An entertaining suite of stories that will get kids laughing—and thinking.
Pratfalls, pranks, and schoolyard travails teach kids lessons that resonate with Bible stories in this winsome book of Christian instruction.
Lonnquist, a screenwriter, presents 53 episodes in the adventures of three sisters—13-year-old Talia, 10-year-old Mika, and 7-year-old Chloe—who wrestle with pint-sized sins and moral conundrums, pairing most of them with Old Testament passages that often segue into Christian exhortations. A fun substitute teacher who grants Talia’s class a reprieve from a science test symbolizes Jesus, the ultimate sacrificial substitute who cancels our punishment for the sin of Adam and Eve. Kids brag about their class spirit projects, only to see them blown over by a mighty wind, a reprise of the Tower of Babel fiasco that teaches readers that God’s Word endures while humanity’s prideful works pass away. A boy who mindlessly scarfs down classroom cupcakes requires the Heimlich maneuver when he chokes on their inedible decorations, a comeuppance for his greed that’s reminiscent of God’s punishment of Sodom and Gomorrah. And ChooChoo the puppy’s inability to obey echoes the Israelites’ disobedience of God in worshipping the golden calf. Lonnquist cross-references her narratives to Bible story compilations and adds prayers at the end of each chapter. (A section referencing David’s carefully unspecified sin with Bathsheba ends in the prayer, “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”) The moral lessons are simple and straightforward: Follow God’s commandments, love God and your neighbor, pray for forgiveness when you sin, and trust in Jesus. The homiletics are a bit churchy, but the sisters are a lively trio whose exploits unfold in punchy, evocative prose: “Leeches!” Talia cries after a classmate splashes into a creek. “He was covered with disgusting, horrible leeches! They live in the mud and they attach themselves to you” (just as sin attached to King Ahab and Queen Jezebel after they killed Naboth to get his vineyard). Youngsters will be captivated by these yarns.
An entertaining suite of stories that will get kids laughing—and thinking.Pub Date: Nov. 16, 2025
ISBN: 9798989221202
Page Count: 256
Publisher: 3031 Media LLC
Review Posted Online: Dec. 17, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A gritty story filled with hope and idealism.
A young boy is forced to leave the Chennai jail that is the only home he’s ever known.
When Kabir is deemed too old to stay and is sent out into the world all alone, separated from his wrongfully imprisoned mother, he decides to search for the family of the father he has never met to try to save his mother from her unjustly long sentence. Armed with faith, instinctive wits, and the ability to run fast, Kabir escapes danger and meets Rani, a teenage girl from the marginalized Kurava, or Roma, people who is traveling with her parrot. She teaches Kabir, who has a Hindu mother and a Muslim father, about caste dynamics and survival on the streets. She accompanies him to Bengaluru, where Kabir eventually meets his paternal grandparents. Along the way, their experiences reveal the invisibility of low-caste people in Indian society, tensions between neighboring states over water supplies, and the unexpected kindness of helpful strangers. Kabir’s longing for freedom and justice underscores bittersweet twists and turns that resolve in an upbeat conclusion, celebrating his namesake, a saint who sought to unify Muslims and Hindus. Kabir engages readers by voicing his thoughts, vulnerability, and optimism: While his early physical environment was confined within prison walls, his imagination was nourished by stories and songs. This compelling novel develops at a brisk pace, advanced by evocative details and short chapters full of action.
A gritty story filled with hope and idealism. (author's note) (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 7, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-11247-2
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books
Review Posted Online: June 23, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2021
PERSPECTIVES
PERSPECTIVES
A charming contemporary story with a classic feel.
A 10 ¾-year-old girl weathers changes in her social circle—and her sense of self.
Dubbed “Queen of the Neighborhood” by beloved neighbor Mr. Chapman, who has sadly left Maryland for balmy Florida, Zara is apprehensive when a family with two kids moves into his house, potentially upsetting the delicate social balance. Readers familiar with Khan’s Zayd Saleem, Chasing the Dream books, set a few years after this series opener, will recognize the bustling Pakistani American Muslim household. Assertive, organized Zara and rambunctious 7-year-old Zayd live with their Mama and Baba; the siblings’ grandparents and uncle are integral parts of their daily lives. Zara and Zayd enjoy playing outside with their friends—Black sisters Jade and Gloria, White Alan, and Chinese American Melvin. Mr. Chapman always said that Zara knew how to “rule with grace and fairness,” but new arrivals Naomi and Michael, Jewish kids who are eager to engage socially, put this to the test. When Jamal Mamoo, Mama’s brother, brings over his Guinness World Records book, Zara decides that becoming a world-record holder is the boost her social status needs. Her humorous (and futile) attempts to make her mark ultimately lead her to being a more patient and understanding big sister and more flexible and supportive companion to friends old and new. Strong pacing, fluid prose, engaging hijinks, and heartwarming scenes of family life and outdoor play are complemented by expressive illustrations.
A charming contemporary story with a classic feel. (Fiction. 7-10)Pub Date: April 19, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5344-9759-7
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Salaam Reads/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 12, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2022
PERSPECTIVES
PERSPECTIVES
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
