Fourteen-year-old Simon is a British boy working through a lot of problems: a new stepmother, a new stepsister, a school bully and a girlfriend named Delfine who’s not as fine as a longed-for girl named Sky. And Sky’s the limit in this funny tale that ponders such major life issues as, “Have you ever wondered how things like marmalade were invented?” The writing is fast-paced and dialogue-driven, told in the wise-guy voice of an irreverent teenaged boy with plenty of references to farts, panties, legs, breasts and lip nibbling. A glossary is included for American readers unfamiliar with British terms such as gobwalloped, knickers, scarper, stonk and wozzer. Adding to the fun is Simon’s comic art (not all included in the galley), the graphic-novel component providing a great look into the fantasy life and mind of an artist as a young boy. In spite of the unfortunately silly title, here’s a British import that boys may devour just as girls have loved Louise Rennison’s Georgia Nicolson series. (Fiction. 12+)
Pub Date: March 1, 2007
ISBN: 0-06-084105-2
Page Count: 240
Publisher: HarperTempest
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2007
A heart-pounding coming-of-age story of a girl trapped in the whirl of a “multiversal tornado.”
A Chicago teen must find her way home after being thrown into a succession of universes.
Aria Patel loves physics: Unlike relationships, it’s data-driven, not emotional and capricious. Aria, who constantly catastrophizes, recently dumped her boyfriend, Rohan, pre-emptively avoiding any problems before they leave for college. Racing off on her moped one day, panicking over her widowed mother’s sudden health emergency, Aria sees a truck crash into the car her mother is driving to the ER. Aria blacks out and wakes up in front of a strange house, wearing different clothes. Her mom is there—but she’s not her usual self. Aria experiences a series of different lives before getting stuck in one for some time. She enjoys this latest world—her dad is alive, she has an adorable little sister, and there’s an undeniable attraction between her and this Rohan—but she’s desperate to get back to her original life to save her mom. Aria, whose Muslim family is cued Indian American, realizes that stabbing headaches, Rohan, and a poem entitled “To Be or Not To Be 2.0” are commonalities in every existence. She uses these clues to try to bend space-time and return home. The rush of the multiple universes and scientific mystery-solving brings excitement to this well-paced story, counteracting Aria’s anxious perseveration, and the romantic storyline is sweet.
A heart-pounding coming-of-age story of a girl trapped in the whirl of a “multiversal tornado.” (Speculative fiction. 12-18)Pub Date: May 13, 2025
ISBN: 9780316548687
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
PERSPECTIVES
Lackluster.
Lizzie Borden’s story gets a contemporary reimagining.
Sisters Charlotte and Maddi grieve for their deceased mother. They were told her heart stopped, but they find that suspicious. To make matters worse, Amber, their mother’s young personal assistant, is now dating their dad and wearing their mother’s jewelry. When Maddi uncovers poison in their house, the siblings start to question whether their dad and Amber had something to do with their mother’s death. They share their worries with Uncle Jake, their mom’s brother, and new student Lana seeks Charlotte’s friendship and offers to help as well. However, Charlotte and Maddi soon learn the only ones they can truly trust and rely on are each other, and drastic measures may be warranted. Readers familiar with the true Borden story will know that murder is coming, but this novel’s focus is on the mindsets and emotions of the sisters as their grief turns to anger and rage. Short chapters shift between Charlotte’s and Maddi’s narratives. Charlotte in particular feels like an unreliable narrator, as she constantly questions and contradicts herself, which will make readers question her mental state. The story has all the trimmings of a slow-burn psychological thriller, but the straightforward, repetitive text is dull while the twists and turns are obvious and lack shock value or are simply not believable. Main characters are assumed White.
Lackluster. (author’s note, resources) (Psychological thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: Jan. 4, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-37552-5
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
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