A moving story about the struggles of an Iranian migrant.
A young boy with a heroic name faces an uncertain future in this myth-inspired novel.
As Lillehei’s book begins, an 11-year-old named Sam is traveling across barren terrain in Iran with a driver and two other boys, 15-year-old twins Amir and Amin, with an aim to cross the border into Turkey. Although Sam is very young, he senses that this trip is different from any other he’s taken; he’s leaving behind his mother and sisters, and his father clearly expects never to see him again. Against this humble, even desperate backdrop, Lillehei establishes a steadily stalwart folktalelike tone: “Warriors appear in many sizes, shapes and guises. Sometimes they’re only eleven years old, slight of frame, but with the heart of a lion and the strength of a tiger.” Sam’s father is a devout Muslim and a proud Persian, and he’d steeped Sam in heroic stories from Persian legend, to which the story often alludes; Sam is even named after a legendary king. The plot follows Sam and his fellow travelers on their sometimes-arduous journey through hostile country, and over perilous border crossings, in their attempt to reach the West. Throughout, Lillehei tells the tale in a straightforward manner, and this simplicity meshes well with its focus on Sam’s youthful perceptions during his voyage, including extracts from the youngster’s notebooks. Occasionally, however, the author spoils the tone with ungainly moments of exposition: “Turkey relied on agricultural products from Iran. Therefore, the trade continued but was hidden from the western countries whose desire to isolate Iran was unrelenting.” That said, this remains an ultimately uplifting tale of indomitable heroism.
A moving story about the struggles of an Iranian migrant.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 307
Publisher: Manuscript
Review Posted Online: Feb. 16, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
This can’t be the last we ever hear of the Legendary Alston Boys of the purely surreal Logan County—imaginative,...
Can this really be the first time readers meet the Legendary Alston Boys of Logan County? Cousins and veteran sleuths Otto and Sheed Alston show us that we are the ones who are late to their greatness.
These two black boys are coming to terms with the end of their brave, heroic summer at Grandma’s, with a return to school just right around the corner. They’ve already got two keys to the city, but the rival Epic Ellisons—twin sisters Wiki and Leen—are steadily gaining celebrity across Logan County, Virginia, and have in hand their third key to the city. No way summer can end like this! These young people are powerful, courageous, experienced adventurers molded through their heroic commitment to discipline and deduction. They’ve got their shared, lifesaving maneuvers committed to memory (printed in a helpful appendix) and ready to save any day. Save the day they must, as a mysterious, bendy gentleman and an oversized, clingy platypus have been unleashed on the city of Fry, and all the residents and their belongings seem to be frozen in time and place. Will they be able to solve this one? With total mastery, Giles creates in Logan County an exuberant vortex of weirdness, where the commonplace sits cheek by jowl with the utterly fantastic, and populates it with memorable characters who more than live up to their setting.
This can’t be the last we ever hear of the Legendary Alston Boys of the purely surreal Logan County—imaginative, thrill-seeking readers, this is a series to look out for. (Fantasy. 10-12)Pub Date: April 2, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-328-46083-7
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Versify/HMH
Review Posted Online: Jan. 14, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2019
PERSPECTIVES
Enchanting.
Neglected and uprooted, an 11-year-old finds a surprising new family.
Gwen MacKinnon has been sent to live with Great-Uncle Matthew in Massachusetts while her father sorts out a new apartment in St. Louis after splitting with his third wife and her mother moves to Costa Rica with her boyfriend. Uncertain about her future, Gwen finds solace in knowing that a library in her new town shares her name: the MacKinnon Library. What she doesn’t know is that the children’s section of this library is populated by the Lahdukan, small, winged people with turquoise hair who can only be seen and heard by children under 7—and, surprisingly, Gwen. Great-Uncle Matthew thinks the Lahdukan are a game of pretend that the children play, but they’re real, and they’re in trouble. Their library home is undergoing construction, and they must find a new place to live. The Lahdukan thrive on archaic prophesies, one of which has told of the coming of a new Qalba—a human girl from the MacKinnon family who will help their clan. Much to Gwen’s shock, the Lahdukan tell her she’s the new Qalba. Birdsall gives the coming-of-age theme a fresh spin in her inventive story, one that’s filled with endearing, quirky characters and delicious intrigue involving Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Phelan’s lively black-and-white illustrations add visual interest. Gwen and Great-Uncle Matthew appear to be white.
Enchanting. (author’s note, pronunciation guide) (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Aug. 5, 2025
ISBN: 9780525579045
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
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PERSPECTIVES
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