When Claire's family is turned upside down, her friends—and enemies—become a surprising source of support.
Eighth grade is tough enough for Claire without new problems, including a prominent zit appearing on the first day of school and watching her friends at dance school move into advanced levels while she stays behind. But these problems fade in significance when her novelist father keels over during breakfast one morning. Her father's stroke means even more changes: the house is different, the looks of pity she gets are unfamiliar, and her father has changed. But he's still there—isn't he? With humor, grace, and an ear for middle school nuance, Sonnenblick navigates the tricky waters of eighth grade and manages to convey the heartbreak of a major tragedy alongside the more mundane, but no less horrifying, problems, such as getting your period while wearing white marching-band pants. Her dad's stroke serves as both a main source of anguish and a backdrop against which Claire explores all the relationships in her life, including the ones she has with her brother, her two best dance friends, her best school friend, and others she never knew were friends (including Latina Regina, who calls Claire “Starbuck” because, she says, “all white girls love Starbucks”).
Authentic, funny, dramatic, fantastic. (Fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Sept. 27, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-545-86324-7
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 1, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2016
Categories: TEENS & YOUNG ADULT FAMILY | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT SOCIAL THEMES
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
For the past 75 years, Tessa’s nation has been at war—a war that has no end in sight.
Tessa lives in a community of weary people, visibly crushed by endless years of combat. They are numb; war is commonplace. But when a local boy receives an award for bravery—the nation’s highest—it lifts the city. Everyone, especially Tessa, desperately needs a hero. But Gideon shocks the town by refusing the honor. He declares himself a coward and runs away. He has killed more than 1,000 people; there is no honor in that. But that’s what war is, isn’t it? Killing the enemy is necessary. Gideon infuriates Tessa, but she is inexplicably curious as well. She follows him and ends up on a plane, with Gideon steering it straight toward the enemy line. He hopes to apologize, to atone for his mistakes, but what he and Tessa (along with a stowaway orphan named Dek) find when they open the plane’s door changes the plan dramatically. This dystopian drama examines the human aspect of war, and also how technology may redefine war in the future. In line with that tension, it is difficult to pinpoint which character grows the most in the narrative—Tessa or the computer.
If hoping to grab a heartfelt connection, readers may feel sidelined, but plot turns will certainly keep them entranced. (Dystopia. 10-14)Pub Date: Nov. 15, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-4169-9526-5
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Sept. 21, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2011
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Tragedy emerges from the commonplace miseries of everyday life in this evocative mood piece.
Thirteen-year-old Iris lives with her dad and older brother, Sam, in rural England. Until recently, Iris and Sam had a mum as well, but she’s taken off to Tunisia on a mission to find herself. Now Sam’s associating with ruffians, Dad’s taken to drinking, and Iris is avoiding her best friend, unable to bear the smug pity. When a few caravans of Irish “travelers” squat illegally in Dad’s paddock, Iris sees the possibility of something fresh and untainted in her life. But Dad and Sam loathe the travelers, calling them “Gypsies,” “parasites” and worse. Iris strikes up a friendship—and maybe more?—with 14-year-old Trick, but her father becomes increasingly erratic as he sees his control over his family slipping away. Her Dad repeatedly threatens eviction, and Iris must decide whom to believe in the face of petty crime. A senseless act of violence leads to heavily foreshadowed tragedy. This brief, gloomy debut concludes tidily though with an unclear trajectory: After a summer’s adventure, everyone’s right where they started yet nothing’s the same, mirroring the intransigence of hate.
Readers who don’t need endings tied up with tight little bows will find much to think about here. (Fiction. 10-13)Pub Date: May 27, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4814-0658-1
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: March 12, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2014
Categories: TEENS & YOUNG ADULT FAMILY | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT SOCIAL THEMES
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