An often heartwarming story that may appeal most to slightly older readers.
A small dog with a loving heart changes the lives of those she meets in Pinsel’s debut middle-grade novel.
One weekend in October 2003, 11-year-old humans Karli Paul, Adam Russell, Jessie Burton, and Christie O’Shay—otherwise known as the Turtles Crossing Gang, after the fictional town of Turtles Crossing, Louisiana—head out to find a missing dachshund who’d been spotted in the area. When they track her down at the edge of mean old Hank Stevens’ property, they find the dog has just given birth to a litter of puppies. Hank is furious about the animals being there, so the children sneak the canine family out of his yard and take them to Jessie’s house to care for them. This sets them on a journey that revolves around the smallest pup of the litter: a dachshund mix who’s eventually known as Kazi. Her story starts with her having trouble nursing and later encompasses Mardi Gras celebrations, Hurricane Katrina, and international travel to the city of Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The narration initially focuses on the four kids and their experiences with the new puppies as they grow. However, a shift partway through to follow Karli’s mom, Jacquie—combined with an emphasis on more adult-related struggles—may have the effect of losing some younger readers. Some moments of stilted dialogue (“ ‘It’s like a miracle that we found ’em and got ’em out of there, ’specially before ole Hank saw any of us!’ Adam elaborated”) and repeated information make the story lag at times. Still, there are plenty of experiences that kids of all ages may find relatable; for example, Christie’s father is in the Army and deployed overseas, and Adam’s uncle shows up suddenly to stay with his family while he looks for a new job. However, Kazi remains the heart of the story throughout.
An often heartwarming story that may appeal most to slightly older readers.Pub Date: Dec. 5, 2022
ISBN: 9781637552513
Page Count: 232
Publisher: Mascot Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 29, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A successful call for creating and imagining, even if the story itself falls short.
In the dystopian, totalitarian world of 2099, 14-year-old Tessa and her family are desperate to solve the mystery of her twin brother Theo’s disappearance.
Tessa is growing up in a time when playgrounds are historical relics, surveillance cameras are everywhere, music is outlawed, and owning books is illegal. Under the absolute rule of Zokiris, the decadeslong leader of her territory, people are heavily controlled. When Theo vanishes under mysterious circumstances and his name is erased from the Territory Statistics list, Tessa’s 135-year-old neighbor, Miriam, gives the family contraband books that become central to figuring out Theo’s whereabouts. Most books have long since been seized and stored away in Building 903; Tessa is intrigued by their presence in her home, while her mother is terrified. Lowry, the acclaimed, award-winning author of The Giver (1993), shines in her creation of uncomfortably believable dystopian societies. Tessa’s painfully limited world is fully imagined, with its own history, laws, and norms. Her relationship with her brother reads as realistic and tender and is crucial to the mystery. Miriam is the most strongly developed character: wise and independent, unafraid and hopeful. While the climb to the book’s climax is captivating, the hurried resolution is disappointing. The powerful messaging around the importance of literature and imagination certainly resonates, however. The main characters present white.
A successful call for creating and imagining, even if the story itself falls short. (Dystopian. 9-12)Pub Date: Sept. 29, 2026
ISBN: 9780063515109
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: July 6, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2026
Charming, poignant, and thoughtfully woven.
An aspiring scientist and a budding artist become friends and help each other with dream projects.
Unfolding in mid-1980s Sacramento, California, this story stars 12-year-olds Rosalind and Benjamin as first-person narrators in alternating chapters. Ro’s father, a fellow space buff, was killed by a drunk driver; the rocket they were working on together lies unfinished in her closet. As for Benji, not only has his best friend, Amir, moved away, but the comic book holding the clue for locating his dad is also missing. Along with their profound personal losses, the protagonists share a fixation with the universe’s intriguing potential: Ro decides to complete the rocket and hopes to launch mementos of her father into outer space while Benji’s conviction that aliens and UFOs are real compels his imagination and creativity as an artist. An accident in science class triggers a chain of events forcing Benji and Ro, who is new to the school, to interact and unintentionally learn each other’s secrets. They resolve to find Benji’s dad—a famous comic-book artist—and partner to finish Ro’s rocket for the science fair. Together, they overcome technical, scheduling, and geographical challenges. Readers will be drawn in by amusing and fantastical elements in the comic book theme, high emotional stakes that arouse sympathy, and well-drawn character development as the protagonists navigate life lessons around grief, patience, self-advocacy, and standing up for others. Ro is biracial (Chinese/White); Benji is White.
Charming, poignant, and thoughtfully woven. (Fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: Jan. 12, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-06-300888-5
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2020
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