The entire collection brims with humor, pathos, and the heroic struggle to grow up.
In each of 10 stories, kids reentering the neighborhood from their school day reveal their unique narratives.
BFFs T.J. and Jasmine find their yearslong friendship getting them through parental separation, illness, and foster care. A group of four, all children of cancer survivors, has been brought together by a school counselor. A female skateboarder is the target of a bully—to the relief of his usual victim. A teen with the signs of OCD meets a street musician who changes her outlook. Two ardent gamers are caught up in the confusion of sexual questioning, and there’s an odd couple of friends whose difference in size is no barrier to their bond. A teen with a fear of dogs devises an elaborate plan to get past his neighbor’s new pet, and the class clown tries to find a way to make her overworked mother laugh. Three boys work to make their friend presentable enough to tell a classmate that he likes her. An accident sustained by the school crossing guard causes her son significant anxiety. There are connections among some of the stories: places, people, incidents. However, each story has its own center, and readers learn a great deal about each character in just a few lines. Reynolds’ gift for capturing the voices and humanity of urban teens is on full display. The cast adheres to a black default.
The entire collection brims with humor, pathos, and the heroic struggle to grow up. (Fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Oct. 8, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4814-3828-5
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Caitlyn Dlouhy/Atheneum
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Anemic despite the art and no match in scope or style for Marie Heaney’s Names Upon the Harp, illustrated by P.J. Lynch...
Pretty pictures aren’t enough to compensate for indifferent storytelling in this slender gathering of tales from a former Irish Children’s Laureate.
Readers familiar with the lore should recognize the standard-issue versions of the “Children of Lir” and the tale of Labraid Lorc (here “Labhra” Lorc), a legendary king with horse’s ears. In addition to these, Parkinson presents four tales of beautiful princesses transformed into various animals (and, in one, an ugly hag), plus a cursory account of Cú Chulainn’s exploits up to his wedding. The patchy prose alternates between flights of lyrical description (of, usually, one princess or another) and plain exposition with occasional awkward phrasing: “Gentle Etain got to hear that poor Ailill was very unhappy….” One entry, “The Enchanted Deer,” feels more like a fragment than a full story. There are no source or introductory notes, and rather than being at the front where it would be more immediately helpful, the pronunciation guide is tacked on at the end. The stylized illustrations add lyrical notes of their own with jewel-rich hues and delicately drawn figures, but they sometimes fight with the text. Whelan portrays an “old woman” gathering rushes in the “Land Under Wave” as quite young-looking.
Anemic despite the art and no match in scope or style for Marie Heaney’s Names Upon the Harp, illustrated by P.J. Lynch (2000). (Folk tales. 10-13)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-84780-140-1
Page Count: 66
Publisher: Frances Lincoln
Review Posted Online: Aug. 13, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2013
Strange and disconcerting.
A retelling of an early-19th-century German satirical play in which royalty, mistaken identity, rebellion and angst all play out in a fairy-tale setting requires leaps of comprehension beyond its intended audience.
Prince Leonce and Princess Lena have never met but share a sense of dissatisfaction with their places in life. When it is decreed that they must marry, they separately attempt to escape their fates. But a chance encounter at an inn results in love at first sight. Meanwhile, back at the castle, the King (Leonce’s father) has prepared for the marriage celebrations, and thanks to the machinations of Leonce’s confidant Valerio, the nuptials proceed with disguises and surprises. Amann reimagines the original work, employing wildly varying language and syntax. There are flowery, esoteric descriptions, metaphoric allusions and contemplative moments, along with comedic pronouncements and some modern twists. Zwerger’s imaginative, watercolor-and-collage illustrations incorporate changing perspectives and are filled with unexpected and delightful touches that shed some light on the confusion inherent in the text. Young readers for whom the work is evidently intended will be more puzzled than intrigued (the publisher is recommending an age range of 4-8). It might be more successful with an older audience that has adult guidance, although many adults will be hard-pressed to explain the call for a workless society at the conclusion.
Strange and disconcerting. (biographical material, bibliography) (Play. 10-12)Pub Date: Dec. 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-7358-4141-3
Page Count: 64
Publisher: NorthSouth
Review Posted Online: Oct. 19, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
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