A heartbreaking story about family, justice, and the resilience of the human spirit.
Samuel, a freeborn black orphan, is sold into slavery during the height of the Civil War.
Thirteen-year-old Samuel is bookish and well-behaved—the exact opposite of his 6-year-old brother, Joshua. They live in an orphanage for “colored” boys run by a priest. When Samuel takes the blame for something he didn’t do in order to protect Joshua, he’s removed from the orphanage. Faithful and naïve, Samuel at first believes he’s been taken away by God. But when he’s given a new name (“Friday”) and sold into slavery on a cotton plantation in Mississippi, he realizes that he is instead in “Hell.” In his debut for teens, Walter chronicles Samuel’s journey through the horrors of slavery and his quest for freedom against the backdrop of the Civil War. Through Samuel’s plight and in his voice, Walter portrays slavery in America as the cruel institution that it was while also exploring moral and religious issues, such as the way the Bible was used by clergy and plantation owners as justification for enslavement. While readers on the young end of the age range and those unfamiliar with religious concepts may find the opening chapters somewhat confusing, Samuel’s endearing, immersive narration makes the novel a fascinating and unforgettable account of a brutal and shameful chapter in America’s history.
A heartbreaking story about family, justice, and the resilience of the human spirit. (Historical fiction. 12-16)Pub Date: Jan. 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-545-85522-8
Page Count: 384
Publisher: David Fickling/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Sept. 20, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
Compelling, fast-paced historical fiction.
Seventeen-year-old Eleanor is recruited for her math prowess to support U.S. efforts during World War II.
It’s 1942, and Eleanor, who’s Jewish, lives with her family in Jenkintown, just outside Philadelphia. The Schiffs anxiously await news from abroad about the Nazis, Jewish ghettos, and the fate of family members in Poland. Following her participation in MathMeet, a competition for Pennsylvania high schoolers, Eleanor is recruited for the top-secret Philadelphia Computing Section of the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps. Like her math professor father, who’s been disabled by a stroke, Eleanor has long had a gift and passion for math; she quickly sets herself apart from the rest of the group. Eventually, she’s even selected to go to an army air base in the California desert for a classified assignment involving a new bombsight called the Norden. Gordon anchors this work of fiction, which includes equations and models, in many real historical elements. Alyce, Eleanor’s new friend at the PCS and the only Black woman on the team, is a kindred spirit. Gordon explores segregation in military and civilian life, the Japanese American internment, sexism, and the Holocaust in ways that are historically accurate and appropriately horrifying. Eleanor starts off unsure and unnoticed but slowly, believably blossoms in self-confidence; the supporting characters are also well drawn and likable. The plot moves quickly, and the brisk pacing will keep readers turning pages.
Compelling, fast-paced historical fiction. (image credits, author’s note) (Historical fiction. 12-16)Pub Date: April 2, 2024
ISBN: 9781338853827
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A purple page turner.
This sequel to Clockwork Angel (2010) pits gorgeous, attractively broken teens against a menacing evil.
There's betrayal, mayhem and clockwork monstrosities, and the Shadowhunters have only two weeks to discover—oh, who are we kidding? The plot is only surprisingly tasty icing on this cupcake of a melodramatic love triangle. Our heroes are Tessa, who may or may not be a warlock, and the beautiful Shadowhunter warrior boys who are moths to her forbidden flame. It's not always clear why Tessa prefers Will to his beloved (and only) friend Jem, the dying, silver-eyed, biracial sweetheart with the face of an angel. Jem, after all, is gentle and kind, her dearest confidante; Will is unpleasant to everyone around him. But poor, wretched Will—who "would have been pretty if he had not been so tall and so muscular"—has a deep, dark, thoroughly emo secret. His trauma puts all previous romantic difficulties to shame, from the Capulet/Montague feud all the way to Edward Cullen's desire to chomp on Bella Swan. Somehow there's room for an interesting steampunk mystery amid all this angst. The supporting characters (unusually well-developed for a love-triangle romance) include multiple compelling young women who show strength in myriad ways. So what if there are anachronisms, character inconsistencies and weird tonal slips? There's too much overwrought fun to care.
A purple page turner. (Fantasy. 13-16)Pub Date: Dec. 6, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-4169-7588-5
Page Count: 528
Publisher: McElderry
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2011
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