An illuminating ode to the robust literary life of Theodore Roosevelt.
Theodore Roosevelt may be remembered as an outdoorsman today, but above all, he was a bibliophile.
For young, asthmatic “Teedie” Roosevelt, books offered a lifeline outside his bedroom and into the natural world. The more he read, the more he wanted to see wildlife for himself, so he began strengthening his body. Literature continued to sustain him in adulthood. Researching and writing The Naval War of 1812 kept Roosevelt going in the wake of his father’s death. And after the deaths of his mother and his wife, he went west to the Dakota Territory, hunting by day and reading and writing by night. He returned to New York, to politics (he was elected governor in 1898), to a new wife, and to writing; he published biographies of statesmen as well as his accounts of ranch life. Writing arguably even saved Roosevelt’s life; while campaigning for president in 1912, he was shot, but the bullet was slowed by a copy of his 50-page speech. Interspersing the narrative with quotes from her subject, Hannigan keeps up a peppy tone (“Theodore always had something more to say!”) while offering readers a potentially new angle on Roosevelt. Innerst’s acrylic, ink, and digital illustrations lend a dreamy, earthy joie de vivre to Roosevelt’s love affair with words. In-depth backmatter includes a timeline, bibliography, a list of books written by Roosevelt, and a thoughtful essay on why reading and writing matter.
An illuminating ode to the robust literary life of Theodore Roosevelt. (author’s note, photos) (Informational picture book. 7-10)Pub Date: Nov. 24, 2026
ISBN: 9781662680618
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Calkins Creek/Astra Books for Young Readers
Review Posted Online: July 31, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An authentic and moving time capsule of middle school angst, trauma, and joy.
Through the author’s own childhood diary entries, a seventh grader details her inner life before and after 9/11.
Alyssa’s diary entries start in September 2000, in the first week of her seventh grade year. She’s 11 and dealing with typical preteen concerns—popularity and anxiety about grades—along with other things more particular to her own life. She’s shuffling between Queens and Manhattan to share time between her divorced parents and struggling with thick facial hair and classmates who make her feel like she’s “not a whole person” due to her mixed White and Puerto Rican heritage. Alyssa is endlessly earnest and awkward as she works up the courage to talk to her crush, Alejandro; gushes about her dreams of becoming a shoe designer; and tries to solve her burgeoning unibrow problem. The diaries also have a darker side, as a sense of impending doom builds as the entries approach 9/11, especially because Alyssa’s father works in finance in the World Trade Center. As a number of the diary entries are taken directly from the author’s originals, they effortlessly capture the loud, confusing feelings middle school brings out. The artwork, in its muted but effective periwinkle tones, lends a satisfying layer to the diary’s accessible and delightful format.
An authentic and moving time capsule of middle school angst, trauma, and joy. (author's note) (Graphic memoir. 8-13)Pub Date: Aug. 17, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-250-77427-9
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A breezy, bustling bucketful of courageous acts and eye-popping feats.
Why should grown-ups get all the historical, scientific, athletic, cinematic, and artistic glory?
Choosing exemplars from both past and present, Mitchell includes but goes well beyond Alexander the Great, Anne Frank, and like usual suspects to introduce a host of lesser-known luminaries. These include Shapur II, who was formally crowned king of Persia before he was born, Indian dancer/professional architect Sheila Sri Prakash, transgender spokesperson Jazz Jennings, inventor Param Jaggi, and an international host of other teen or preteen activists and prodigies. The individual portraits range from one paragraph to several pages in length, and they are interspersed with group tributes to, for instance, the Nazi-resisting “Swingkinder,” the striking New York City newsboys, and the marchers of the Birmingham Children’s Crusade. Mitchell even offers would-be villains a role model in Elagabalus, “boy emperor of Rome,” though she notes that he, at least, came to an awful end: “Then, then! They dumped his remains in the Tiber River, to be nommed by fish for all eternity.” The entries are arranged in no evident order, and though the backmatter includes multiple booklists, a personality quiz, a glossary, and even a quick Braille primer (with Braille jokes to decode), there is no index. Still, for readers whose fires need lighting, there’s motivational kindling on nearly every page.
A breezy, bustling bucketful of courageous acts and eye-popping feats. (finished illustrations not seen) (Collective biography. 10-13)Pub Date: May 10, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-14-751813-2
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Puffin
Review Posted Online: Nov. 10, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2015
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