Twin protagonists make a winning double bill in a story about alienation and aliens.
Twelve-year-old twin foundlings slip away from their 19th foster home to investigate their mysterious origins.
Jordie, slightly younger than his brother chronologically but reading as significantly more so developmentally, is sure that they are aliens since they were found as infants in a crop circle, bear odd scars down their backs, and he, at least, has no memories before age 7. Also, they never seem to fit in anywhere…though at least they’ve always had each other. A terrifying hint that they may have to be separated in order to find permanent foster homes drives Jordie to drag his reluctant but fiercely protective brother, Joey, into a search for the truth about their parentage. First stop: Roswell, New Mexico, to interview UFO experts and abductees. Expediting her perceptive articulation of the twins’ complex webs of trust and doubt, dependency and independence, Lauren adds Nadia, an observant classmate who tags along on what becomes a series of mishaps and revelations over the course of long, exhausting walks and bus rides. As a tease, the author also lets readers wonder whether this is science fiction or not right up to the climax—which begins with an attempt to sneak into Area 51—and goes on, after a wrenching reveal, to end with a promise of hope. The main cast seems to be White. Joey is attracted to boys, something Jordie implicitly accepts, although Joey’s openness about his sexuality is evolving.
Twin protagonists make a winning double bill in a story about alienation and aliens. (Fiction. 9-13)Pub Date: April 19, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-63163-581-6
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Jolly Fish Press
Review Posted Online: Jan. 10, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2022
Certain to elicit both gales of giggles and winces of sympathy (not to mention recognition) from young readers.
First volume of a planned three, this edited version of an ongoing online serial records a middle-school everykid’s triumphs and (more often) tribulations through the course of a school year.
Largely through his own fault, mishaps seem to plague Greg at every turn, from the minor freak-outs of finding himself permanently seated in class between two pierced stoners and then being saddled with his mom for a substitute teacher, to being forced to wrestle in gym with a weird classmate who has invited him to view his “secret freckle.” Presented in a mix of legible “hand-lettered” text and lots of simple cartoon illustrations with the punch lines often in dialogue balloons, Greg’s escapades, unwavering self-interest and sardonic commentary are a hoot and a half.
Certain to elicit both gales of giggles and winces of sympathy (not to mention recognition) from young readers. (Fiction. 9-11)Pub Date: April 1, 2007
ISBN: 0-8109-9313-9
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Amulet/Abrams
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2007
SEEN & HEARD
PERSPECTIVES
Poet Alexander deftly reveals the power of the format to pack an emotional punch.
Basketball-playing twins find challenges to their relationship on and off the court as they cope with changes in their lives.
Josh Bell and his twin, Jordan, aka JB, are stars of their school basketball team. They are also successful students, since their educator mother will stand for nothing else. As the two middle schoolers move to a successful season, readers can see their differences despite the sibling connection. After all, Josh has dreadlocks and is quiet on court, and JB is bald and a trash talker. Their love of the sport comes from their father, who had also excelled in the game, though his championship was achieved overseas. Now, however, he does not have a job and seems to have health problems the parents do not fully divulge to the boys. The twins experience their first major rift when JB is attracted to a new girl in their school, and Josh finds himself without his brother. This novel in verse is rich in character and relationships. Most interesting is the family dynamic that informs so much of the narrative, which always reveals, never tells. While Josh relates the story, readers get a full picture of major and minor players. The basketball action provides energy and rhythm for a moving story.
Poet Alexander deftly reveals the power of the format to pack an emotional punch. (Verse fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: March 18, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-544-10771-7
Page Count: 240
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 17, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2014
SEEN & HEARD
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
