This concluding volume in an interesting concept series is strengthened by colorful characters. (Fiction. 8-11)
Norris’ obnoxious, bullying behavior makes Ferguson just want to “spit feathers” in this conclusion to the Lobster Chronicles trilogy.
Problems with Norris aren’t the whole story however. Geared for emerging chapter-book readers, like the preceding two works (Lower the Trap, 2012; A Narrow Escape, 2013), the same tale is presented again from yet another point of view. While the other two were more focused on Norris’ effect on his classmates, in this story, his cheating and bullying recede against sensitive Ferguson’s struggle to discover anything that could provide his beloved grandfather with a legacy of his life as a lobsterman. That a giant lobster has been trapped and will be auctioned to the highest bidder is still an important piece of this book’s plot. Ferguson thinks that winning and then freeing the lobster might provide a legacy for his grandfather, but, satisfyingly, the older man has a better plan. Readers will recognize that in his worries about his grandfather, Ferguson seems to have unfortunately distanced himself from both his siblings and his peers. Since his classmates are only tangentially involved in this effort, references to issues that previously dominated the shared tale now seem somewhat superfluous. Although this effort could stand alone, Norris’ redemptive behavior at the climax can only be understood by reading the rest of the trilogy.
This concluding volume in an interesting concept series is strengthened by colorful characters. (Fiction. 8-11)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-55453-708-2
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Kids Can
Review Posted Online: June 25, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2013
Readers will enjoy this sequel from a plot perspective and will learn how to play-act a trial, though they may not engage...
This sequel to The Lemonade War (2007), picking up just a few days later, focuses on how the fourth graders take justice into their own hands after learning that the main suspect in the case of the missing lemonade-stand money now owns the latest in game-box technology.
Siblings Evan and Jessie (who skipped third grade because of her precocity) are sure Scott Spencer stole the $208 from Evan’s shorts and want revenge, especially as Scott’s new toy makes him the most popular kid in class, despite his personal shortcomings. Jessie’s solution is to orchestrate a full-blown trial by jury after school, while Evan prefers to challenge Scott in basketball. Neither channel proves satisfactory for the two protagonists (whose rational and emotional reactions are followed throughout the third-person narrative), though, ultimately, the matter is resolved. Set during the week of Yom Kippur, the story raises beginning questions of fairness, integrity, sin and atonement. Like John Grisham's Theodore Boone, Kid Lawyer (2010), much of the book is taken up with introducing courtroom proceedings for a fourth-grade level of understanding. Chapter headings provide definitions (“due diligence,” “circumstantial evidence,” etc.) and explanation cards/documents drawn by Jessie are interspersed.
Readers will enjoy this sequel from a plot perspective and will learn how to play-act a trial, though they may not engage with the characters enough to care about how the justice actually pans out. (Fiction. 8-10)Pub Date: May 2, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-27967-1
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: April 5, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A bit disjointed and episodic, but Tristan is a likable companion.
Tristan’s family has always loved living in New York City, but all that is about to change.
Dad announces that they are moving to a dilapidated, purple house on a hill on the outskirts of the very small town of Petersville in upstate New York. Baby sister Zoe is frightened and confused. Jeanine, two years younger than Tristan and a math genius in gifted and talented classes, is appalled and worried about her educational prospects. Tristan is devastated, for he is a city kid through and through. Because they won’t be starting school for several months, their parents tell Jeanine and Tristan they must complete a project. Jeanine selects a complicated scientific and mathematical study that allows her to remain uninvolved with people. Tristan, who loves to cook, like his chef mom, decides to start a business making and selling the supposedly mind-blowing chocolate-cream doughnuts once famous in Petersville but now no longer made. His business plan leads to adventures, new friends, and a sense of acceptance. Tristan is a charmer; he’s earnest, loving, wistful, and practical, and he narrates his own tale without guile. But he is the only character so well defined—next to him, the supporting cast feels flat. The family is described as Jewish early on, but their Judaism is kept well to the background; the people of Petersville are white by default.
A bit disjointed and episodic, but Tristan is a likable companion. (recipes, business plan, acknowledgements) (Fiction. 8-10)Pub Date: April 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4926-5541-1
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
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