Cheyenne, ten, and his brother, Joaquin, five, hoard food. Before she abandoned them entirely, their mother neglected them, so Cheyenne learned very young to stash food—when it was available. In their Aunt Mandy’s custody, things briefly improve as they get to know their extended (but not very helpful) family. Narrator Cheyenne, never letting down his guard, always keenly observes the adults around him, gleaning what information he can, although filtered through his child mind, it’s sometimes humorously misinterpreted. When Mandy has a stroke, the children are left to fend for themselves. Then, as one unbelievable challenge is piled on top of another, at times the children’s burden seems almost fantastical. Is it possible that no one in a small town would notice the small children’s plight, hiding out in a van and foraging through Dumpsters for a freezing month or that the hospital would discharge brain-injured Mandy to their sole custody, setting up a contrived though satisfying conclusion? Yet resourceful Cheyenne’s authentic voice is lovable enough to make this a worthy if at times implausible read. (discussion questions) (Fiction. 8-12)
Pub Date: June 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-59955-407-5
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Bonneville Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 8, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2010
Categories: TEEN SOCIAL THEMES
Did you like this book?
BOOK REVIEW
Twelve-year-old Onion Jock’s grandfather made a fortune inventing a golf-course–cleaning contraption and now runs his own 13-hole course, his barber father rebels against the system by discouraging haircuts and his brother is a finance-obsessed pugilist. When well-monied individuals from Grampus’s past arrive, Jock realizes that his odd family relationships are more twisted than he thought. With little more than a brogue pronunciation as a clue, readers are left to guess at Jock’s geographical location, which creates a rarely bridged emotional gap. Jock’s narrative disposition is reminiscent of Christopher from Mark Haddon’s Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time (2003), but Jock’s own behavioral discrepancies have no apparent underlying causes. Moments of genuine humor shine, but most of the tale’s message—of the burden of possessions—seems better suited for a younger audience than the one it apparently aims for. Andi Watson’s Clubbing (2007) blends oddball humor and golf much more successfully. This uneven mixture of relationships and sports is a bogey for the usually reliable Lynch. (Fiction. 9-12)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2008
ISBN: 978-0-06-074034-4
Page Count: 288
Publisher: HarperTeen
Review Posted Online: May 20, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2008
Categories: TEEN FAMILY | TEEN SOCIAL THEMES | TEEN ENTERTAINMENT & SPORTS
Did you like this book?
Thirteen-year-old Alexis has been “banished” (her word) by her mother, who lives in San Diego, to International Falls, Minnesota, where her father is the foremost authority on the bald eagle. He heads a small team who are banding eaglets and researching the eagles’ habitat. Alexis is immediately involved and learns quickly, though it’s difficult work and complicated further by the swarms of mosquitoes and hot weather. She resents her father’s authority and the team’s respect for him. In spite of this, she becomes fascinated with the birds and rashly decides to remove a fish lure from an eagle’s nest situated on a nearby island. Though successful in climbing the tree, she lifts an eaglet out of the nest and drops it. Then she loses the paddle to the canoe and finds herself stranded on an island with an injured eaglet. For two days she struggles with a storm, a visiting bear, and hunger. She manages to feed the eaglet and herself through fashioning a crude fishing rod. She finds shelter: an abandoned house on the island obviously not used for years. Surprisingly, it is a bat refuge, full of bat dung, with hundreds of bats returning in the evening. Knowing the eaglet must have assistance, in desperation, she sets the house on fire and is rescued. Throughout these difficulties, she finally allows herself to think of her little brother, who has recently died from cancer. Working through her grief, she realizes her father’s actions, which she so resented at the time, were a result of a grief as deep as her own. The ending is a bit pat, with the eagle flown to a healing center and her parents beginning to talk to each other. The tale moves along well and will be enjoyed particularly by readers of survivalist stories. The author’s note describes her hands-on research with eagle experts and includes several Web sites where naturalists can learn more. (Fiction. 10-12)
Pub Date: June 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-7868-0665-6
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Hyperion
Review Posted Online: May 20, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2002
Categories: TEEN FICTION | TEEN SOCIAL THEMES
Did you like this book?
© Copyright 2020 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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.
