Quilting offers a perfect metaphor in this thoughtful tale of a tween piecing together a new life.
Sixth grader Jubilee and her paternal grandmother, Nan, move so frequently from town to town that they have Relocation Rules.
Jubilee’s father died in a motorcycle accident when she was 4 and her mother took off to become a country singer. A great fan of the TV show Queen of Neat, hosted by Arletta Paisley, Jubilee loves crafting. After she and Nan arrive in Hope Springs, Texas, Jubilee befriends Abby, whose mother is the mayor. A job in a fabric store puts her organizational skills to great use, and the shop owner teaches her how to quilt. Jubilee is thrilled to learn that Arletta grew up in Hope Springs and will be coming to visit as the spokesperson for a new big-box store, but this leads to concerns about the survival of local businesses—and a glimpse for Jubilee of the person behind the TV personality. Another thread in the story is the strained relationship between Jubilee and her absent mother. Her friendship with Abby and her growing feelings for the townspeople lead Jubilee to question whether she can arrange her life as neatly as she can objects. With a town festival and occasional directions for craft projects thrown into the mix, debut author Berry allows Jubilee to grow and mature to the point where she can implement Staying Put Procedures. Characters follow a White default.
Quilting offers a perfect metaphor in this thoughtful tale of a tween piecing together a new life. (Fiction. 10-12)Pub Date: Aug. 10, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-316-54057-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
A satisfying, winning read.
Nick Hall is a bright eighth-grader who would rather do anything other than pay attention in class.
Instead he daydreams about soccer, a girl he likes, and an upcoming soccer tournament. His linguistics-professor father carefully watches his educational progress, requiring extra reading and word study, much to Nick’s chagrin and protest. Fortunately, his best friend, Coby, shares his passion for soccer—and, sadly, the unwanted attention of twin bullies in their school. Nick senses something is going on with his parents, but their announcement that they are separating is an unexpected blow: “it’s like a bombshell / drops / right in the center / of your heart / and it splatters / all across your life.” The stress leads to counseling, and his life is further complicated by injury and emergency surgery. His soccer dream derailed, Nick turns to the books he has avoided and finds more than he expected. Alexander’s highly anticipated follow-up to Newbery-winning The Crossover is a reflective narrative, with little of the first book’s explosive energy. What the mostly free-verse novel does have is a likable protagonist, great wordplay, solid teen and adult secondary characters, and a clear picture of the challenges young people face when self-identity clashes with parental expectations. The soccer scenes are vivid and will make readers wish for more, but the depiction of Nick as he unlocks his inner reader is smooth and believable.
A satisfying, winning read. (Fiction. 10-12)Pub Date: April 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-544-57098-6
Page Count: 320
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 8, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2016
On equal footing with a garden-variety potato.
The new kid in school endures becoming the school mascot.
Ben Hardy has never cared for potatoes, and this distaste has become a barrier to adjusting to life in his new Idaho town. His school’s mascot is the Spud, and after a series of misfortunes, Ben is enlisted to don the potato costume and cheer on his school’s team. Ben balances his duties as a life-sized potato against his desperate desire to hide the fact that he’s the dork in the suit. After all, his cute new crush, Jayla, wouldn’t be too impressed to discover Ben’s secret. The ensuing novel is a fairly boilerplate middle–grade narrative: snarky tween protagonist, the crush that isn’t quite what she seems, and a pair of best friends that have more going on than our hero initially believes. The author keeps the novel moving quickly, pushing forward with witty asides and narrative momentum so fast that readers won’t really mind that the plot’s spine is one they’ve encountered many times before. Once finished, readers will feel little resonance and move on to the next book in their to-read piles, but in the moment the novel is pleasant enough. Ben, Jayla, and Ben’s friend Hunter are white while Ellie, Ben’s other good pal, is Latina.
On equal footing with a garden-variety potato. (Fiction. 10-12)Pub Date: March 24, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-11866-5
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Nov. 23, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
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