A book that invites close reading, this will spark interest in the plight of all refugees.
An 11-year-old Jewish girl travels alone from Berlin to Great Britain in the Kindertransport of 1938.
In a follow-up to Good-bye Marianne (1998), Watts and Shoemaker continue their adaptation of Watts’ 2000 novel, Remember Me. On the cover, a girl sits forlornly on a suitcase under the bold black title against a background of Nazi red. Endpapers offer a hopeful hint of her mother’s soft embrace as she looks at the starry night sky. Sandwiched in between is a straightforward, first-person telling of Marianne Kohn’s story as she holds out hope of a reunion with her parents. Author and illustrator show their collaborative finesse in a wonderfully rendered marriage between text and art. Nine chapters shape Marianne’s journey, each beginning with a map on a stark black page that seems to loom over a year of wartime bleakness. Marianne is in the dark about her future, literally and figuratively. Fuzzily drawn, gray-toned panels make her fear and loneliness palpable. She’s billeted in one unhappy situation after another in London and Wales, often with sponsors scornful of refugees. She’s renamed by one woman who “wants me to call her ‘Mother’ and turn me into her dead child.” Thought bubbles clearly convey Marianne’s deepest concerns while she stumbles through conversations in English.
A book that invites close reading, this will spark interest in the plight of all refugees. (glossary) (Graphic historical fiction. 10-16)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-926890-02-9
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Tradewind Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 31, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
An adventurous work whose authentic voice celebrates the outdoors and everyday heroism.
A summer spent summiting the Adirondacks allows a teenager to reckon with grief.
Thirteen-year-old Finn Connelly’s summer is off to a rocky start. In addition to several incomplete class assignments—including a poetry project about heroes—he’s facing vandalism charges after an angry outburst at the local cemetery. To avoid paying thousands in fines that his family can’t spare, he reluctantly agrees to the proffered alternative: climbing all 46 Adirondack peaks over 4,000 feet by Labor Day accompanied by Seymour, the enthusiastic dog who belonged to the woman whose headstone he damaged. As Finn attempts the hikes, he wrestles with what it means to be a hero, a term often used for his deceased father, a local hockey legend, New York City firefighter, 9/11 first responder, and paramedic who died on the front lines of the Covid-19 pandemic. This verse novel is engaging and easy to follow. It encompasses varied structures, like haiku, sonnet, and found poetry. Other ephemera, such as letters, recipes, and school progress reports, create visual breaks evocative of a commonplace book. The first-person narration vividly conveys a disgruntled teenager’s feelings, including moments of humor and contemplation. The novel wrestles with loss and legacy intertwined with weighty events, challenges, and themes—PTSD, alcoholism, toxic masculinity—and their resulting impact on Finn’s emotional well-being. The supporting characters are encouraging adult role models. Characters present white.
An adventurous work whose authentic voice celebrates the outdoors and everyday heroism. (author’s note) (Verse fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: April 29, 2025
ISBN: 9781547616398
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Brava!
From award winner Telgemeier (Smile, 2010), a pitch-perfect graphic novel portrayal of a middle school musical, adroitly capturing the drama both on and offstage.
Seventh-grader Callie Marin is over-the-moon to be on stage crew again this year for Eucalyptus Middle School’s production of Moon over Mississippi. Callie's just getting over popular baseball jock and eighth-grader Greg, who crushed her when he left Callie to return to his girlfriend, Bonnie, the stuck-up star of the play. Callie's healing heart is quickly captured by Justin and Jesse Mendocino, the two very cute twins who are working on the play with her. Equally determined to make the best sets possible with a shoestring budget and to get one of the Mendocino boys to notice her, the immensely likable Callie will find this to be an extremely drama-filled experience indeed. The palpably engaging and whip-smart characterization ensures that the charisma and camaraderie run high among those working on the production. When Greg snubs Callie in the halls and misses her reference to Guys and Dolls, one of her friends assuredly tells her, "Don't worry, Cal. We’re the cool kids….He's the dork." With the clear, stylish art, the strongly appealing characters and just the right pinch of drama, this book will undoubtedly make readers stand up and cheer.
Brava! (Graphic fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-545-32698-8
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Graphix/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: July 21, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2012
SEEN & HEARD
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