Comical and whimsical, with a lovable and precocious narrator.
A well-traveled, formerly home-schooled girl faces challenges in attending school for the first time.
Finding the silver lining in every situation has been the hallmark of Joy Applebloom’s personality. In Valentine’s series opener, Joy is moving “home” to the U.K., somewhere she’s never been, along with her 13-year-old sister, Claude, and her mum and dad. They’re leaving Zanzibar to go live with their injured granddad, a big change after being in places like Mumbai, Hanoi, and Mexico City. Granddad is settled in his ways, but slowly Joy figures out ways to spend time with him and even make him laugh. When she enters formal schooling for the very first time as a 10-year-old, despite being “genuinely, properly all geared up for it,” she struggles to cope in this “silver-lining-free zone,” with its unfamiliar routines and social codes. But Joy, who’s cued white, finally meets a British Jamaican boy named Benny; they bond over the beauty of the old oak tree growing in the playground, which gives her hope again. But when the oak is threatened by plans to build a new school, Joy and Benny are galvanized into action. Told from Joy’s first-person point of view, the storytelling is clever and funny while dealing with age-appropriate challenges. Lefevre’s clean and imaginative black-and-white illustrations are scattered throughout this relatable and charming story.
Comical and whimsical, with a lovable and precocious narrator. (All About Joy) (Fiction. 8-11)Pub Date: Dec. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9781684649228
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Kane Miller
Review Posted Online: Sept. 28, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Certain to elicit both gales of giggles and winces of sympathy (not to mention recognition) from young readers.
First volume of a planned three, this edited version of an ongoing online serial records a middle-school everykid’s triumphs and (more often) tribulations through the course of a school year.
Largely through his own fault, mishaps seem to plague Greg at every turn, from the minor freak-outs of finding himself permanently seated in class between two pierced stoners and then being saddled with his mom for a substitute teacher, to being forced to wrestle in gym with a weird classmate who has invited him to view his “secret freckle.” Presented in a mix of legible “hand-lettered” text and lots of simple cartoon illustrations with the punch lines often in dialogue balloons, Greg’s escapades, unwavering self-interest and sardonic commentary are a hoot and a half.
Certain to elicit both gales of giggles and winces of sympathy (not to mention recognition) from young readers. (Fiction. 9-11)Pub Date: April 1, 2007
ISBN: 0-8109-9313-9
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Amulet/Abrams
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2007
SEEN & HEARD
PERSPECTIVES
Move over Ramona Quimby, Portland has another neighbor you have to meet!
Ryan Hart is navigating the fourth grade and all its challenges with determination.
Her mom named her Ryan because it means “king,” and she wanted Ryan to feel powerful every time she heard her name; Ryan knows it means she is a leader. So when changes occur or disaster strikes, budding chef Ryan does her best to find the positive and “make sunshine.” When her dad is laid off from the post office, the family must make adjustments that include moving into a smaller house, selling their car, and changing how they shop for groceries. But Ryan gets to stay at Vernon Elementary, and her mom still finds a way to get her the ingredients she needs to practice new recipes. Her older brother, Ray, can be bossy, but he finds little ways to support her, especially when she is down—as does the whole family. Each episodic chapter confronts Ryan with a situation; intermittently funny, frustrating, and touching, they should be familiar and accessible to readers, as when Ryan fumbles her Easter speech despite careful practice. Ryan, her family, and friends are Black, and Watson continues to bring visibility to both Portland, Oregon, generally and its Black community specifically, making another wonderful contribution that allows Black readers to see themselves and all readers to find a character they can love.
Move over Ramona Quimby, Portland has another neighbor you have to meet! (Fiction. 8-10)Pub Date: April 28, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5476-0056-4
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: Jan. 20, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2020
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