

CHILDREN'S FAMILY

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by Irene Smalls & illustrated by Colin Bootman

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RAMONA'S WORLD

by Beverly Cleary ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 25, 1999

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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)