Those who already know "Fable" ("Pity the girl with the crystal hair") from Cricket will have some idea of the sort of perky conceits Joan Aiken works up into rhyme and meter. The nimble wordsmanship can be pleasing—it's our loss if some of the funniest lines rely on English place names and pronunciations—and Aiken can produce pungently witty twists on classical myths or turn out a light, literate march on, say, the climb of the woodwinds to social prominence. On the other hand not everyone will be amused by such notions as electric garters (!) in "Socks and Shocks," mermaids crocheting in "Socks for the Sirens," the moon as "In the Sky" or even a lovelorn sewing machine who becomes "the sorrowful Singer of Newington Green." And by the time one comes to the arch and off-key musing on "The Bog People"—"ah, cover up her features/ of perdurable hide/misfortune's mummy/ the Bog Man's pride"—the numbing effect of so much inflexible cleverness begins to take hold. Aiken can be entertaining in small doses, but this overlong collection only exposes the forced and shallow impulses behind the verbal acrobatics.
Pub Date: March 22, 1976
ISBN: 0670649503
Page Count: 104
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: April 12, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1976
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Brief yet inspirational, this story will galvanize youth to use their voices for change.
Testa’s connection to and respect for nature compelled her to begin championing animal causes at the age of 10, and this desire to have an impact later propelled her to dedicate her life to fighting plastic pollution. Starting with the history of plastic and how it’s produced, Testa acknowledges the benefits of plastics for humanity but also the many ways it harms our planet. Instead of relying on recycling—which is both insufficient and ineffective—she urges readers to follow two additional R’s: “refuse” and “raise awareness.” Readers are encouraged to do their part, starting with small things like refusing to use plastic straws and water bottles and eventually working up to using their voices to influence business and policy change. In the process, she highlights other youth advocates working toward the same cause. Short chapters include personal examples, such as observations of plastic pollution in Mauritius, her maternal grandparents’ birthplace. Testa makes her case not only against plastic pollution, but also for the work she’s done, resulting in something of a college-admissions–essay tone. Nevertheless, the first-person accounts paired with science will have an impact on readers. Unfortunately, no sources are cited and the lack of backmatter is a missed opportunity.
Brief yet inspirational, this story will galvanize youth to use their voices for change. (Nonfiction. 12-18)Pub Date: Oct. 13, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-22333-8
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2020
Best enjoyed by preexisting fans of the author.
Deaf, trans artist Man meditates on his journey and identity in this brief memoir.
Growing up in conservative central Pennsylvania was tough for the 21-year-old Deaf, genderqueer, pansexual, and biracial (Chinese/White Jewish) author. He describes his gender and sexual identity, his experiences of racism and ableism, and his desire to use his visibility as a YouTube personality, model, and actor to help other young people like him. He is open and vulnerable throughout, even choosing to reveal his birth name. Man shares his experiences of becoming deaf as a small child and at times feeling ostracized from the Deaf community but not how he arrived at his current Deaf identity. His description of his gender-identity development occasionally slips into a well-worn pink-and-blue binary. The text is accompanied and transcended by the author’s own intriguing, expressionistic line drawings. However, Man ultimately falls short of truly insightful reflection or analysis, offering a mostly surface-level account of his life that will likely not be compelling to readers who are not already fans. While his visibility and success as someone whose life represents multiple marginalized identities are valuable in themselves, this heartfelt personal chronicle would have benefited from deeper introspection.
Best enjoyed by preexisting fans of the author. (Memoir. 12-18)Pub Date: June 1, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-22348-2
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: March 24, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2021
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