Appealing characters and a warm, sparkly love story tinged with wish fulfillment.
In this YA paranormal romance, a teenage girl has just a few weeks to live—and now a handsome stranger needs her help or he’ll die too.
“I know how I die. I know when, too,” says Cassidy Jordan; not because she’s ill or suicidal but because she just knows, which isn’t the only unusual thing about her. Cassidy lived before, as an actress named Anna Merrick. That life had to end early due to a cosmic accident, but because The Life-After was beautiful and calm, she didn’t want to leave. As her supernatural helper, Noah, explains, though, first Anna must become a “second-timer,” reborn with a task to complete: help Riley Davis, 19, to have the life he was meant for. Then she can die and return. If she fails, Riley will become a second-timer after death instead of staying in The Life-After, and Cassidy will simply die and disappear with no afterlife at all. Helping Riley, however, requires Cassidy to open up—difficult because her first life left her with a “dead spot” inside that makes her avoid getting close. Riley, too, has grief issues. Noah advises Cassidy to nurture her spiritual energy and connection to The Life-After through meditation and yoga, but the countdown clock is ticking. Can Cassidy open up in time to save Riley and herself? Farwell (Rock Star’s Girl, 2015) writes with verve; for example, in reply to a flirtatious, open-ended question from Cassidy, Riley grins wickedly, saying, “Choose your own adventure.” Cassidy’s situation is both sympathetic (orphaned at 6, lonely, soon to die) and enviable—she’s beautiful, owns her own home in the Hollywood Hills, was accepted into Harvard, and easily charms Riley, who has his own place above his parents’ recording studio. While Farwell’s New Age–y eschatology may not resonate with all readers, Cassidy’s task is actually an age-old romance classic: “It’s your job to help him open his heart again,” Noah says. This notion could bear more scrutiny because girls tend to do the emotional heavy lifting in relationships.
Appealing characters and a warm, sparkly love story tinged with wish fulfillment.Pub Date: Jan. 8, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-62015-646-9
Page Count: 182
Publisher: Booktrope
Review Posted Online: July 31, 2015
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An enjoyable picture book that addresses important issues in a kid-friendly way without being preachy.
Willenbrock’s heartwarming debut picture book is the autobiographical story of how she came to share her home with a special shelter dog.
Told from the perspective of Marshall, Willenbrock’s dog, this tale tells of his unpleasant life in the home of a dog hoarder, where food for the dogs was so scarce that they fought each other at mealtime. In one of these fights, Marshall’s front leg was broken and his face was badly bitten. When animal rescuers finally found out about the animal hoarder and took the dogs away, Marshall was in such sorry shape that they didn’t know if he would make it. He ended up losing his damaged front leg and his face remained badly scarred, yet he describes the compassion of the humane society workers who helped him learn how to walk and run on three legs. He meets his new “mom” (owner) and adjusts to a life of freedom with her and her other dog, Mooshy. Though life is good, Marshall is insecure and nervous about how other dogs and people will react to the fact that he has only three legs and a big scar on his face, but he’s pleasantly surprised by the kindness of others. Heimbaugh’s realistic colored-pencil illustrations help bring Marshall’s story to life. Due to wordiness and the use of some bigger words—celebrity, socialize, limitations—this book will most likely work better as a read-aloud with school-age children. It also lends itself to discussions about the humane treatment of animals and discussions about bullying.
An enjoyable picture book that addresses important issues in a kid-friendly way without being preachy.Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0615666259
Page Count: 40
Publisher: The Marshall Movement
Review Posted Online: Oct. 9, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2012
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Unanswered questions and heavy-handed writing drain intrigue from this not-so-spooky story.
Three friends unravel old secrets lurking beneath the surface of a picture-perfect town in this young adult mystery.
Fallon and her best friend, Blair, live in the town of Whitford, a “sort of old fashioned” place where “everyone knows everyone else.” Nothing ever goes wrong there, except for local 16-year-old girls’ penchant for drowning in Whitford Pond on their 16th birthdays. That is, nothing ever goes wrong until Blair, Fallon and their new friend Lila start investigating the drownings as part of a history project. Soon after the girls paddle out to the spooky island at the middle of the pond where its victims are buried, Fallon discovers that she’s related to the pond’s first victim: Elizabeth Mason, who was engaged to the prosperous son of the town jeweler before her supposed suicide in 1750. By poking around the town historical society and badgering Fallon’s lively grandmother, Nana, the girls realize that something sinister lurks beneath Whitford’s bucolic surface. It’s only when the trio heads to the fourth floor of Whitford’s public library in search of A Genealogy of the Noble Families of Whitford: A History that they realize their quest is putting them in danger. Blair and Fallon’s friendship feels comfortable and credible, although the addition of “exotic” Lila seems like a strained plot device rather than a real-life event. Indeed, much of the plotting is convenient rather than clever; the girls’ discoveries primarily result from pushing Nana to give them information or snooping around Nana’s house—and the developments that aren’t related to Nana are foreshadowed so heavily that they come as no surprise. Another distraction: Every time that the inhabitants of Whitford scream or emphasize a turn of phrase, Fredo uses capital letters. They’re are unnecessary, for example, when Fallon says, “I JUST HAD THE BEST IDEA EVER!”
Unanswered questions and heavy-handed writing drain intrigue from this not-so-spooky story.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 172
Publisher: iUniverse
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2012
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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