It’s the summer of 1961, and the tensions in divided Berlin are leading to fears of World War III. For Terrence O’Brien, the 12-year-old son of an American army officer, the anxiety and unease become part of his daily life when his father is assigned to a base near Verdun, France. O.B., as he is called, had enjoyed life in Boston where he had friends, grandparents, and baseball. Now, uprooted one more time, he has to adjust to life in an insular French town where people must still walk carefully to avoid the thousands of live mines left unexploded in the WWI battlefield. O.B.’s parents are supportive and gently encourage him to try out for the army’s little-league baseball team, but he doesn’t make the cut. The army brats his age, led by Cannonball (so named for his spectacular pool dives), are all on the team and O.B. wants to be part of their group. At the same time, he is drawn to a local French boy named Claude, whom Cannonball loves to ridicule. Claude is musical and doesn’t like baseball. The inner conflict that besets O.B.—wanting to fit in with the American kids and really liking Claude—drives this gentle story. O.B. chickens out of entering a church to hear Claude’s recital because Cannonball and the other boys are nearby. But in a dramatic climax, it is quiet Claude whose courage and sensibility saves the lives of the American boys who have wandered dangerously close to the battlefield. Donahue (An Island Far from Home, not reviewed) warmly conveys a feeling for life on the base and in France at this time. O.B. is realistic and appealing in that he is not always strong enough to face ridicule and exclusion from Cannonball and his group. As Claude puts it, friends say a demain—until tomorrow—and that is how these boys will spend their time together. (Fiction. 8-12)
Pub Date: Sept. 21, 2001
ISBN: 0-374-37580-1
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2001
Simple, bella, un regalo permenente: simple and beautiful, a gift that will stay.
Renowned Latin American writer Alvarez has created another story about cultural identity, but this time the primary character is 11-year-old Miguel Guzmán.
When Tía Lola arrives to help the family, Miguel and his hermana, Juanita, have just moved from New York City to Vermont with their recently divorced mother. The last thing Miguel wants, as he's trying to fit into a predominantly white community, is a flamboyant aunt who doesn't speak a word of English. Tía Lola, however, knows a language that defies words; she quickly charms and befriends all the neighbors. She can also cook exotic food, dance (anywhere, anytime), plan fun parties, and tell enchanting stories. Eventually, Tía Lola and the children swap English and Spanish ejercicios, but the true lesson is "mutual understanding." Peppered with Spanish words and phrases, Alvarez makes the reader as much a part of the "language" lessons as the characters. This story seamlessly weaves two culturaswhile letting each remain intact, just as Miguel is learning to do with his own life. Like all good stories, this one incorporates a lesson just subtle enough that readers will forget they're being taught, but in the end will understand themselves, and others, a little better, regardless of la lengua nativa—the mother tongue.
Simple, bella, un regalo permenente: simple and beautiful, a gift that will stay. (Fiction. 9-11)Pub Date: March 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-375-80215-0
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2001
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A fast and funny alternative to the Wimpy Kid.
Black sixth-grader Jake Liston can only play one song on the piano. He can’t read music very well, and he can’t improvise. So how did Jake get accepted to the Music and Art Academy? He faked it.
Alongside an eclectic group of academy classmates, and with advice from his best friend, Jake tries to fit in at a school where things like garbage sculpting and writing art reviews of bird poop splatter are the norm. All is well until Jake discovers that the end-of-the-semester talent show is only two weeks away, and Jake is short one very important thing…talent. Or is he? It’s up to Jake to either find the talent that lies within or embarrass himself in front of the entire school. Light and humorous, with Knight’s illustrations adding to the fun, Jake’s story will likely appeal to many middle-grade readers, especially those who might otherwise be reluctant to pick up a book. While the artsy antics may be over-the-top at times, this is a story about something that most preteens can relate to: the struggle to find your authentic self. And in a world filled with books about wanting to fit in with the athletically gifted supercliques, this novel unabashedly celebrates the artsy crowd in all of its quirky, creative glory.
A fast and funny alternative to the Wimpy Kid. (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: March 28, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-553-52351-5
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Dec. 5, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2016
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