A more-than-capable hero leads a superb cast in this curious blend of the otherworldly and 1930s Manhattan.
A peculiar girl ropes three orphans into her revenge scheme in Gabay’s YA historical fantasy novel.
In 1930, Neve Lilith, who’s been trapped in a magical “realm” (where the soil is “besotted with witch magic”)for eight years, still looks like she’s 19. Working for a bootlegger allows her to take repeated trips, via a mirror portal, to her home of New York City, but she can never stay for long before returning to the alternate world. She plots revenge against the (literal) witch who exiled her to the realm: Invidia, matron at a New York orphanage. Neve’s plan involves 17-year-old orphans and friends Nicky Veo, Willie Taylor, and Calvin Jones; these boys, who were 10 when they arrived at the orphanage, are now months away from their “freedom day.” Neve, who can only talk to them when they’re outside the orphanage, separately makes contact with each. Neve gets one boy’s help in the other realm and sets another against some wicked men who are falsely accusing women of engaging in sex work. It’s a fraught business; if the boys miss their 7:00 pm curfew, Invidia tortures them (not that she needs the excuse). Gabay’s taut novel hits the ground running—Neve’s plan is cooking from the start, and she’s steeped in mystery. (She has the ability to see ghosts, for example.) Her murky past gradually comes to light—she has another reason for seeking retribution—as do the boys, each with a connection to Neve. Gabay’s characters shine, including a crooked police officer, Neve’s bootlegging gangster boss, and Willie, who’s gay but too scared to come out, even to the boy he likes. Although Neve plays the boys to her advantage, there’s no doubt she cares about them. Some elements of the story remain obscure; Neve’s rationale for how she knows so much (about the realm and assorted dubious people in NYC) doesn’t quite satisfactorily explain everything.
A more-than-capable hero leads a superb cast in this curious blend of the otherworldly and 1930s Manhattan.Pub Date: Jan. 11, 2027
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: June 25, 2026
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Sensitive subject matter that could have benefited from a subtler, more sober touch.
A Jewish girl joins up with Polish resistance groups to fight for her people against the evils of the Holocaust.
Chaya Lindner is forcibly separated from her family when they are consigned to the Jewish ghetto in Krakow. The 16-year-old is taken in by the leaders of Akiva, a fledgling Jewish resistance group that offers her the opportunity to become a courier, using her fair coloring to pass for Polish and sneak into ghettos to smuggle in supplies and information. Chaya’s missions quickly become more dangerous, taking her on a perilous journey from a disastrous mission in Krakow to the ghastly ghetto of Lodz and eventually to Warsaw to aid the Jews there in their gathering uprising inside the walls of the ghetto. Through it all, she is partnered with a secretive young girl whom she is reluctant to trust. The trajectory of the narrative skews toward the sensational, highlighting moments of resistance via cinematic action sequences but not pausing to linger on the emotional toll of the Holocaust’s atrocities. Younger readers without sufficient historical knowledge may not appreciate the gravity of the events depicted. The principal characters lack depth, and their actions and the situations they find themselves in often require too much suspension of disbelief to pass for realism.
Sensitive subject matter that could have benefited from a subtler, more sober touch. (afterword) (Historical fiction. 12-16)Pub Date: Aug. 28, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-338-14847-3
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 27, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2018
Wyatt (The Science Book for Girls, 1997, etc.) adopts an alien’s-eye-view of earthlings, comparing the human body with that of a friendly lifeform from outer space. A cartoon anatomical outline charts the alien Danoid’s first encounter with Pete. Danoid labels hands as primary manipulatives, feet as planet connectors, and knees, multidirectional movement facilitators. Earthling skin, hair, brains, bones, muscles, and organs are measured by these compare-and-contrast standards, delivering information along the way. Sifting through a flurry of text, readers will stumble upon headings marked “Science Fair Ideas,” consisting of simple, at-home experiments such as tracking one’s pulse with a dab of modeling clay or smelling foods that have strong odors. While the concept is attention-getting, and often humorous, the actual information is often overwhelmed by distracting asides, experiments, and reports filed to Danoid’s commander; this compendium may be more worthwhile for browsers than researchers. (diagrams, index) (Nonfiction. 8-11)
Pub Date: April 1, 1999
ISBN: 1-55074-511-5
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Kids Can
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1999
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