Read for the sympathetic portrayal of Syrian refugees, but look elsewhere for geopolitical nuance.
After narrowly surviving an airstrike, Ghalib suddenly finds himself being forced to join the Kurdish Protection Units or else risk his life fleeing to Europe.
Ghalib wanted nothing more than to become a pharmacist like his father. Instead, he spends his days dodging barrel bombs and missiles. The city of Kobani, where Ghalib lives with his family, is constantly under attack, leaving little left of the once-vibrant hub of Kurdish life. Ghalib refuses to be another soldier in the Syrian war, so instead he and his family embark on a harrowing journey to escape what was once their home. The arduous path to safety crosses through dangerous Islamic State–held territory and the Turkish border, where only steadfast courage and exceptional luck can get travelers out alive. Along the way, Ghalib will find himself separated and alone, searching for any sign of home among the thousands of refugees fleeing for their lives. Through everything, one question continues to linger in the back of Ghalib’s mind: Will Europe let us in? Writing in Ghalib’s present-tense voice, Mitchell pens a vivid narrative of the displacement, loss, and sheer bravery of Syrian children traversing land and sea, surviving bullets, bombs, and the tumultuous Mediterranean to begin a new life. While this part of the story excels, Mitchell glosses over the humanitarian crimes of all of the warring parties in Syria, emphasizing those of the Islamic State over the Syrian government’s, which leads readers new to the subject to believe that the main perpetrators of violence are Islamist groups.
Read for the sympathetic portrayal of Syrian refugees, but look elsewhere for geopolitical nuance. (Fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: April 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5415-0050-1
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Carolrhoda
Review Posted Online: March 4, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
Rich and strange (and kitted out with an eye-catching cover), but stronger in the set pieces than the internal logic.
Chainani works an elaborate sea change akin to Gregory Maguire’s Wicked (1995), though he leaves the waters muddied.
Every four years, two children, one regarded as particularly nice and the other particularly nasty, are snatched from the village of Gavaldon by the shadowy School Master to attend the divided titular school. Those who survive to graduate become major or minor characters in fairy tales. When it happens to sweet, Disney princess–like Sophie and her friend Agatha, plain of features, sour of disposition and low of self-esteem, they are both horrified to discover that they’ve been dropped not where they expect but at Evil and at Good respectively. Gradually—too gradually, as the author strings out hundreds of pages of Hogwarts-style pranks, classroom mishaps and competitions both academic and romantic—it becomes clear that the placement wasn’t a mistake at all. Growing into their true natures amid revelations and marked physical changes, the two spark escalating rivalry between the wings of the school. This leads up to a vicious climactic fight that sees Good and Evil repeatedly switching sides. At this point, readers are likely to feel suddenly left behind, as, thanks to summary deus ex machina resolutions, everything turns out swell(ish).
Rich and strange (and kitted out with an eye-catching cover), but stronger in the set pieces than the internal logic. (Fantasy. 11-13)Pub Date: May 14, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-06-210489-2
Page Count: 496
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK TO SCREEN
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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