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THE NEW ONE

Name: THE NEW ONE
Author: Jacqueline Turner Banks
ISBN: 0-395-66610-4

by Jacqueline Turner Banks ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 1994

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Banks returns to the small Kentucky town featured in Project Wheels (1993) for another lightweight, deftly written episode in the lives of an ethnically mixed group of sixth graders. Jury Jenkins is drawn to new African-American classmate Ayreal, which puts him at odds with his twin, Judge, and friends Faye and Angela, who don't quite trust Ayreal; meanwhile, Jury's mother, considering remarriage, is hanging out with an older man with very conservative ideas. Readers will enjoy watching Jury try to puzzle out the odd behavior of girls and grownups and are sure to get the point when Ayreal explains her initial coldness to Angela by describing how she overheard the father of another white friend make racist remarks. Unforced humor and lively, simply drawn characters make the lessons palatable. (Fiction. 10-12)

Pub Date: April 1, 1994

ISBN: 0-395-66610-4

Page Count: 112

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1994

Categories:

CHILDREN'S FAMILY

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SEARCHING FOR SUPER

by Marion Jensen ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 20, 2015

Like its predecessor, a satisfying, Incredibles-style mix of awesome exploits and common family issues.

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Deprived of superpowers in the previous episode (Almost Super, 2014), can the Bailey and Johnson clans put aside their squabbles to tackle their common nemesis, the Joneses?

Determined to prove that they have the mettle to join their parents and relatives in fighting crime, 13-year-old Rafter Bailey, his little brother, Benny, and erstwhile rival Juanita Johnson (definitely the brains of the trio) kick off their own search for the Joneses’ secret hideout. Little do they suspect that those clever villains have planted a ringer in their very midst. Sabotage and other distractions ensue, until Juanita’s sudden disappearance sharpens not only the urgency of the search, but also Rafter’s guilt for being a poor friend. The kidnapping turns out to be a crucial mistake for the bad guys, however, as resourceful Juanita gets off a call for help that both brings the Baileys and Johnsons together for a collective rescue operation and, amid much breakage of glass and heroic feats of derring-do, foils the evil schemes of scenery-chewing archfiend October Jones. Rafter makes a likable narrator, emotionally open and determined to be both a good superhero and a good friend.

Like its predecessor, a satisfying, Incredibles-style mix of awesome exploits and common family issues. (Fantasy. 10-12)

Pub Date: Jan. 20, 2015

ISBN: 978-0-06-220958-0

Page Count: 256

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: Sept. 30, 2014

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2014

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ACTION & ADVENTURE FICTION | 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)