An 8-year-old girl deals with the trials and tribulations of growing up in this debut book, the first in an anticipated series.
To say that Lexi Blender is having a difficult week may be the understatement of the year. She’s dealing with Kyle, a school bully who teases her at every opportunity, a grouchy substitute teacher named Mrs. Butters who has an unwarranted vendetta against her and a disagreeable cafeteria milk lady who refuses to give her a break at lunchtime. As if that isn’t enough, Lexi’s father recently remarried and she’s adjusting to being part of a newly blended family. Despite everything that’s being thrown at her, however, Lexi manages to handle the pressure beautifully, even utilizing Principal Giles’ thoughtful suggestions for dealing with her anger. But when Lexi’s parents’ warnings go unheeded and they continue to find her socks strewn around the house, Lexi is punished by not being allowed to attend cheerleading tryouts. Disappointed and frustrated that nobody believes that she’s innocent, Lexi is determined to get to the bottom of the sock debacle. And as she does just that, she learns that sometimes it’s the people who continuously disappoint you who ultimately come through in the end. Shainoff’s book provides the young reader with a candid look at how painful growing up can really be—especially when you’re disregarded simply because you’re a kid. From navigating the complicated politics of elementary school, to a genuine look at the difficulties a merged family faces, Shainoff covers many of the troubles a modern-day kid encounters. While some may find the ubiquitous grammatical errors troubling and the character development lacking, other readers will find it easy to overlook these minor flaws thanks to the endearing, likable Lexi. Short and simple, this book serves as a charming reprieve from the real-life difficulties of growing up. In a world chock-full of unsuitable subject matter, parents will appreciate the appropriate storylines of this book, and kids will enjoy spending time with Lexi.
Pub Date: Sept. 17, 2010
ISBN: 978-1453837955
Page Count: 55
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2012
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An absorbing fantasy centered on a resilient female protagonist facing growth, change, and self-empowerment.
In Florence’s middle-grade fantasy novel, a young girl’s heart is tested in the face of an evil, spreading Darkness.
Eleven-year-old Lydia, “freckle-cheeked and round-eyed, with hair the color of pine bark and fair skin,” is struggling with the knowledge that she has reached the age to apprentice as an herbalist. Lydia is reluctant to leave her beloved, magical Mulberry Glen and her cozy Housetree in the woods—she’ll miss Garder, the Glen’s respected philosopher; her fairy guardian Pit; her human friend Livy; and even the mischievous part-elf, part-imp, part-human twins Zale and Zamilla. But the twins go missing after hearing of a soul-sapping Darkness that has swallowed a forest and is creeping into minds and engulfing entire towns. They have secretly left to find a rare fruit that, it is said, will stop the Darkness if thrown into the heart of the mountain that rises out of the lethal forest. Lydia follows, determined to find the twins before they, too, fall victim to the Darkness. During her journey, accompanied by new friends, she gradually realizes that she herself has a dangerous role to play in the quest to stop the Darkness. In this well-crafted fantasy, Florence skillfully equates the physical manifestation of Darkness with the feelings of insecurity and powerlessness that Lydia first struggles with when thinking of leaving the Glen. Such negative thoughts grow more intrusive the closer she and her friends come to the Darkness—and to Lydia’s ultimate, powerfully rendered test of character, which leads to a satisfyingly realistic, not quite happily-ever-after ending. Highlights include a delightfully haunting, reality-shifting library and a deft sprinkling of Latin throughout the text; Pit’s pet name for Lydia is mea flosculus (“my little flower”). Fine-lined ink drawings introducing each chapter add a pleasing visual element to this well-grounded fairy tale.
An absorbing fantasy centered on a resilient female protagonist facing growth, change, and self-empowerment.Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9781956393095
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Waxwing Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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