Good intentions, a clever premise, and fun facts about circus life can’t compensate for a flawed presentation in this anti-bullying message thinly disguised as a middle-grade novel. Unhappy with circus life, Phillip Stanislaw just wants to run away, even though that means leaving his parents (a clown and the fat lady) behind. Sent to live with his Aunt Veola, Phillip finds that things haven’t really improved. Targeted during the weekly dodgeball games at his middle school, Phillip becomes determined to fight back. How Phillip wins a lawsuit, settles an old score for his mom, and finds a way to use his minimal circus skills to feel at home in Hardingtown isn’t especially believable, but it will please readers who are rooting for him. Unfortunately, it’s hard to imagine just who that might be. Phillip’s first-person narration isn’t especially convincing, secondary characters are caricatures at best, the small-town setting fails to come alive, and the plodding action drags on far too long for the slight plot. Well-meant but not ultimately successful. (Fiction. 10-12)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-525-47346-7
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Dutton
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2004
BOOK REVIEW
Best (Top Banana, 1997, etc.) salutes the glory of the ubiquitous pink ball in a story of Annie, a ball-playing enthusiast. With her Sky-High Super Pinkie in tow wherever she goes, the thrill of playing ball is never far from Annie’s thoughts. She bounces it in the classroom, at home, while brushing her teeth, and even tucks her lucky ball into her pajama pocket at bed time. The only place she doesn’t let loose with her beloved Pinkie is near the building superintendent’s window, which houses his collection of pink trophies confiscated from other players. When the weekly punchball game is winding down, Annie is determined to have her final shot, or “last licks,” and it is a sensational hit, soaring beyond her wildest dreams. A surprise catch by the super leads to a sense of fellowship between the two. With consummate skill, Best captures the unbridled energy of a good ball game and the camaraderie of a neighborhood united in a timeless activity. Palmisciano’s bright illustrations convey the suspense of the tale as well as a view of life in a bustling cityscape. (Picture book. 5-9)
Pub Date: March 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-7894-2513-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: DK Publishing
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 1999
From Hughes (Enchantment in the Garden, 1997, etc.), a WWII story with big ambitions—many of them realized’set out in the pages of an unusually long picture book. Lenny Levi lives in London with his mother during the Blitz, cherishing the letters from his father at the front, and the medal of the lion and the unicorn his father gave him. When Lenny is evacuated to the country, he finds himself at a huge old manor with three little girls, the lady of the house, and a few servants. He is lonely, teased at school and at home for not eating bacon and for bedwetting, but makes a friend of the young man with one leg he meets in the secret garden on the estate. The garden, thick with roses, also holds a beautiful statue of a unicorn like the one on his medal. As Lenny’s loneliness and fear spiral out of control, a night vision of the unicorn brings him back; his mother comes to take them both to his aunt in Wales, where his father will join them. The storyline, while straightforward, hints at difficult subjects—religious differences, amputees, separation, family disruptions, the terror of bombing, and more—which are then given only cursory treatment. The pictures are splendid: luminous, full-bodied watercolors that capture the horror of London burning, the glory of the countryside, and mists of dreams. It may be difficult for this to find its audience, but children too young for Michelle Magorian’s Good Night, Mr. Tom (1986) might be captured. (Picture book. 8-10)
Pub Date: April 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-7894-2555-6
Page Count: 60
Publisher: DK Publishing
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1999
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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