An enticing story that derives energy from its unflinching point of view.
A girl and two boys yearn for revenge against those who’ve hurt them in McHenry’s (Derby, 2009) dark coming-of-age drama.
Carla Schwartz, Lyle White, and Dean Barrett are much more than friends. They were all born on the same day in 1966 in Columbus, Ohio, and they’re only 10 years old when they map out their future lives: Lyle and Dean, they think, will both marry Carla, they’ll all have babies, and they’ll love one another forever. Each has harrowing events in his or her past: Carla was born prematurely to a 13-year-old mother; Lyle watched a schoolmate get stabbed to death in his presence; and Dean’s family has a history of violence. Carla, now living with her repulsive aunt and uncle, shares a horrible secret with Lyle and Dean, prompting the friends to take action to ensure that someone never touches Carla again. After the young people are separated—Carla goes to live with other relatives in Portsmouth, Ohio, and the boys stay back in Columbus—Lyle and Dean go on to earn cash by boosting cars, with the goal of someday heading to Mexico with Carla. Meanwhile, Carla finds herself in another precarious spot, as her threatening cousin, Louis, is soon to be released from prison. The boys aim to rescue Carla and keep Louis away from her; soon, their plans include lethal retribution against others who’ve wronged them. McHenry’s blunt, humorless novel is unabatingly bleak as it tackles such issues as child abuse and mental illness. The three protagonists are sympathetic in their tenacity, and they remain so even as they descend into violence; their potential victims, meanwhile, are unquestionably loathsome. The author nevertheless offers glimmers of hope, primarily with a curious, mystical plot turn: the teens are apparently guided by “the Universe”; more specifically, the North Star guides Dean; the Sun, Carla; and the Moon, Lyle. McHenry wisely leaves this point ambiguous, however, keeping alive the possibility that the celestial “watchers” actually just exist in someone’s head, much like Carla’s imaginary friend, Suzie. A downbeat conclusion is inevitable—indeed, a fortuneteller predicts a dismal ending for at least one character—but the somber tale remains provocative all the way to the last page.
An enticing story that derives energy from its unflinching point of view.Pub Date: Sept. 8, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-5369-4159-3
Page Count: 472
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Nov. 30, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
Mostly conservative in its stance and choices but common-sensical and current.
Savvy counsel and starter lists for fretting parents.
New York Times Book Review editor Paul (My Life With Bob: Flawed Heroine Keeps Book of Books, Plot Ensues, 2017, etc.) and Russo, the children’s book editor for that publication, provide standard-issue but deftly noninvasive strategies for making books and reading integral elements in children’s lives. Some of it is easier said than done, but all is intended to promote “the natural, timeless, time-stopping joys of reading” for pleasure. Mediumwise, print reigns supreme, with mild approval for audio and video books but discouraging words about reading apps and the hazards of children becoming “slaves to the screen.” In a series of chapters keyed to stages of childhood, infancy to the teen years, the authors supplement their advice with short lists of developmentally appropriate titles—by their lights, anyway: Ellen Raskin’s Westing Game on a list for teens?—all kitted out with enticing annotations. The authors enlarge their offerings with thematic lists, from “Books That Made Us Laugh” to “Historical Fiction.” In each set, the authors go for a mix of recent and perennially popular favorites, leaving off mention of publication dates so that hoary classics like Janice May Udry’s A Tree Is Nice seem as fresh as David Wiesner’s Flotsam and Carson Ellis’ Du Iz Tak? and sidestepping controversial titles and themes in the sections for younger and middle-grade readers—with a few exceptions, such as a cautionary note that some grown-ups see “relentless overparenting” in Margaret Wise Brown’s Runaway Bunny. Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House series doesn’t make the cut except for a passing reference to its “troubling treatment of Indians.” The teen lists tend to be edgier, salted with the provocative likes of Art Spiegelman’s Maus and Angie Thomas’ The Hate U Give, and a nod to current demands for more LGBTQ and other #ownvoices books casts at least a glance beyond the mainstream. Yaccarino leads a quartet of illustrators who supplement the occasional book cover thumbnails with vignettes and larger views of children happily absorbed in reading.
Mostly conservative in its stance and choices but common-sensical and current.Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5235-0530-2
Page Count: 216
Publisher: Workman
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Romance feels deeply liberating in Zalmanek’s hands.
Stories and guidance designed to keep the fires burning in your relationship.
This book is about adventures, unusual and exciting experiences in love–particularly with established couples–that speak of abiding affection. And they speak loudly, because you have to work to keep these adventures moving. They range from daily, loving gestures–the little threads that sew you together–to grand celebrations. Zalmanek, a self-proclaimed “Romantic Adventurer,” begins with the baby steps needed to get started. Fearless where she treads, Zalmanek is happy to give tips on everything from marriage proposals to divorce ceremonies. Each chapter is filled with episodes of romantic adventure intended to jump-start the imagination in the form of illustrative stories from people who have taken one of her workshops. She stresses the importance of being an attentive and aware mate–to understand your lover’s surprise quotient, for example–to explore the sensual acts that please the two of you, to learn how to give (and receive) unexpected gifts and to develop your own romantic traditions. She wants you to cherish the act of intimacy, to step back for a moment, regain some perspective and realize how important it is to keep adding fuel to the fire that drives your romance. Best of all, she makes it sound like an awful lot of fun.
Romance feels deeply liberating in Zalmanek’s hands.Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2006
ISBN: 0-9766879-0-9
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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