A thoughtful and entertaining look at both sides of the bullying dynamic.
Two girls struggle with rivalries and self-acceptance in this debut middle-grade novel.
Even before the school year begins, fifth grader Hannah Hardy has been plotting revenge against her classmate Meg Greene for a pointed remark she made last spring break. Hannah also looks down on Meg for her messy hair and unfashionable clothes. Hannah’s goal is to make Meg “sad and lonely” by getting her friend Alexis Martinez to drop her through the tempting prospect of entry into the bully’s popular group. Hannah’s scheme works, but that’s not enough when Meg annoys her further on the first day of school by noticing geese nesting in the courtyard. The school makes the area off-limits, foiling Hannah’s plans to sit on the courtyard’s benches at recess. Hannah steps up her bullying; she calls Meg “Goose Girl,” a name that catches on. But Hannah doesn’t have things all her own way. First, classmate Jack Eddy defends Meg, and teachers help her. Hannah gets in trouble for her behavior, and Meg rescues a gosling that she names Garrett. To Hannah’s disgust, Meg starts becoming more popular than she is. After a showdown, both girls come to recognize that they have opportunities for self-improvement. In his book, Suhre uses alternating point-of-view chapters, each with an authentic voice, to give insights into both the bully’s and the victim’s perspectives. For example, Meg comes to admit that not brushing her hair or wearing clean clothes “made me a bigger target.” Hannah, it develops, has several reasons for her behavior and has some admirable gifts as well. Realistically, the girls aren’t meant to be best pals, but a mature detente is possible. In addition, the goose family provides a nice metaphor for growing up, with fledglings learning to spread their wings.
A thoughtful and entertaining look at both sides of the bullying dynamic.Pub Date: Nov. 27, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-73559-870-3
Page Count: 172
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Telgemeier’s bold colors, superior visual storytelling, and unusual subject matter will keep readers emotionally engaged and...
Catrina narrates the story of her mixed-race (Latino/white) family’s move from Southern California to Bahía de la Luna on the Northern California coast.
Dad has a new job, but it’s little sister Maya’s lungs that motivate the move: she has had cystic fibrosis since birth—a degenerative breathing condition. Despite her health, Maya loves adventure, even if her lungs suffer for it and even when Cat must follow to keep her safe. When Carlos, a tall, brown, and handsome teen Ghost Tour guide introduces the sisters to the Bahía ghosts—most of whom were Spanish-speaking Mexicans when alive—they fascinate Maya and she them, but the terrified Cat wants only to get herself and Maya back to safety. When the ghost adventure leads to Maya’s hospitalization, Cat blames both herself and Carlos, which makes seeing him at school difficult. As Cat awakens to the meaning of Halloween and Day of the Dead in this strange new home, she comes to understand the importance of the ghosts both to herself and to Maya. Telgemeier neatly balances enough issues that a lesser artist would split them into separate stories and delivers as much delight textually as visually. The backmatter includes snippets from Telgemeier’s sketchbook and a photo of her in Día makeup.
Telgemeier’s bold colors, superior visual storytelling, and unusual subject matter will keep readers emotionally engaged and unable to put down this compelling tale. (Graphic fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-545-54061-2
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: July 1, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2016
Charming, poignant, and thoughtfully woven.
An aspiring scientist and a budding artist become friends and help each other with dream projects.
Unfolding in mid-1980s Sacramento, California, this story stars 12-year-olds Rosalind and Benjamin as first-person narrators in alternating chapters. Ro’s father, a fellow space buff, was killed by a drunk driver; the rocket they were working on together lies unfinished in her closet. As for Benji, not only has his best friend, Amir, moved away, but the comic book holding the clue for locating his dad is also missing. Along with their profound personal losses, the protagonists share a fixation with the universe’s intriguing potential: Ro decides to complete the rocket and hopes to launch mementos of her father into outer space while Benji’s conviction that aliens and UFOs are real compels his imagination and creativity as an artist. An accident in science class triggers a chain of events forcing Benji and Ro, who is new to the school, to interact and unintentionally learn each other’s secrets. They resolve to find Benji’s dad—a famous comic-book artist—and partner to finish Ro’s rocket for the science fair. Together, they overcome technical, scheduling, and geographical challenges. Readers will be drawn in by amusing and fantastical elements in the comic book theme, high emotional stakes that arouse sympathy, and well-drawn character development as the protagonists navigate life lessons around grief, patience, self-advocacy, and standing up for others. Ro is biracial (Chinese/White); Benji is White.
Charming, poignant, and thoughtfully woven. (Fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: Jan. 12, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-06-300888-5
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2020
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