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EMERGENCY!

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

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ETTA INVINCIBLE

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

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BEFORE THE EVER AFTER

A poignant and achingly beautiful narrative shedding light on the price of a violent sport.

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An African American preteen finds his world upended when his father, a retired professional football player, displays symptoms of traumatic brain injury.

Twelve-year-old Zachariah “ZJ” Johnson Jr. loves his dad but wonders who he would be if his dad was not a famous athlete. Although his dad is in the spotlight, he is full of love and attention for ZJ and his friends. And fortunately, ZJ has three friends who see him and not his father’s shadow. “Zachariah 44” was a fearless player who suffered many concussions during his playing career. The changes in his father begin slowly and intermittently. Soon the headaches and memory lapses grow increasingly frequent and scary for ZJ and his mom, since the doctors do not seem to have any answers. As his dad slips further away, ZJ’s memories of better times grow closer than ever. Using spare and lyrical language for ZJ’s present-tense narration, which moves back and forth through time, Woodson skillfully portrays the confusion, fear, and sadness when a family member suffers from brain injury and the personality changes it brings. Readers see Zachariah Sr. through ZJ’s eyes and agonize with him as the strong, vibrant athlete begins to fade. The well-rounded secondary characters complete a mosaic of a loving African American family and their community of friends. The tale is set in the early 2000s, as awareness of chronic traumatic encephalopathy and its catastrophic consequences was beginning to emerge.

A poignant and achingly beautiful narrative shedding light on the price of a violent sport. (author's note) (Historical fiction. 10-14)

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020

ISBN: 978-0-399-54543-6

Page Count: 176

Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books

Review Posted Online: June 29, 2020

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2020

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