This action-packed companion to Fire! (1998) provides an introduction to the personnel, special vehicles, and equipment that are a part of responses to 911 calls for medical emergencies. Each spread includes nearly a dozen full-color close-up photographs with a brief text describing how the tools are used. A spread on “Vital Signs” has a discussion of how emergency medical technicians (EMTs) or emergency room team members check for pulse, respiration, blood pressure, and temperature, and the equipment they use. Other spreads cover the inside of an ambulance, rescue truck, med-evac helicopter, and an operating room. Masoff offers a brief timeline of milestones in medicine, describes what if feels like to be part of the emergency team, suggests ten things readers can do to be prepared for emergencies, and includes places to write for more information. Packed with facts, this title has broad appeal, capturing the pace of emergency work in a visually appealing package. (bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 10-14)
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-590-97898-5
Page Count: 56
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 1998
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
This hopeful adventure leaves an indelible mark.
A rare disorder elicits fear in a young Black artist with a unique sense of the world.
Seventh grader Etta’s Quiet Days are becoming more frequent and, frankly, irritating since her “maybe-diagnosis” of Ménière’s disease in both her ears. Her parents are monitoring her diet, vigilant about stressors, and learning ASL. In contrast to Etta’s Loud Days, not being able to hear sometimes makes it easier to focus on her comic book about Invincible Girl (the novel includes some enticing panels featuring Etta’s work). But, as peculiar weather patterns begin to overwhelm her Chicago neighborhood and exacerbate her allergies, the corresponding tinnitus and vertigo as well as the increased anxiety from everyone around her leave Etta feeling hopeless. Even meeting Eleazar, an artsy new Colombian friend with an adorable goldendoodle, leads to doubts about her abilities to communicate—Eleazar is also still learning English—and her future with Ménière’s. When Eleazar’s dog gets lost on a magical train that is linked to the weird weather, the two must traverse the train cars, solve mysteries, and overcome their fears to fix what’s broken and heal what can’t be fixed. Just like the magical challenges, their journey yields great emotional rewards. Even as Etta and Eleazar make new connections, losses—of family, hearing, and home—are somber reminders of life’s challenges. With snappy narration that’s rich in sensory detail and metaphor, readers progress through well-paced storytelling that is ethereal and artfully inclusive.
This hopeful adventure leaves an indelible mark. (Fiction. 10-13)Pub Date: July 12, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5344-6837-5
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Aladdin
Review Posted Online: May 9, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2022
Uplifting.
A bond formed in infancy is reestablished during a pivotal summer when two tweens each need a staunch friend by their side.
Drew and Mia have an unusual origin story: They were born on the same day and in the same hospital in Half Moon Bay, California. One baby’s presence comforted the other inconsolable one in their shared bassinet. While this story is familiar to each, they don’t see each other again until life brings them together 12 years later when Mia returns to Half Moon Bay from Sacramento to visit her grandmother. The two young people feel a connection that blossoms into friendship, one that sustains each of them through some of the worst of life’s difficulties. For Drew, it’s his father’s diagnosis with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. For Mia, it’s financial stress and the impending loss of her family’s home. They take turns telling their individual stories: Drew’s prose is direct and descriptive; Mia uses free verse to capture concise moments and feelings. They begin to go running together, and the way they start to open up is sensitively portrayed and rings true. Just as Drew and Mia fall into step during their runs as they train to enter a half-marathon, their stories begin to align as well, and they encourage and support each other through their challenges. It doesn’t alter the road ahead, but it does influence how they handle what comes next. The cast is cued White.
Uplifting. (Fiction. 10-13)Pub Date: June 6, 2023
ISBN: 9781682635391
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Peachtree
Review Posted Online: March 13, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2023
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